Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal (Giroud 65′)
Coach Wenger reacts:
on how happy with the result…
I am very happy. It was a very intense game against a good Newcastle team. We got a big physical challenge today. Overall I felt that we were in control of the game until we scored the 1-0. We missed a second chance that would have certainly sealed the game. In the last 15 minutes we have shown another aspect of our team – resilience, fight. We threw our bodies in the box. You have seen today a technical aspect of our team that was quite good but as well a mental aspect that was needed in a game of that stature.
on similar resilient performances over the last three games…
Yep. There is something in the team that is special on the mental front where we have many times been questioned. But we have shown that at West Ham when we were 1-0 down, we have shown that again today when we were a bit backs to the wall in the last 15 minutes. There’s a great solidarity and a great spirit in the side.
on missing that resilience in recent years…
For years we were younger [and less able] to resist this kind of pressure but we have always been up there at the top. If you analyse well our results we have always been up there. Last year in this period we were out of the title race but 2013 we have been quite consistent.
on whether he saw that strength in the summer…
No we finished well last season. Unfortunately we lost our [first] home game and that provoked a massive reaction but if you looked at the big scale of 2013 we have been very consistent.
on giving Giroud a rest…
I don’t know. Every time I think I give him a rest but we have a team that is a bit short, lightweight and more focused on mobility and technical movement so he is the one guy who has that strength and structure for us. That fighting up front is very important for us.
on getting the most points in 2013…
We’ve come out of very difficult games. We played Everton, we played Man City, Chelsea, at West ham, at Newcastle and we dropped some points but I felt it was more down to the heavy schedule and short recovery time we had than to the difficulty of the games. But we have to show it on the pitch and that’s what we tried to do.
on the belief of winning the title…
Look we believe in ourselves and we are determined to give our best absolutely and to turn back on this season at the end and think we have given our best. I hope it will be enough of course but it’s a long way to go – it’s too early to say that.
on his interest in Cabaye in the summer…
No we don’t look for midfielders because today we didn’t have Ozil or Ramsey who stayed at home and we had still three good midfielders and I still had Arteta on the bench so there is no real need in there.
on how bad [Mesut] Ozil’s injury is…
It is an inflamed shoulder, it should be one more week maybe less, I don’t know, but not a long time.
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