Arsene Wenger was a satisfied man after his side beat Reading 2-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Arsenal manager discussed the performance, how some of the youngsters fared, and Carl Jenkinson’s return.
- Read the match report
- 'Ox has added belief to his finishing'
on the win…
It was a dynamic game between two teams who tried to play passing football and build up the game from the back. For me, it was also good to see some young players who practise every day with a top team, and also give them a chance with the other players who needed competition. It was positive. It was an interesting game which we were able to win in a comfortable way in the second half.
on which youngsters impressed…
I felt that Rob Holding did well and also Ainsley Maitland-Niles, he did well. Jeff Reine-Adelaide did alright too.
on Carl Jenkinson…
It’s fantastic to see him back. I don’t count him as a young player but he did well, he played 90 minutes and had no fitness problems at all. That means he’s prepared well physically. He’s played with the under-23s and we have had no problems with him physically at all.
on midfielders weighing in with goals…
It’s a little bit down to the quality of our collective game and some of it is down to the fact that they are a bit more confident. When the team gets more positive results everybody is a bit more relaxed and the tension is something that goalscorers don’t like. You need to be relaxed to finish.
on Alex Iwobi in the No 10 position…
You see, he is not a typical winger and I think he can play in that role. He turns the game forward, he passes the ball through the lines very well. He has a final ball in him. He is now a little bit, I think he has it all in the locker to pass and give the final ball. What you want from him now is the finishing, you know. That’s still a little part that is missing in his game. I think he is too nervous at the moment when he has the possibility to finish.
on how he makes sure everyone gets enough minutes…
Look, if we stay in all the competitions, it’s not too difficult. And that’s a positive of qualifying tonight. We have always targets and the players who, for example, we have three top class goalkeepers, because you see Emi Martinez as well. But as long as we are in this competition, he obviously gets his game so they have a focus, something to focus on.
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