Mertesacker laments Gunners not being ready to fire in Cup
LONDON: Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker accused his team mates of playing like they did not want to defend the FA Cup after the holders flopped 4-2 at second-tier Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Manager Arsene Wenger made wholesale changes to the side that drew with Chelsea during the week but even with many first-choice names absent it was alarming to see Arsenal outplayed by a callow Championship side.
“You couldn’t see that we really wanted to defend it,” the German said. “This round is always the toughest. You face a Championship side away and you need to be ready but for the majority of the game, we were not.”
Two goals from American Eric Lichaj before the break and penalties by Ben Brereton and Kieran Dowell after it condemned Arsenal to their earliest exit since the 1995-96 season.
Mertesacker had equalised Lichaj’s early header but Arsenal were overwhelmed by a side 14th in the Championship.
“The manager made a lot of changes, gave a lot of trust to players who haven’t played a lot recently and I don’t think anybody justified their selection today,” he said.
“That sums it up I think. In the second half there was a little bit more spirit from ourselves, but in the duels you could see that they out-battled us.”
Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is happy to remain at the London club as long as they win silverware and provide him with the environment to improve as a player.
Kane scored a quickfire double on Sunday to take his goal tally for the season in all competitions to 26 as Tottenham defeated third tier AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup third round at Wembley.
The 24-year-old has attracted interest from major European clubs in recent seasons.
Real Madrid’s former president Ramon Calderon stating in October that he expected the Spanish club to try to sign the forward.
Asked what Tottenham needed to do to ensure he commits his long-term future to the club, Kane said: “We want to start winning trophies so that’s the aim. As long as the club keeps doing that then I’m happy here.
“I’ve always said, just keep progressing, keep getting better.”
Tottenham lost to Chelsea in the 2015 League Cup final in Kane’s breakthrough year and have not won a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in the 2007-08 season.
The Londoners sit 21 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with 41 points from 22 games and Kane believes the FA Cup offers them a realistic chance of a trophy.
“We want to win a trophy somehow and this is a competition we’re looking at to do that,” he said.
Tottenham return to league action on Saturday with the visit of ninth-placed Everton. – Reuters