Wenger has no excuses for Arsenal’s abject surrender

– Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described his team’s performance as “unacceptable” after they were swept aside 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.

Arsenal turned in an abject performance in Sunday’s game, despite the return of Alexis Sanchez following his delayed start to the season, and Wenger did not attempt to offer up any excuses for the humiliation.

“Everything,” said Wenger when asked what had gone wrong.

“From the first minute to the last minute we were not at the level requested for such a game.

“Not physically, not technically, not mentally and we we were punished. That’s basically it.

“Of course, you can analyse the chances we gave away, but overall the performance was not at the requested level.”

Wenger, who spent barely two minutes in his post-match press conference, could offer little explanation as to why the display was so abject.

But after using the uncertainty over his own future as an excuse for some poor showings last season, he could not do the same at the start of the new campaign.

“That’s a question which is very difficult to answer,” said the Frenchman, who signed a new two-year contract in May, after being asked to explain his side’s capitulation.

Wenger had been more forthcoming in a television interview after the game, although he was not in the mood for a knee-jerk over-reaction.

“The result is a consequence of our performance,” he said. “We were not good enough.

“It was shocking, our performance was absolutely disastrous. Not to become too emotional, we have to take some distance.”

Opposite number Juergen Klopp was understandably delighted with his team’s display and especially happy that his gamble in replacing first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet with Loris Karius had paid off.

“We created the situation before the season started that we want three really strong goalkeepers,” Klopp said. “And that’s our situation now. – AFP