Khaleej Times

Wenger astonished by rival team’s show

- Reuters

london — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger left Sutton United with a deeper respect for nonleague football after watching his Premier League charges being pushed hard by their far less illustriou­s opponents in the FA Cup fifth round. “I didn’t really enjoy tonight because we absolutely had to do the job and it is tricky,” Wenger told the media. “If we had come here in a relaxed mood we would have gone out tonight because they produced quality.” Sutton are 17th in the National League, 105 places below Arsenal in the English football pyramid, and while Wenger enjoyed the romance of the tiny club punching so far above their weight, he said he would never be able to manage at their level. “It is basically division five, and they are 17th out of 24,” the Frenchman added. “I will never go down there to manage because it is too difficult. —

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