Arsène Wenger
Wenger - Our passing was an illusion
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By Chris Harris
Arsène Wenger admits that his team's radar was off at Ewood Park on Monday.
Robin van Persie's first-half header gave Arsenal the lead against Blackburn but scrappy close-range efforts from David Dunn and Chris Samba turned the game on its head and condemned Wenger's side to their ninth defeat of the Premier League campaign.
The Frenchman was left to bemoan decisions which did not go his team's way but, equally, he accepts that his players fell below their usual standards.
"Our passing was an illusion today," said Wenger. "It was not sharp, not crisp, without forward vision and it was not good enough to be dangerous.
"You can say that [it is difficult to lift the players after the defeat at Wigan] but I believe always in football what is difficult is not to play. When you have a chance to play it's never difficult.
"I believe we were a bit unlucky to lose the game because on both goals I believe we were unlucky with the decision of the referee. But we did not produce enough quality, that is for sure. And at the end of the day we were punished."
Wenger felt that goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was impeded in the build-up to both Blackburn goals and was just as incensed when the referee failed to spot a foul by Michel Salgado on Robin van Persie inside the box.
"It was a penalty on Van Persie I believe and on both goals the purpose was just to stop Fabianski from playing, not to go for the ball, and I don't understand how the referee can allow that," said the manager.
"It was not a surprise [to be tested in the air] but you expect the referee to have the rules respected. I don't know anymore what is a foul and what isn't because for me when there is no purpose to play the ball but the keeper, ultimately every time he is pushed."
[Tuesday, May 04, 2010]
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