WENGER'S VIEW
Wenger: 'It's a shame a game like that doesn't get a goal'
Arsenal 0-0 AC Milan
Champions League Round 2 Leg 1
Arsenal Stadium
Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 7.45pm
On his view of the game...
"Well, the thoughts are that we played the game we wanted to play and overall we were playing at a high tempo for ninety minutes, we have given a lot. The positives is that we have put them under pressure for nearly a big part in the game, and for the whole forty-five minutes in the second half, and that we didn't concede a goal."
On spurned chances...
"I felt that we didn't take advantage of the chances we created because we were a bit forceful, you know, a bit nervous in the final third, with our final ball in our finishing situations. As well Milan defended with a lot of experience, and they adapted to the situation, thinking 'tonight we will be under pressure and we will have to defend well' - and that is what they did. I feel we had plenty of chances, good headers, Eboue had chances, but overall we were a bit nervous and when we had shots we always didn't test enough the keeper, because most of our shots were in the middle of the goal where the keeper had not a real problem, maybe because we wanted to hit it too hard. But overall we played a fantastic game. It's a shame that a game like that doesn't get a goal, because on a night where everything goes for you I think it finishes 3-2."
On the response to Saturday's FA Cup defeat...
"The spirit was fantastic, you could see that on Saturday the mind was already on this game tonight and we were not affected, we were just wanted maybe... [to] force the decision too much, and we were not relaxed enough in the final third."
On the second leg...
"That promises a very interesting game in the second leg, unfortunately we cannot transfer our pitch to the San Siro, so the pitch will certainly not be of the quality we had tonight. I hope the game will not suffer from it so much. Because I feel we can play at a high tempo for ninety minutes, because I feel that they will have to come out anyway in the second leg, and as well because tonight they didn't create any chances and defensively we were very good."
On the injury to Kolo Toure...
"A calf injury that rules him out for, from what I've seen after the game, for three or four weeks at least. It was a bad movement, a consequence of the African Nations Cup, too much heat in the calf!"
On feeling positve about the return tie...
"Yes, because overall with the experience I have I can say that nil-nil at home is not a bad result, of course I didn't dream of a nil-nil frankly, but overall not to concede a goal is not a bad result at home.