Wenger 'impressed' by first step

Arsenal FC manager Arsène Wenger was impressed by his side's performance as they came away from Hamburger SV with a 2-1 victory, but admits there is a long way to go before the English side can think of emulating last season's final appearance. The Frenchman reserved praise for the home side, who played much of the match with ten men, and Hamburg counterpart Thomas Doll concurred, saying he could "take a lot of positives" despite the loss.

Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger
It was a very promising game and we got to see a good Arsenal team. What happened to Hamburg happened to us in the Champions League final last season but they never gave up after we scored and eventually struck back. We played to a good, technical standard but it's a long way to the final. I can see any of ten teams being able to win the competition. As for Hamburg, I think they can go through to the next round.

Hamburg coach, Thomas Doll
We can take a lot of positives out of the game. We obviously made a great start, with good offensive intent and some good passing play. After the red card it was very important keep our discipline and I thought we did just that. Every one of my players fought hard to keep this match wide open against what is obviously a world-class team. I don't think we would have lost the game with eleven players as our team is in very good shape.