Wenger: 'We gave them too much room to play'
on whether Arsenal were fortunate...
"I must first say that we played against a great team who was dominant in the early part of the game. That's where we were lucky because they had early chances. We gave them too much room to play. But I must say I give a lot of credit to my players because we kept in the tie at 2-0 against a team like Barcelona. If you have no mental strength you can go down to 5-0 but we came back to 2-2. The only regret I have tonight is the way we gave the two goals away. We were lucky to be 0-0 at half time but I am convinced that had we not given those two cheap goals away we would have won the game."
on being outplayed for periods of the match...
"I don't deny that. They are an outstanding team but I believe that most of the shots on goal they had were in the first part of the game. We were in a position at 2-0 when you play against a great side and you have to throw everything forward. You know you can be caught with another goal."
on whether he regrets playing Fabregas...
"I don't know. At the end of the day you have to trust how the player feels and you trust your medical people. There was nothing wrong medically, they told me, and he had a test this morning and said he was ready to play. I haven't spoken to him yet because he has an X-ray - we have to check nothing is wrong with him. I think anyway he is suspended for the second leg and I believe he won't play on Saturday. If it was a muscular injury he would have been better to come off. He wanted to stay on - maybe he thought he would get another penalty."
on his attitude after the booking which ruled him out of the second leg...
"He is fantastic. His mental strength... he didn't give up. I believe the whole team was mentally unbelievable tonight because we kept going and kept going and kept going against an opponent that is class. But I am still convinced we can make life difficult for them in the second game. We have a chance to qualify."
on Barca losing Puyol and Pique to suspension...
"From what I have seen tonight it is not enough!"
on William Gallas...
"William has a calf strain. He will be out for a while now. Again, I took a gamble that didn't pay off. I can say yes, I regret that now."
on Andrey Arshavin...
"He is the same, he has done his calf."
on whether it's easier to accept being outplayed by a side like Barcelona...
"It is not easy, believe me, but you respect it more than when you are kicked. I respect what Barcelona did tonight and you have to say they are a great side. They won the European Cup, the [Spanish] championship, the [Spanish] Cup, and you can see why. I still believe that a part of their superiority was down to their inhibition at the start of the game. We gave them too much room in the first part of the game."
on why he is confident Arsenal can qualify...
"Because we have to study well how we be dominant and win the ball back. I believe that when we win the ball back we always looked dangerous against them. Especially using some weaknesses that we have exploited quite well tonight. We have to go for that."
on Theo Walcott's performance...
"I don't deny tonight that he had a huge impact when he came on and I am very happy about that. I found it absolutely fantastic. He has qualities which can be useful on a big pitch like the Nou Camp but first let's focus on Wolves on Saturday."
on Fabregas' booking...
"I think it was a cheap one and I don't know if you can appeal for yellow cards but I don't think he deserved a yellow card."
on Carles Puyol's red card...
"Yes [I thought it was harsh]."
on whether it was a penalty...
"It was so-so."
on Lionel Messi...
"That was a positive sign tonight, he didn't score and didn't create too many chances."
on the size of the task facing Arsenal in the Nou Camp...
"It would be a big achievement but I believe we can do it."
on whether Barcelona will be kicking themselves...
"Yes, certainly they will have that feeling because in the first part of the game they could have killed us off. But don't forget we had many chances - Bendtner had two or three chances. I believe on the counter-attacks over there we can be very dangerous."
on whether it was 'art' at the Emirates...
"It was art. Art of football, but it was art. I think it was a great football night for people who watched the game with two teams who went for it. It was an exceptional football night, of course."
Quelle: arsenal.com
