We Have To Bounce Back From Our Disappointment – Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger accepted “it will be difficult” to get back in the Premier League title race after Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at Watford left them nine points behind leaders Manchester City.

“It will be difficult [to catch the leaders], of course. But I think at the moment we are not too much looking at Man City, we are looking at ourselves,” Wenger told a news conference.

“We have to bounce back from our disappointment today because we look like we can make results when we play the game like we did in the first half. But we need to be at the level for 90 minutes like that.”

Wenger was among those who was adamant that it wasn’t a foul.

“I would say it was no penalty. It was a creation from the referee, and that’s it,” Wenger said. “I just think the decision is wrong and that’s it.

“Just looking at the fact that it was at a moment in the game where it was absolutely important for Watford. I just think it’s no penalty, no goal.”

But Wenger was also adamant that Arsenal should have put the game away by that point.

“We should have, yes, of course. [The penalty] is not the only major factor in the game. I believe that we played really well in the first half. I’m not so happy with the overall level in the second half,” he said.

“Our level dropped in the second half, and we missed many chances to kill the game.

“The number two and number three goals should have been scored. After that at 1-1 there was no need to panic. And on the second goal we can only look at ourselves.”

“It was a bit more killer instinct in front of goal. Despite that we should have won the game. That’s where we our guilty,” he said. “The decision on the penalty, we can have no impact on that at all. Not everybody is at the same level physically, that’s for sure. But I feel despite that we should have won the game.”