Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs does not want the side to sit back and relax for the Champions League qualifier second-leg next tuesday despite them having a 3-goal cushion after last night’s 3-0 victory.
Goals from Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have given The Gunners three away goals and a three-goal lead going into the second-leg, which will be played at the Emirates Stadium on the 27th.
Arsene Wenger’s men were in full control of the game last night and after failing to score in the first-half despite heavy pressure, they finally beat the Turkish back-line and then further damaged their hopes by scoring two more.
Although they have a three-goal lead, Gibbs knows that the side cannot take their foot of the pedal next Tuesday and he also hopes that they still play their attacking style of football.
“It’s still not over because we’ve got another tie,” he told Arsenal Player. “We have to stay focused because you think we’re in a strong position but we now have to think about how we go into the next leg.
“We have to go in on all cylinders again, otherwise if we sit back and think that we’re already through it can put us on the back foot, and we don’t want that. We have to be strong and make sure we finish off the job next week.”
The Englishman also believes the victory was the perfect response after the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
“In terms of putting us in a good position, it [the win] has given us a bit of togetherness,” said Gibbs. “I think people have seen tonight what the team is capable of and we have to take this now into the [rest] of the season.
“It [the goal] was a good moment for me. To be honest I felt we deserved to be up in the first half. I knew that to get an away goal tonight would put us in a strong position and we were desperate for that goal. I felt we deserved it and we got our rewards in the end after a good performance.
“I thought we were playing well from the start of the game and to be honest I thought we were better in the first half – we got a little bit apprehensive in the second half because we really wanted to get the goal. But we knew that the chances were going to come and it was a case of taking them when we got the opportunity.
“We know what we’re capable of so we don’t need to prove it to anyone. But we need to prove to ourselves that we can be consistent and start producing results week-in, week-out. That’s down us and that’s purely what we’re focused on.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
