Arsene Wenger has admitted his relief that Arsenal got through their FA Cup semi-final against Wigan today, and bemoaned the number of players the Gunners had missing.
Nevertheless, the Arsenal manager declared himself pleased that his team would be contesting the final in May, after beating Wigan in a penalty shoot-out.
“I am relieved because we were under big pressure because I expected a difficult game and I was not disappointed. Wigan were impressive, well-organised, physically very strong, calm when they had the ball and they played very well. They have shown why they knocked Man City out in the quarter-final and we had everything a little bit against us for a while in the game.
“We needed to show some character and some resilience and as well some nerves in a very united and resilient way.”
Putting the result above performance Wenger said it was all about getting to the final.
“Yes that’s the most pleasing because everybody expected us to on that front. It’s important mentally that we didn’t go out tonight. If you imagine the consequences of going out tonight, it’s quite worrying. I believe we have a good team, we have many players out and this morning Oxlade-Chamberlain was still not sure to be available, Gibbs was not available, plus all the other players who are out.
“We have a good squad but recently we were missing too many players.”
But he’s called on his team put the final out of their minds as they have to get back into Premier League action with a game against West Ham on Tuesday night.
“For us it’s important now to focus on the Premier League and if we do that well I’m confident we will come back. On top of that we have a target now for the end of the season.
“We have a final in the FA Cup but we now have a period where we can concentrate on the Premier League.”
After 120 minutes, legs will be heavy and who knows what other injuries we’ve picked up, but fingers crossed today gives them the boost they need.
One game at a time and we won that war of attrition, very impressed with Wigan today.
More impressed with Per though!!!!
wonder what our team gonna look like on Tuesday night??
Fab (??) looks better than Szcz lately
Jenks – Mert – Verm – Gibbs
Flamini – KimKal
Rosicky – Cazorla – Gnabry
Giroud
So are we.
Also, there is no shame in celebrating when you end up in a final despite beating a ‘small’ team.
We beat them in the third round though! 🙂
Pundits are idiots. We just won a semi-final, are we supposed to stand in mournful silence and mope about just because we beat a “small” team? We win, we celebrate.
I very much doubt Hull or Sheffield will be ridiculed for celebrating tomorrow if they win.
I expect the media will put us down for even bothering to lift the trophy if we win it.
Man City would have been celebrating going through on penalties surely.;)
“Wenger Out” or “Wenger In” propaganda can we debated once the season is over. We need to support the team until the end of the season now. COYG
Exactly, everyone is allowed their opinion but right now getting behind the team is more important
Why on Earth couldnt we do both at the same time?
We have been waiting to “judge Arsene at the end of the season” for 8 years now. What good has that brought us?
Thumb this down all you like but there is a place for passio, celebration and for reasoned debate NOW.
Great, well reasoned arguments everyone. I’m impressed 🙂
I’m jrunk, come on Arsenal
When we were 1-0 down I saw Wenger pick up a water bottle…never felt so sorry for a piece of plastic before.
Glad the players showed some guts today and were able to grind out the victory – a loss might’ve gone a long way towards ending Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal and the boss doesn’t deserve to go out like that. Also good to see Wenger finally adjust his tactics a little bit, the 4-4-2 was a breath of fresh air! Better in-game management is something Arsenal’s been needing all season.
Wenger got booed when he subbed off Podolski (everyone was thinking Sanogo), but we played better after that, and it was a great call.
Yeah exactly but you won’t hear anyone congratulating his tactical change.
Congratulations on a good tactical change Wenger!
.. now just read that out loud.
Bravo wenga boys
What was all that about the result of the final having no bearing on his future? No mention of it here.
Well if there ever was any doubt (and frankly there shouldn’t be), what is for sure is that the Boss cares.
Jesus the tension was palpable…
Whatever you say or feel about him, saying he doesn’t care is stupider then one of the Terry family.
If he didn’t care he wouldn’t be out there every week looking like he’s two games away from a heart attack
Well he has not been looking like that for awhile. Today is the most involved i have seen him in a loooong time. Especially this season he have often sat resigned in his chair when we are losing, so i thought it was Nice to see the old Wenger again on the sideline managing his team and showing some emotion that he cares.
Im am very positive about winning this F.A cup, and it might just kick start a New glory period for our team. Next year will only get better, im sure 🙂 Coyg!
Flamini back for the final, Kos, hopefully özil too plus a sharper Rambo and Sanogo who I think will do well for us. Didn’t like seeing all the bashing he was getting considering his 4 starts have been in big games. The only focus fans should have is pushing the team forward and creating a positive vibe
Sanogo didn’t do any worse than what Giroud would have offered. I thought he performed better than Ollie Leadboot. My opinion.
Scraped through but we’re in the final so well done the boys for battling to get over the line. Wigan are no mugs. Ask Man City.
Yeah I don’t get the celebration hassle? Are we supposed to mournfully walk off with Wigan flags at half mast?
I dont remember chelski being criticised for celebrating after reaching the CL semis the other day, but I guess the media must still believe we haven’t earned the right for that as we are yet to play a big team in this competition.
Are you saying the FA cup final and the CL semi final are on the same level?
One will have Hull/Sheffield in the final; the other will have Real Madrid/Bayern Munich.
I dislike that classless club as much as the next man, but come on!
Apparently so, i mean who on earth celebrates getting to the final of a major trophy, completely ridiculous
Two words Wenger out.
Leon: the unprofessional.
We are playing in the final. I don’t give a shit how we got there!
Usually am quite in sync with blog’s ratings but I thought Arteta deserved an 8 for his defensive work (that’s what he is there for) and Sanogo did really well. He is clumsy but he put in all he got an what else can you ask for?
But that’s the point isn’t it, I think the idiot pundits forget who else we’ve had to beat to even get to the semi-final, Liverpool, Everton and Spuds are hardly struggling at the wrong end of Division 2 (mores the pity), any fans of any team would be delighted to get to the final, why should we be any different ? Happy Day.
There’s this obvious awareness about this win.
Not the greatest display today, but got there in the end. Hopefully a few more key players back soon. Gibbs looked good today, per too. Few average displays but , onwards and upwards. Still much to play for.
They are all scared they would soon be out of business… because there wont be a trophyless arsenal to write about anymore. ..
A lot of journalists have made their “careers” off Arsenal’s bad run. They will have to find a new punching bad in English football
I know it was not pretty, but sometimes you have to win ugly. But for all the Wegner out brigade just remember we where with out the following. Jack , Kos . Ozil . Wallcott . Rosicky . Gibbs for most of the game . Flams was suspended . on top of this Ramsey is not yet fully match fit. So with 5/6 first team players not just for this game but the last 6/8 games it means that the fit ones are playing every game so they are knackered. Now people can argue that we did not have a… Read more »
There is no “Wenger out Brigade” just like there is no “Arsene knows best” brigade. We are all gooners worried about the state of affairs at the club. Some have seen a stagnation/decline and repetition of the same old problems/mistakes INCLUDING the number of players out for a long time. Even Arsene has supposedly lunched an inquiry into this (finally) and you are using that excuse as if it were still 2010….
This is typically the kind of post gets thumbed down with no reasonable reply, but we shall see.
I thumbed you down because of the talk of thumbs
Win the Cup, get as close to the top as much as possible, stay hungry for next season and sign an extension please Boss.
Keeping reading about Wigan
outplaying us, watched the whole 120, I might very well be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder but I don’t remember them particularly outplaying us…but anyway COYG.
I was there, they didn’t outplay us at all. We were far more likely to win throughout.
More confidence and/or a bit of luck with chances going in again and we can pick up strongly for the rest of the season, as we did once Wigan scored.
UP THE GOONERS!!! F**K Roy Keane and all the media, we will celebrate because we’re in a final. How we got there doesn’t matter…well, we only beat Spuds, Livercunts, Everton and Wigan (Holders). Great run and this team deserves a lot of credit and deserve to be there. 1 more visit to Wembley this season and let’s make it a happy one. Premier League focus now – bring on the Hammers!
Luckily for me & my mates I was at the game, and therefore I did’nt have to listen to media whores who don’t like us very much . By the way
I watched the whole game and I couldn’t help but feel pity for Arsene. He looked like a man standing alone and under tremendous pressure. I REALLY don’t want all of his inactions to be his own undoing.
“I REALLY don’t want all of his inactions to be his own undoing.” I really don’t want to pick on you, among the pile of absurd posts that have been pouring over this shithole over the past two months – but hey-ho, it has to be someone… so here goes. Wenger (it’s Mr. to you) is certainly not alone my friend. He is highly valued worldwide. He can walk his way into RM or PSG tomorow if he wishes. The point is that he’ll be lifting the decima for merengues or completing the treble in style for PSG, while we… Read more »
Zero proof of this fear,but ill let it pass as were in the final who cares about your phobia,itll be dealt with this summer anyway
I’m sure Real Madrid and PSG will have him let the same level of control and influence he has here, and will DEFINITELY not sack him after one, maybe two disappointing seasons.
I just can’t believe Roy Keane, i mean… if we had lost “Arsenal can’t even beat a team in the second division”, now we won “Arsenal need a reality check, they beat Wigan”. So what!!!? how many times man united won by luck or by the help of the ref? yes, they’re in the second division, but they beat man city twice 2 years in a row and they’re are the holders, so they need to prove they’re holders for a reason!Pathetic! That guy needs to reality check his former manure club and ask himself why is man u going… Read more »
That’s why I mentioned that winning the FA cup is a consolation at best. It does not qualify you for the CL and pundits like Keane who have the same stuff that fills trophies between their ears will echo (as you would likely hear in a hollow receptical) the sentiment that it is only the FA cup and we are now a cup team (no better than say, erm Wigan) Better to celebrate the semi final win hard fought and through nerves than languish outside Europe as likely the fate of Keane’s old employers. McNulty was prattling on about the… Read more »
The nature of this win and my demented, anxious psyche will probably induce me into insomnia until the final. I am both over the moon and pessimistic about our chances and Arsene’s continuation as manager. Also, it occurred to me during the middle portion of the match before Wigan scored, we play with seemingly no direction or purpose. It’s as if the team are sent out to simply play, rather than designed to exploit weakness or assert our strength. And that’s not going to work unless we bring in a few genius level players.
NERVES. Players are human even if they are ‘genius’ Fact is wenger’s teams have flattered to deceive bc for large parts, he has bought well and for prices that have afforded us the opportunity to build the stadium. His tactics are still a bit wanting against particularly the better teams. BUt give the gaffer credit, he called Stoke tactics with Sanogo and Giroud and it worked. Also seems we have put in the requisite time on the training pitch to calm our nerves and take those spot kicks. I’d say, we are well worth the win and on balance of… Read more »
@readberk so true.
Wenger could walk into RM? Are you insane?
I don’t understand how the fact that we scraped by totally inferior opposition by the skin of our balls could possibly improve your opinion of the manager.
Not that it’s necessarily his fault, but he built this shower of shit.
City didn’t beat Wigan.
I don’t think you would get it even if you tried to understand. Arsenal was top of the table for 17 weeks this season. A lot of teams would want to be in that kind of shower of shit. Also, since December, we have lost Ramsey and Walcott, and recently Ozil, Jack and Koscienly. That’s 5 players out of first 11. Do you think it does not affect the team ? Man City Struggles with Augero or Fernandinho being out. What does that tell you ? Arsene can walk into RM anyday, and he was offered a multi million deal… Read more »
Feel good for the boss today, he deserves to win the Cup and you can imagine the shitstorm that would have ensued had we lost (but fuck that we won!). Now on to securing top 4 before the final…
Got to hand it to the gaffer. Who says he is not adaptable? He stuck on the twin towers in Giroud and Sanogo, adopted Stoke tactics of years past, ground out an ugly win. Nothing ugly about the win for me though, winning the FA cup (against whoever) and sealing fourth will at very least set us up again for another season’s assault at the top. Yes, stagnation but at least it is a minimum finish of a very high level again, plus a cup to add a bit more belief next season. Very slim margins today. if it went… Read more »
In the end you could see that it meant a lot to the players. And yet many people are questioning the way they celebrated at the end. Why shouldn’t they it’s our first FA cup final since 2005
Kudos! Now get some rest and repeat Tuesday.
People can boo all they like but Podolski was dog shit today.
I’ve triumphaned his cause of late but fact is he keeps letting me down.
Bottom line is we won today. Would you have preferred to have played well and lost? Of course not… We need to improve massively but we’re in the cup final and that will do for me tonight.
Roy Keane’s comments are just pathetic and smack of hatred and jealousy…perhaps he should be more concerned about his own former team who are turning out to be the joke of the season under Lord Moyes before advising Arsenal on celebrations
This team deserves a lot for all the hard work they have put in. When the glory hunters left for rival clubs this pool of youngsters and experienced guys like rosicky, tv5 stood by the boss. The cup would get the monkey off the back and will push the players to add more in the coming seasons.
Critics can write about the celebrations may be after we the final. That would be nice.
I mean, granted the team that wins the title has quite obviously done much better than us. But IF we win the FA cup and book CL with 4th spot, it would be better than winning 2nd or 3rd spot (no matter by how many points) and coming up with nought for tin pots. Given that we were leading the title race for so long and that we were really one top end striker away fro competitive, it is a bit of a colossal shame this season. But it isn’t entirely lacking in merits and Wenger can claim some progress… Read more »
4 4 2 _ 2 big men in the box good crosses coming over ! Very good option one we could try more or could have tried before , podolski on the left isn’t working n casorla plays better from the left he needs to start there ! Could podolski be used as a striker if we play 4 4 2 ?
For fuck sake, I’m happy with the win, but I haven’t forgotten the heart ache from our previous games. All of a sudden people think we’re world bitters again! That was fuckin Wigan right there, we struggled like hell to beat them. So Yeah, you think Arsene needs another ten years? This is just a paracetamol to calm the pain down until the next heart ache which is just round the corner no doubt. A fuckin promising great season has been turned to a struggle finger biting and hear in mouth season by Arsene, there you’ve it, I have said… Read more »
BREAKING NEWS: People are fickle!
Stay with us, we’ll have more at 5.
Arsenal fans are criticized any time they celebrate, whether it’s a champions league place or a final. I guess people are so used to us being sour and miserable that any expression of joy just seems abhorrent.
Yes, 8 years and counting without a trophy will do that to any top team.
I don’t care how the winning came, either Penalty, or own goal or whatever, all i know its that we are in the final. Pundits will never give us the credit we deserve, we won a strong team (holders of this same trophy)yet they complained that they’re a championship team. We didn’t get to the final in a plater of gold, we won supposed strong teams, liverpool and Everton. Coyg
It wasn’t pretty but there’s no doubt in my mind the best team won today.
Fantastic feeling of tension released, hoping it can give us the inspiration to drag ourselves over the line in our battle for 4th.
Hi to you all and well Dunn, good luck in the final, I was there yesterday you e the better team, what dives us Wigan is are fans the press put us down all the time, get behind your team , if you donot you will win nothing, your team need your on there side