Arsene Wenger praised the discipline of his players after the stunning 2-0 triumph over Bayern Munich and hinted that the German sides drop in fitness towards the end was crucial in claiming the victory.
Prior to the game, the Gunners manager defiantly claimed no team in the world is without weakness, despite coming up against a team who had yet to experience defeat this season.
And in the aftermath of a famous win over Pep Guardiola’s side, Wenger pointed towards Bayern’s inability to sustain the physical demands in what was an imperative win for the Gunners.
We had an absolute necessity to win the game and we did it in an intense, disciplined way. It was a top-level game between two top-level teams. Bayern had more possession than us but we decided to make it tight in our final third and catch them on the break.
The last part of the game when we went longer and used long balls, we suddenly could play more in their half and they struggled much more. I think they dropped a bit physically as well.
Goals from second half substitute Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil ensured the Gunners have a lifeline in reaching the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League.
Wenger added that pressing high and counter-attacking were decisive but gifting away possession wasn’t in his planning.
It was not deliberate [to concede possession] from the start but I thought when we played very high up we stopped them from playing. When we were playing halfway they opened us up too much so I decided to drop Ozil a bit deeper and to make it tight around the box and catch them on the break because we have the pace to do it.
Concentration was critical having to stifle the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller – the Pole having scored 15 goals in his last seven games – and Wenger insisted he expected a different Arsenal to turn up than the one that faced Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb.
You never know if you will win the game but you know that the team focus and dynamic was there. We’ve had that for a while now and I said yesterday in the press conference that I think we were not at our level of focus in the first two games. Tonight we knew we needed that as well and we had to show what we do in the Premier League against Bayern.
Overall, I think we have beaten a very strong team.
