‘It was a well-accomplished away performance’

Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Arsenal

Barclays Premier League

Saturday, September 13, 2008, 15:00

On keeping Blackburn quiet…

“Blackburn are a team that can be dangerous going forward and I feel that, as well as our good offensive performance, we had a good defensive performance. On crosses they can be extremely dangerous but we kept [Roque] Santa Cruz quiet. I am happy we didn’t concede and that we always looked fluid going forward. It was a well-accomplished away game.”

On the midweek trip to the Ukraine…

“It is another big game on Wednesday night. It is important to start the Champions League well, with a win away from home. That will give us confidence. It will be same approach on Wednesday. It is our strength and we can be successful by expressing our strength. It is a difficult group because all the teams are used to playing in the Champions League, are strong at home as well, and that is why we need to find the same kind of performance.”

On Walcott’s starting berth…

“I assessed every individual and was thinking to leave Theo out, but for the balance I kept him in. I wanted to rest Nicklas Bendtner and I thought having Theo away from home could give us the penetration. I think he can play left and right and he is happy on the left because he knows he can score with his right foot; he tried a couple of times today. Theo has been educated that way, where he can play on either side., but he also prefers to play in the middle. The problem with scoring three times for the national team is that everyone expects you to score again. Football isn’t like that. What is most important is that he has a good team attitude, tries to work hard and the rest will come with time.”

On hitting top gear…

“We try always to play our way and slowly we are getting there. We started our training late because of the amount of players away at the European Championships. We are growing now and scored four goals against FC Twente, three against Newcastle and four again today, all without conceding. Despite our youth we looked mature.”

On the timing of the second goal…

“We looked before half-time that we just wanted to keep the ball, and when you are patient and simple the chance come along. That is what we did and I think it was about 20 passes from right to left, back to front and it gave us the momentum for the dangerous last pass.”

On his players being greedy…

“I am after my players to make the right decision and many times you see when a player shoots, someone could be in a better position. So I want my team to be capable of making the right decision without being greedy.”

On injuries…

“[Samir] Nasri is a big doubt for that, Eboue we might lose and Clichy too. We have to assess them tomorrow. It doesn’t look too good.”

On Jack Wilshere‘s record breaking appearance…

“I bring English players slowly through. He is another one who will soon play for you [England].”

[Saturday, September 13, 2008]