Arsene Wenger will be disappointed about his side’s opening day defeat to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, but insisted that his players cannot dwell too much about the heavy loss, as they must concentrate and ensure their UEFA Champions League dream does not suffer as a result.
Arsenal supporters were expecting big things from their players this season, with some key figures of the team talking about a title challenge. The big achievement for Wenger and the board so far has been to retain their best players, something they have not been good at for the past few seasons. Their attacking flair in players like Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud was a pleasant sight for the fans in the first half, when the Frenchman put the side in the lead after converting an intelligent cross by Oxlade-Chamberlain. The fit midfield trio of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky playing together in a fixture was also a positive sign for the squad, as they form an integral part of the starting eleven, adding experience and talent. Laurent Koscielny’s first week was not a pleasant one, as the French defender got himself sent off after two bookable offenses in the game.
On a darker note, the injury crisis will hit the squad hard through the course of the next two weeks, as they lost Bacary Sagna, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs through injury, and all three were substituted during the match. Given the fact that the club are already missing the likes of Mikel Arteta, Nacho Monreal, Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby, things are not looking good for the club.
Arsenal cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves as they have an important Champions League playoff match against Turkish giants Fenerbache. This will be the first of two legs that will decide the qualification of Arsenal in the elite competition.
All has not been well on the transfer front for the Gunners, who reportedly launched a £10 million bid for Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye whihc was promptly turnned down by Newcastle.
According to Metro, Wenger said, “The next game becomes very important when you come out of a game like that.”
“You must not let the disappointment gain in the spirit of the players”
“The resolute attitude we had against Villa, we have to keep and bounce back on Wednesday.”