Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted if he could hand-pick an opponent to face next, it would have been Liverpool.
The Gunners boss had to watch on on Saturday as his side got battered 5-1 by Brendan Rodgers’ Reds, and speaking to the club’s official website, he has admitted that he is delighted to be able to face the side again in order to put things right.
Wenger’s men eased past Liverpool 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium earlier on in the season, but the two goalscorers of that day, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, will both miss the FA Cup game due to injury.
After watching his side lose 5-1, Wenger admitted that nerves have got the better of his players, but he is looking forward to going up against The Reds once again.
“I would say it is the first team we want to play,” he said. “When you can put things right, you want an opportunity to do that and we have an opportunity.
“We have got it out of our systems because our main frailty at Liverpool was that we conceded goal after goal in 20 minutes. On Wednesday night we came back to our usual defensive stability.
“But these guys are winners. When they lose in that way, believe me, they are hurt.”
“You can say what you want, when you just conceded five goals you do not go into the next game and act like nothing happened,” he said.
“But I feel that we got the mental response I expected from the team, they were hugely committed. With a bit more confidence we would have been a bit more composed on the ball in some situations in the game that could have had an influence on the result in the end.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
