Arsène Wenger dismissed suggestions that the absence of
Cesc Fabregas lead to Arsenal's defeat at Middlesbrough on
Sunday.
Once again, the Frenchman was without five major players when he
sent his side out at the Riverside Stadium. Having picked up a win
and a draw from trips to Villa and Newcastle over the course of the
previous week, Wenger was hopeful of restoring his side's
four-point lead at the top of the table.
However Stewart Downing's third-minute penalty and
Tuncay's excellent second consigned Arsenal to their first
domestic defeat in eight months. Speaking after the game, the
Arsenal manager acknowledged his side's injury problems but
refused to put the defeat down to the absence of any individual.
"I don't like to speak about the players who are not
here," he said. "I always have confidence in the players
who play. When you go into a season you know you will miss some
players at some stage.
"At the moment we miss players in the same area. That
handicaps a little bit our creative potential. But it does not mean
we have to give away a penalty after three minutes."
