Arsenal 0 Blackburn 1: Wenger admits Gunners ‘not good enough’
Arsenal 0 Blackburn 1: Arsene Wenger admits that his Arsenal side simply "were not good enough" after shock FA Cup exit
Arsene Wenger admitted that his Arsenal side simply “were not good enough” after the Gunners were dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
The Gunners failed to make a breakthrough in the first half despite dominating for long spells, with Tomas Rosicky’s coming closest when his long-range effort hit the crossbar.
And Colin Kazim-Richards punished the north Londoners for their wastefulness when the Blackburn man pounced on a loose ball to net the winner in the 72nd minute and stun the Emirates faithful.
“We were not good enough to win the game, it is as simple as that,” said the Arsenal boss. “Not one defeat is acceptable. You are in this job to win every single game.
“It is very painful and very disappointing to lose a game like that. What is important now is to focus on the next one.”
Wenger said his side lacked “ruthlessness” in front of goal as they lost to lower-league opposition for the second time this season after being knocked out of the Capital One Cup by League One outfit Bradford City.
“We had enough chances to win, but we didn’t,” he added. “Offensively we lacked ruthlessness and calm in front of goal. We didn’t make enough of our corners, and we were vulnerable on one mistake.”
The Champions League is Arsenal’s last hope of silverware this season, with last year’s runners-up Bayern Munich gearing up for a trip to north London on Tuesday.
But the Frenchman insists he will not have any problem in lifting his side’s spirits ahead of that last-16 showdown.
He added: “It is not difficult at all [to lift the players’ spirits]. It is our job.
“If we feel sorry for ourselves we would be completely wrong. We have a massive game on Tuesday night and we have to show that we some response in the team.
“It is important to focus on our next game and it is a good opportunity to show that we have character and are men who can fight for each other.
“That is all you can do. You take a distance in terms of what people say and show how strong and good you are in the next game.”
