Wenger on...the nature of the game
""I feel we were tested against a very dynamic, physical,
direct and brave Wigan team. It was mental and physical test. In
the first half we were surprised by the intensity of their
commitment and their decisiveness in what they did.
"We gave some chances away because of their huge commitment and direct style. When we had the ball we needed to show composure, get the ball down and play our own game. We did that well for the 90 minutes."
Wenger on...the strength of the two sides
"The game was interesting for 90 minutes. They
have shown why they are where they are and my team are developing
as well. We are showing that we are a force again today I saw
different aspects and you know they are all needed in the
Premiership."
Wenger on...Thierry Henry's contribution
"People ask you to speak about him but I just
say watch him. He can take free-kicks, give final balls and score
goals. He has everything in his locker."
Wenger on...Pascal Cygan at left back
"It was his first game at that level on the
left flank and it was against a right flank at Wigan who are very
offensively-orientated. Jimmy Bullard is like a marathon man and
Chimbonda is a right winger every time they try to win the
ball.
"I put Ljungberg on the right at the start to protect that side a little, Pires is a more offensive player. But as well we wanted to take advantage of the fact they go forward and so we could get in behind them. I think we did that quite well."
Wenger on...the pitch
""If we lost balls it was down to the
quality of the pitch rather than technical mistakes. Sometimes if
you need one touch more it favours the team who want to close the
ball down. But I feel it is a handicap for Wigan because they are
sometimes forced into a direct game when they could do something
more."
Arsène Wenger
Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 18 Nov 2005
