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Wenger: Arsenal 'Choked' Against Sunderland
Frenchman unhappy after Gunners fired blanks against the Black Cats.
Nov 23, 2009 3:52:52 AM
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that the Gunners "choked" during their 1-0 loss to Sunderland on Saturday.
The north London club had previously gone on an unbeaten run of 13 games, before a strike from Darren Bent ensured that they succumbed to a defeat at the Stadium of Light.
The Frenchman remains unhappy with the performance put in by his charges.
"Going forward we lacked sharpness, we lacked the desire to go behind defenders," said Wenger, according to Sporting Life.
"We've chosen the easy part of the game and not exposed them with our pace in behind. If you want to score goals you have to go behind the defenders.
"We choked a little bit and chose the easy part of the game."
The former Monaco boss explained that his side have been demoralised following the loss, but gave the Black Cats their due.
He continued: "Mentally it's a blow.
"It's a big disappointment because we know it was a very important game that we couldn't afford to lose and we perhaps under-estimated how difficult it would be for us here [at the Stadium of Light].
"Give Sunderland credit, they defended with a lot of heart and great desire and they fought for every ball. They played it like it was a Cup-tie."
Following the heartbreaking loss to Steve Bruce's men, 'The Professor' believes that the players must focus on the Champions League clash against Standard Liege, leaving the upcoming blockbuster game against Chelsea to take a back seat.
"It's important to win the next game - that is in the Champions League - and to forget about Chelsea," he concluded.
Adithya Ananth, Goal.com UK
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The north London club had previously gone on an unbeaten run of 13 games, before a strike from Darren Bent ensured that they succumbed to a defeat at the Stadium of Light.
The Frenchman remains unhappy with the performance put in by his charges.
"Going forward we lacked sharpness, we lacked the desire to go behind defenders," said Wenger, according to Sporting Life.
"We've chosen the easy part of the game and not exposed them with our pace in behind. If you want to score goals you have to go behind the defenders.
"We choked a little bit and chose the easy part of the game."
The former Monaco boss explained that his side have been demoralised following the loss, but gave the Black Cats their due.
He continued: "Mentally it's a blow.
"It's a big disappointment because we know it was a very important game that we couldn't afford to lose and we perhaps under-estimated how difficult it would be for us here [at the Stadium of Light].
"Give Sunderland credit, they defended with a lot of heart and great desire and they fought for every ball. They played it like it was a Cup-tie."
Following the heartbreaking loss to Steve Bruce's men, 'The Professor' believes that the players must focus on the Champions League clash against Standard Liege, leaving the upcoming blockbuster game against Chelsea to take a back seat.
"It's important to win the next game - that is in the Champions League - and to forget about Chelsea," he concluded.
Adithya Ananth, Goal.com UK
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Introducing "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
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