Wenger says Arsenal have lost momentum
london — Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal have lost momentum and look destined for a frustrating second-placed finish in their Champions League group after being held to a 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain.
Wenger’s side were on course to wrap up top spot in Group A when they led 2-1 late in the second half at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
But Lucas’s 77th minute header was deflected into his own net by Gunners winger Alex Iwobi and Arsenal were unable to find a winner.
Arsenal travel to Basel on the same night and Wenger conceded it doesn’t look likely they will take pole position following their third successive draw in all competitions, meaning they will probably get a tougher tie in the knock out stages. “It’s not over, but we have a 90 percent chance to finish second,” Wenger said.
“We wanted to finish first. We haven’t lost a game in this group so we have done well, but we haven’t finished the job.
“We dropped off after it was 2-1. We didn’t maintain the pressure and paid for that.
“It’s frustrating. We were a bit passive on the corner for their second goal.” Arsenal know only too well how damaging it can be to finish second as a series of tough draws have led to six consecutive last-16 exits. But Wenger tried to remain upbeat and insisted the quality of some of the teams finishing second meant even group winners couldn’t be guaranteed an easy draw.
“Will it be bad for us? We have to wait and see,” he said.
“If you finish first you play the second game at home, but you look at the groups and it’s difficult to tell what is better. “For me it’s more frustrating not to win the game but they are a team with top technical quality.”