Arsene Wenger’s half-time team talk is between him and the players, but there’s no hiding the fact he was angry at half-time on Saturday.
Preston were the better side before the break at Deepdale and could easily have been more than a goal in front.
The boss was impressed by Preston, but less so by his own team until they responded in the second half. Here’s what he said after the game:
on another game where we came from behind...
I think since the start of the season we had many, many, many comebacks and many goals in the final minutes. I would first like to congratulate Preston for the quality of their game, especially in the first half where we were outpaced and they played with desire, enthusiasm and quality and they gave us many problems. Full commitment for 90 minutes - it was a great cup tie and we needed to dig deep to win the game today. Second half it was all us, but they continued to defend well and we needed to be patient and create something special - we did that in the end. But it was a very good cup tie today.
on whether he was angry at half-time…
Yes. We are top level Premier League and we were dominated in the first half. Preston had chances you know and I believe we were just not at the pace of the game or the pace that the game demanded. Of course, I didn’t want to go home and be out of the FA Cup tonight.
on what impressed him about Preston…
I would say their organisation, the speed of their transitions when they won the ball. Every time, we were in trouble. Overall, their intelligence, I think they played in a very intelligent way. They are a good side you know and honestly, I was really impressed by them today.
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