MX23RW : Wednesday, February 12 07:22:30| >> :120:40978:40978:

Arsene Wenger: We were emotionally drained

Arsene Wenger admits that his team were "tired emotionally" during their Champions League clash with Marseille.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that his team were "tired emotionally" during their Champions League group clash with Marseille last night.

The Gunners could have qualified to the last 16 with a win, but the North London club were held to a 0-0 draw.

"It was a game where we were not the sharpest physically," Wenger said. "We lacked a bit of class in the last 30 metres."

Wenger admitted that the club's emphatic 5-3 win over Chelsea on Sunday had taken its toll on his players.

"We were tired emotionally more than physically maybe," he said. "It's difficult to be on a high three days later.

"We wanted to achieve qualification tonight. But in the last two games against Marseille we took four points.

"I'm confident we can qualify top of the group."

Wenger also defended his decision to leave out Robin van Persie, who scored a hat-trick during the Chelsea tie, until the 62nd minute.

"The reason I left Robin out was physical tiredness, that's all.

"It was a gamble. You can say it didn't come off. He had a great chance when he came on.

"I believe you cannot just say that one player always has to make the difference."

Arsenal are currently at the top of Champions League Group F with eight points from four games.

ID:7050: cacheID:7050:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2537:
Written by
Tom Williams
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Robin Van Persie
Read Next:
Team News: Van Persie benched for Arsenal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!