Brighton 2-3 Arsenal
Wenger’s reaction:
on the game…
Brighton are a good team. They made it very difficult for us. We had a little bit of a slow start. They were sharper than us in the first half. In the second half, we were much more in the game and created chances. They [Brighton] play a game that is a very positive, technical game and they had a great spirit today. On their right flank, they gave us many problems. In the end, we’ve got that extra bit of quality that got us through. It’s a cup game – you need to go through and that’s what we did. We did our job but we needed to fight until the end.
on the team’s character…
We needed to score a third goal but they twice came back and you have to give them credit for that. They play great football and played a great game today. You could see why they knocked Newcastle out.
on Giroud…
It’s good for his confidence [that he scored twice]. He’s scored four goals this week and he had a few more chances today. He gets there. He has a presence in the box, he’s dangerous and his physical presence was very important today.
on if he needs a new striker…
Quality-wise no, number-wise, we could be a bit short maybe. Gervinho is not here at the moment. We have Walcott, who can play through the middle and then of course Giroud.
on if he’ll try to sign a new striker…
You do not find them in the street, the strikers that can play for us and strengthen our team. It’s difficult in January.
on if he’s made an offer or enquiry for Stevan Jovetic…
No.
on how concerned he was at having rotated his team with half an hour to go…
Yes because that’s a gamble you take. You know it can backfire. I left a few out, for example Cazorla, but it was for medical reasons. He couldn’t play and it was very risky to play him. Jack [was left on the bench] a little bit to protect his ankle.
on if rotating was a game…
Yes, it was. But with the number of games we play, you cannot only play the same 11 in every single game. We play against Liverpool on Wednesday, Stoke on Saturday and then the players go away for international games. You have to rotate knowing that if it doesn’t work, you will be accused of having made the wrong decision.
on if he’s confident of signing a midfielder…
I cannot tell you that. In this kind of job it is realism that is important. Realistically I cannot tell you I will sign anyone tomorrow, or Tuesday, as we are not close to doing it.
