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Wenger: Arsenal must find confidence
Feb 18, 2013 10:15:00 AM
The Gunners manager has acknowledged that his side's game-to-game consistency has not been good enough after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn on Saturday
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he must rebuild his side’s confidence if they are to have any chance of success against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Gunners' hopes of securing silverware this season took another blow when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Blackburn on Saturday.
And Wenger has acknowledged that their game-to-game consistency and mental focus has not been good enough ahead of the first leg of their last-16 tie against Jupp Heynckes' Bundesliga leaders on Tuesday.
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"It is vital for us to fight for silverware," Wenger told the club’s official website. "Unfortunately [the FA Cup] will not happen for us now and we can only look at ourselves and not complain about anything else. We have to come out with a strong response on Tuesday.
"First you have to rebuild the confidence because we are not playing against Blackburn in midweek. We play Bayern Munich so a lot of confidence will be needed.
"We were on a high [before Saturday] because we played well at Sunderland last week and the team looked happy and full of belief but we couldn't maintain the focus.
"The top level is about consistency in every single game and that's what we could not show. Coming after the Sunderland game we came out with a flat performance and that shows that, mentally, we are not capable at the moment of preparing in exactly the same way for every game.
"The players are really hurting but you have to take it on the chin and come back with a strong response. That's all we can do.
"I think we have a great team but Saturday shows that we still have to show more maturity on the mental front. We have to understand what it means to win big games. Blackburn was a big game for me. But it is important that we come back and respond well."
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10:22 PM BST
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"It is hard to describe," he told ZDF. "I am completely done, I have cramps left and right. But I did not go off the pitch and it paid off. Physically I am over the limit now.
"When you are 68 years old and you have a record season and then you win the Champions League and have the chance for the triple, you can be happy you are 68 and not 25. Because then you can retire."
"It is hard to describe," he told ZDF. "I am completely done, I have cramps left and right. But I did not go off the pitch and it paid off. Physically I am over the limit now.
"When you are 68 years old and you have a record season and then you win the Champions League and have the chance for the triple, you can be happy you are 68 and not 25. Because then you can retire."
10:17 PM BST
An word from Goal Germany correspondent Tim Rohn on a night of redemption for Bayern Munich:
"One year after that bitter loss to Chelsea the Bayern are now the ones dancing on the pitch. BVB gets a farewell with much applause and a scraf parade. No matter that Bayern won: For every german football fan in London this will be a very long night."
"One year after that bitter loss to Chelsea the Bayern are now the ones dancing on the pitch. BVB gets a farewell with much applause and a scraf parade. No matter that Bayern won: For every german football fan in London this will be a very long night."
10:13 PM BST
Happily, Dortmund's players aren't feeling too down about things. They're proud of what they've done, and rightly so. They've lit up the competition with their fearless brand of football.
"We are proud," Weidenfeller told ZDF. "We stood up to Bayern and we've had a great season in the Champions League. We gave everything and did our best to win that trophy. But we will come back again."
Sebastian Kehl added: "We played a fantastic match and gave a great account of ourselves. We can be proud. And of course we will attack again next season."
"We are proud," Weidenfeller told ZDF. "We stood up to Bayern and we've had a great season in the Champions League. We gave everything and did our best to win that trophy. But we will come back again."
Sebastian Kehl added: "We played a fantastic match and gave a great account of ourselves. We can be proud. And of course we will attack again next season."
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"I heard so many people saying in the last weeks saying they would grant me this. They told me: 'You'll score the goal.' It’s not quite sunk in yet. There’s a lot of emotion.
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You'll never hear or read a more simplistic description of the Dutchman's Champions League winner!
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