It was a bit nervy because we played against a good side. I said before the game that the lower divisions have improved in the last five years and you could see that. They were direct but not without technique. They had a direct game but they played it with intelligence and efficiency. They had a few dangerous situations in the first half, even after they scored. So 1-1 was not too bad for us at half time and in the second half we took over, they dropped physically and we played in one half after that.
on whether he was calm at half time…
Yes, I was very calm at half time because panic doesn’t help. I felt that if we maintained the pace in the game we had a good chance to win the game.
on whether Shrewsbury ‘dominated’ the first half…
I’m not sure they dominated the first half, if you look at the numbers again you will see they didn’t dominate the game. They created dangerous situations. It’s always difficult to beat a football team, no matter what division they play in. They knocked Swansea and Derby out and you can see why. They are top of their league.
on whether some of his players are playing with fear…
We played a young team with a mixture of young players and experienced players. We took a gamble and it worked because you could see some players, who we haven’t seen so much of like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Coquelin, have done extremely well and that is positive for the future.
on how to get belief back in the squad…
In the last four games, we have had three good results and the one game we didn’t was Blackburn and that, for me, was a miracle. Look at the numbers; we had 62 per cent of the possession and had 16 shots on goal and we lost 4-3.
on Oxlade-Chamberlain and Coquelin’s performances…
Oxlade-Chamberlain grew through the game and became stronger and stronger. In the first half he was a bit timid and suddenly he grew in stature in the second half. It was unbelievable. What came out, you didn’t expect it after the first half. He became stronger and stronger.
on whether he has staked a claim for a place in the first team…
You could see that he will be a first-team player here, that is for sure. He still has things to work on but, very quickly, he will be knocking on the door.
on Djourou’s performance…
He was very good in the second half. In the first half, he was surprised on the goal. In the second half, he had a good performance.
on whether he will bring in a defensive coach…
I just completed 32 years of coaching. I do not want to answer these types of questions.
On Ryo’s performance…
He did well when he came on. My regret tonight is that he didn’t play long enough to show what he is capable of doing. He will get more opportunities.
on speculation regarding his future…
Whether I work here for the next 10 years or the next day here, I will give my maximum for the Club. I will let other people assess the situation. I focus on doing well for this club, that is all. I am not bothered at all by all this speculation.
I am completely focused on doing well. I can understand that people are unhappy and criticise but people are very quick to go overboard. I accept critics and I don’t say it doesn’t matter. I prefer it if people say I am good but I cannot complain when we lose a game and you are criticised. When we do well, we take all the plaudits so we have to take the blame when it doesn’t go well. But we have, on both sides, to take a little bit of distance.
Source: Arsenal.com on 20 Sep 11
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