Gunners miss Cazorla
STRUGGLE: Spanish midfielder’s absence hurt Arsenal against Boro, says Wenger
“We didn’t make enough from our set-pieces and crosses. So the first thing that comes to mind is whether a guy with more size and physical presence in the box could have helped,” said Wenger.
“But we have just come out of six straight wins so I wouldn’t like to jump on this kind of excuse.
“We have to deal with what we face and unfortunately we are used to scoring. We are an offensive team.
“We had five or six offensive players on the pitch at the end but we didn’t manage to score so it’s a bit frustrating.
“It’s part of the Premier League. The other day Manchester City had a similar possession against Everton
Middlesbrough’s
is challenged by Arsenal’s
Gerrard, in an Instagram post, said: “Living in Los Angeles and playing for the great Galaxy supporters has been a privilege. You have made this place feel like home to me. This city and this club will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, beaten West Brom manager Tony Pulis said Klopp could improve on the efforts of his predecessor Brendan Rodgers, who was narrowly beaten to the title in 2014, and end Liverpool’s 27-year wait to be crowned champions of England. and didn’t win.
“We have to find a way to be efficient even when the games are like that.”
Wenger, whose side had beaten Ludogorets 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, saw the Gunners run out of ideas and it was his own goalkeeper Petr Cech forced into a string of saves.
“It is a game where you had a lot of possession but there were tired legs and you are prone to counter-attacks,” said the Frenchman, who was celebrating his 67th birthday on Saturday.
“You make it difficult for yourself. 75 per cent possession but you could have lost the game, that is modern football.
“They’re a good side,” said Pulis. “Their front five are as good as anything in the league.
“They’ve got a free run at it this year (season). They’re not in Europe which is draining, irrespective of what people say, I’ve been there myself. So they have a free run.
“The last time they came close, with Brendan, they had a free run as well and they have a free run at it this year,” he added.
Klopp saw his team edge closer to the top of the table with first-half goals against West Brom from Sadio
“When you are not sharp, you lack creativity in the final third. I must say, we gave everything but we did not have the legs today.
“The energy levels were a bit down but we were intelligent enough not to lose it. We were exposed at times. When you cannot win, you must not lose.
“They had chances but our goalkeeper saved us today. Petr Cech had a good performance in decisive phases.
“We tried. You don’t win on command though. We lacked our creative potential around the box. That is part of it.”
While Wenger was disappointed, Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka
in their Premier League match on Saturday. Mane and Philippe Coutinho, only for a late consolation effort from Gareth McAuley to deny his team the two clear goals they needed to go above leaders Arsenal.
“Who wants to be top in October?” said Klopp. “Okay, it was a little bit of a joke but we have 20 points and it was not possible to have more tonight, so that’s okay.
“Maybe not having clean sheets is just part of our game, I don’t know. It’s not a big problem. Defending is, first of all, about not letting them create a lot of chances and I can’t was delighted with the way his side played following a disappointing 1-0 loss to Watford last week.
“It was an amazing performance from my team,” he said. “After the last defeat at home especially, it was tough for us.
“But we worked hard on the training field and today the plan worked really well. For me and for us it is great to come to the Emirates, and for the best Arsenal player to be Petr Cech.
“I think we should have won the game because we had good chances.
“We knew that we couldn’t park the bus, but they have a lot of quality players. We were organised and our transition play was very good.” AFP remember a lot of chances the last few games.
“In dreamland, then you always win 4 or 5-0 and then the crowd can go home a little bit earlier to do something more serious but I actually think this game created one of the best chances we have had here because it was exciting until the end.
“It’s really difficult to be satisfied with any football game and, at 2-1, it keeps you more awake than at 4-0. That’s just how it is. Maybe in this moment we’re not experienced enough in a situation like this.” AFP