Arsène Wenger: 'We had resilience and didn't give in'
Carling Cup
Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham H.
on the final score...
"I believe it's a good result for us considering Tottenham created more chances tonight. We had a good start for thirty minutes and after we gave a goal away and just before half time they created two or three really good chances, you know, they didn't take. In the second half I feel we were a bit... we were better defensively but we didn't create many chances but we had resilience and didn't give in, and in the end we came back to one-one, that is a good result for us."
on Tottenham ...
"They are on their way up, yes, they have played well tonight, but you need consistency in your results to know that, I feel quality is first down to consistency. That's why they played well tonight, I don't deny that at all, but we have to repeat the same performances every three days, and every four days, and that is very difficult."
on the return leg ...
"In two weeks it can change completely, I feel we are in a good position, considering the game tonight, to make it. At two-nil it would have certainly have killed the game for us and the chance to qualify maybe, but a one-one - we are in a good position, a good opportunity. "
on a hangover from the FA Cup...
"I feel we were not at our best physically tonight, I feel we had not recovered completely from our Burnley game. Tottenham was sharper than us tonight but we have shown mental resilience and strength and for such a young team that is a positive attitude."
on new injuries...
"Djourou was injured, Senderos is injured, Van Persie got injured. So, we had no injuries before the game started but tonight considering that we lost three players, and we lost three players in the African Nations Cup, we lost suddenly in one night six players... basically in two days - that is very difficult for us."
on Van Persie's problem...
"We have to see tomorrow morning, is it just scar tissue? Sometimes, you know, when you come back after a long time, is it just a question of two days or is it longer, we'll see that tomorrow."
on his central defenders...
"Djourou is a problem we had already at Birmingham so that means for me it came back, a groin problem, you know? Senderos, a little mid-knee ligament he got in the first half, so we'll see. We have to assess all that, I cannot tell you how long they will be out, it can be one, two days, it can be two weeks! It's difficult to assess tonight. Hoyte, Gilberto, Sagna can play in there, we still have solutions."
