Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side need to respond positively after he watched his side lose 3-1 at home to Aston Villa on Saturday during their Premier League opener.
Olivier Giroud gave the hosts an early lead, but two goals from Christian Benteke and a late Antonio Luna goal saw Paul Lambert’s men pick up all three points.
The Gunners won’t have too much time to be feeling down-beat as they have to travel to Turkey to face Fenerbache in their Champions League qualifier and Arsene Wenger knows that his players have to react positively.
“It is important not to let the mood drop – after such a disappointing start that will be the difficulty,” the manager said. “We will bounce back because the spirit and focus in the team is good, but I don’t deny that this is a massive disappointment for us.
“We missed chances, we were a bit unlucky and we got some injuries, all three together. It is a fragile position. There was bit of fatigue as well after [the midweek] international games and all that together created this [result].
“What is important is to rebuild confidence before Wednesday night. It is a massive game for us. There is always a lot of danger in a team because it is a human activity multiplied by 25 – it means the negativity can spread quickly.
“It is the first game of the season and we want to bounce back from it. Our season will depend on how we respond to this defeat.”
After Fenerbache, Arsenal then travel to Fulham on Saturday, before hosting Fenerbache in the second-leg and then facing Tottenham in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
