Wenger not worried by defeat

Arsenal boss not concerned despite first defeat of the season

Last updated: 28th November 2007   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wenger not worried by defeat

Wenger: Difficult choices

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Arsene Wenger insists his side's 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League was 'not important' as Arsenal have already qualified.

Arsenal rested William Gallas and Emmanuel Adabayor for the game, while Tomas Rosicky and Bacary Sagna came on from the bench, and Wenger feels it was important to give his players a break before December's Premier League games.

"For me, an unbeaten record in the Champions League is not important," he said. "What is important is to qualify and we've got the Premier League, too.

"We've got a lot of big games coming up and we've got a big December. We have to make some difficult choices and, for me, December is based on the championship.

"I'm not worried because we didn't have the usual team out. We started well, but we relaxed.

"We gave away two goals when we were in charge and Sevilla then made it a very physical game in the second half. They deserved to win."

Sevilla delighted

Sevilla boss Manolo Jimenez, meanwhile, was delighted with his side's victory after losing to Villarreal and Real Mallorca in La Liga.

"It was a magnificent performance from the team," he said.

"I just hope we can continue to show the same sort of attitude as when we went down 1-0 against a great team like Arsenal.

"Perhaps it is a state of mind. It is easier to come back against a team like Arsenal who play attacking football than one like Mallorca who sit back and defend."