Baptista shows his class
25 Jan 2007 - 08:41:56
Arsenal midfielder Julio Baptista earned high praise from manager Arsene Wenger after his double strike secured a 2-2 draw at Spurs in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final tie.
Baptista, currently on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, has struggled to settle in England, but has now netted an incredible six goals in two Carling Cup outings - having scored four in the 6-3 win at Liverpool in the last round.
Wenger said after the Brazilian's latest display: "Julio Baptista has shown again what a player he is.
"Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he scored two. He's mentally a very strong player.
"He will play more, but it took him time to adapt.
"He is a little bit of everything. Where there is a hole you can play him. He has the smell to get in the box so playing him centrally is more suited."
Of his side's overall performance after falling two goals behind at White Hart Lane, Wenger added: "I feel that it's great for the confidence of the young players that they are away from home and can come back.
"We showed heart and resilience to come back, other teams could have crumbled. It's fantastic."
