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Wenger on ending pre-season with victory

Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger

Arsene Wenger spoke to the media after Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-1 in their final game of pre-season in Helsinki on Saturday afternoon. Here is a transcript of what the boss had to say:

on the win…
It was a game of good intensity with two teams who were really putting all the effort on. We had a good tactical discipline. I'm pleased with many aspects of our game, even if there are some points to work on. Overall it's positive tactically [and] attitude-wise. We scored goals, created chances and were always highly focused. That's good.

on a confidence boost…
Certainly it will lift our confidence. You have always to find a good balance between confidence and urgency level and I think we will because this team has a good attitude. We lose now the players who go on international duty and come back only on Thursday so it will be very short from Thursday to Saturday to prepare or our first game. We have big games in front of us because we play of course Aston Villa at home and then in the Champions League so it's important that we don't lose players now.

on Wilshere…
I decided before the game to play him only 45 minutes because I want to build him up step by step and because he will go with the national team when England plays against Scotland on Wednesday night. That as well will be a very committed game.

on if Wilshere will link up with England…
Yes.

on the support of the fans in Finland…
Look I'm quite amazed how popular we are here. It's a very good feeling. I like to see the stands in red and white. I would like to thank all the fans who turned up today and supported our team and I'm happy that we could give them a positive feeling and that they go home happy. It's great to see how popular our club is here.

on Jenkinson's reception…
He has a very strong link with the country and you expect that, especially when people [have] Finnish [heritage] and love Arsenal - you expect a good reception for Jenkinson.

on if the team will return to Finland…
I would love to. We enjoyed coming here and playing in such an atmosphere on such a fantastic pitch with a great support. It was a quality game. Our opponent was very good as well. I would sign to come back.

on if he's happy with the strikers he's got…
I think what is important is the strength of the squad. Today is one game. We want to play 55 games and we are maybe a bit thin squad-wise to go through a whole season.

on pre-season as a whole…
I'm an optimist. That's why I do this job. Overall I think we finished the season well. In the last 10 games We had eight wins and two draws and we kept the squad together for the first time [for a number of years]. We didn't lose any regular players so that makes me very positive for the new season.

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