Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa
Wenger reacts after the home defeat for Premier League season opener:
on a frustrating afternoon…
It’s a big disappointment to lose a game like that because we prepared well, apart from the fact that the players were away on international duty. We started the game well and then suddenly everything went against us and in the end we lost 3-1 so it is a big blow and even when we had 10 men we had chances to come back to 2-2. Not only did we lose the game but we have a few injuries and many kicks which were unbelievable on our treatment table. We have problems with some players [in terms of] recovering for Wednesday night.
on taking positives from the game…
I feel there are still a lot of positives. We had some lively moments and kept going until the end and that’s what we have to focus on and forget the referee.
on the second penalty decision…
The linesman said to me that he did not give the penalty and he was at the level of the tackle. So why does the referee – who did not give the penalty straight away – suddenly give the penalty? That’s what is amazing to me. I would understand if the linesman said it was a penalty but you have to live with that. Just because you get these decisions given against you it doesn’t mean you should go on to lose the game. We have to focus on ourselves now.
on transfers…
We were on the market before the game and we are on the market after the game.
on who picked up injuries during the game…
Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gibbs, Sagna. Gibbs has a deep cut. Sagna and Rosicky have problems. Wilshere – I don’t know how he will respond after the full 90 minutes. Ramsey has a problem after a kick at his ankle. On that front, we have done quite well.
on why money hasn’t been spent…
I can return your question. Could we have won the game with the players that were on the pitch today? That’s for me the real question. And I say yes. After that, if we do not spend the money, it’s because we do not find the players. I’m not the only one to work on that. We are a team who work on that. We are ready to buy the players if we find that the players are good enough for us. That’s all we can tell you.
on if he understands the fans…
Yes, I can understand that. We want our fans to be happy. When you don’t achieve that, you feel absolutely sorry and really disappointed when the fans are not happy. My job is to make the fans happy. We haven’t lost the game because of that. That’s what I just want to convince you of. That we are on the market, everybody knows that we are ready to buy players. Everybody knows. Until we buy players, we have to win football games and it’s not an excuse not to have bought players to have lost the game.
on his future…
We live in a media world and everybody has opinions that are definite and I have to live with that. In 16 years, I’ve shown my loyalty to this Club. My worry is to do well. That’s the only worry. As long as I’m here, I want to do well. I’m absolutely hugely disappointed because we’ve come out of a 10-game run in the last season without any defeat and we start the new season with a defeat at home. It’s a massive blow and that’s why the solution is not to sit here and say, ‘Yes we’ll buy and keep you happy’. What is important for us is to win football games with the players who are on the pitch and continue with what we did last year at the end of the season. When you have the ambition that we have, it’s difficult to accept that you lose the first game at home.
on if it’s wrong to call for signings…
I’m not here to say who is right and who is wrong. I’m here to make people happy who love this Club. When we don’t do it, I feel sorry. I have to look at the solution at the start of the game. We couldn’t go out at five to three and buy six players. When the game starts, you have to win the game. Could we win the game with the players we have? I say yes. That is my answer. After, we are out to buy players. People always say ‘buy players, buy players, buy players’. When you tell them ‘tell me who?’ it becomes much more problematic.
