Wenger – We need our ‘Champions League focus'



Arsène Wenger has called on his side to regain a “Champions League focus” for the Group G game against Porto on Tuesday night.

When he spoke at his pre-match press conference on Monday, it was clear the Arsenal manager was still recovering from Saturday’s shock defeat to Hull at Emirates Stadium.

Wenger argued the game was a wake-up call his team did not need and that the loss should not be overblown, however he did call for improvement against the Portuguese champions.

“I believe the Champions League is a different game,” said the Frenchman. “We have learned from the Hull match that you need a Champions League focus in every game.

“If we are guilty of something it is that we couldn't get our focus to the right level to take our chances.

“The analysis of the game shows that we had enough opportunities to win. On the other hand, they made 100 per cent of the few chances they had. So credit to them and damage to us.

“You have not to make too much of it. We lost a game we did not want to lose but we have enough strength inside the Club and inside the team to deal with that. It can happen but it cannot be repeated.

“I don't think we needed to be woken up but it was a big disappointment because we felt that we had enough quality to win the game.”