Wenger on Arsenal's 'perfect performance'
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Article summary
Arsène Wenger said Arsenal had a "perfect mental and tactical performance" in winning at Olympiacos, Marco Silva acknowledging the Group F runners-up "showed their quality".
Article top media content
Article body
- Arsène Wenger says Arsenal "needed a perfect performance" to win at Olympiacos
- Manager describes hat-trick hero Olivier Giroud as showing "skills and character"
- Marco Silva points to home side's inability to score first goal
- Round of 16 draw takes place at 12.00CET on Monday
Marco Silva, Olympiacos coach
We started well and had control of the game. We were creative and had a lot of chances – who knows how the game would have turned out if we had scored in those first 25 minutes. They then scored on their first or second visit to our area; that influenced the outcome of the game. In the second half Arsenal showed their quality.
We will continue working to improve many things. We will go into the Europa League and fight for results. We will definitely face strong opponents there. It is natural for our supporters to be disappointed, as are all the players. Our fans are a part of our success and that's why they applauded us at the end in recognition of our huge efforts in this campaign. It was a great achievement for us to fight for qualification against such a great side.
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
We had a perfect performance on the mental front and the tactical side. I put my focus on staying in the competition. This kind of performance tonight, in a very heated atmosphere, showed we have character. These kinds of performances make the team stronger. I think it's a fantastic achievement for us.
In the last few weeks, we've lost so many players – [Alexis] Sánchez, [Santi] Cazorla ... Not many people gave us a chance and we proved we are a real team. We needed a perfect performance, to score without conceding. It's not easy here because they are a good side.
I think it will make us stronger and strengthen the belief in our squad. We needed something special tonight. We were in escape mode before tonight. Maybe it's a lucky year for us in the Champions League, you never know.
[Olivier] Giroud's performance was perfect. He scored with a header, another with a great pass from [Joel] Campbell and then a penalty. He showed skill and character. I always said he has something special on that front and he showed that again today.