Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he knew his side would bounce back after their 3-1 opening day defeat to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners took an early lead thanks to Olivier Giroud, but ended the game with 10-men and no points as Paul Lambert’s side produced an impressive turnaround.
However, since that loss, Wenger has watched his side go unbeaten in nine games, winning them all and they are now sitting top of the Premier League, leading Liverpool by two-points.
There was a lot of pressure put on the manager and the players, but speaking to the club’s official website, Wenger has confirmed that he knew his side would bounce back.
“What we said [after the Villa game] was positive because I trust the mental response of this group,” said the manager.
“What people forgot about is we were on a very long run, since March we had not lost a game. If you put that into perspective it was just one single game that we lost in 21.
“I think it was a combination of factors. The fact that we had not bought anybody, we had not won the league for years and the fact that we started badly.
“All this together made the situation a little bit explosive but purely on the results perspective it was an accident that can happen. We played with 10 men and overall it was just about responding with the qualities that we already have in our group.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
