Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has blamed his players for their 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the first leg second round tie of the UEFA Champions Le...
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has blamed his players for their 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the first leg second round tie of the UEFA Champions League.
A Lionel Messi double in the 71st and 84th minutes gave Barcelona the first leg advantage.
In his reaction to the loss, Wenger admitted that though Barcelona were superior, Arsenal could still have won.
"Of course I'm disappointed because we lost in a way we knew we could not afford. We are extremely guilty," Wenger said at the post-match press conference
"We were disciplined defensively [until the goals] but they were better than us. Everyone knows that but we could've won.
"Barcelona master all aspects of the game. As soon as you're in a bad position against them you can get punished.
"When your players put in the energy that they did tonight, it's very difficult to take this result."
Wenger went on to lament Arsenal's poor finishing in the final third.
"We had an unbelievable chance in the first half. Our finishing was a problem tonight. We missed it in the final third," he added.
"We gave absolutely everything tonight so it's a shame we have nothing to show for it.
"Maybe we felt that we could win the game and then we lost our cautiousness to defend. They're so dangerous on the break."
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