News

Wenger on draw, red card and defence

Arsene Wenger faced the media after Arsenal's goalless draw in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie against Besiktas.

Read a transcript of what he had to say below:

on a difficult game...
Yes, it was a difficult match played at a high pace. Besiktas played with 100 per cent pace and did fought for every single ball. We needed a great level of concentration. We are still a bit short physically with some situations, but overall it was a game played for 90 minutes at great pace.

on Ramsey's red card…
I think neither the first or the second yellow card was deserved. When you see some of the fouls made tonight and we go home with Ramsey red carded, it's a bit unbelievable.

on the draw...
We always want to win but look, Besiktas could have won the game, and we could have won the game as well. Maybe a draw is a fair result because both teams had chances to win the game. We know Besiktas are a good team. We know the game will be certainly tight again, but we play at home. The task is clear for us, we want to win the game.

on not winning a qualifying game...
We faced a very good Besiktas team tonight who were at our level. Their commitment was absolutely fantastic.

on his transfer plans...
Not at the moment, no. I have nothing special to add on that at the moment. Honestly, we are not close to signing anybody.

on the defence...
We are a bit short at the back, yes you're right. But we should have Mertesacker and Ozil and Podolski available again at the weekend. Let's hope they are in good shape when we go home.