Source: Daily_Mail
We made massive errors against United, admits Arsenal boss Wenger
Arsene Wenger delivered a stinging critique of his Arsenal team after their capitulation at home to Manchester United. [LNB]Wenger accused his players of being naive and lacking intelligence, hitting out at the 'massive individual errors' which allowed United to gallop into a 3-0 lead in less than an hour. [LNB]Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia triggered the problems, turning Nani's cross into his own goal, then Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park extended the lead before Thomas Vermaelen grabbed a consolation with the help of a deflection. [LNB] Sight for sore eyes: Wenger was brutally honest about his side's display[LNB]'It is difficult to accept but easy to explain,' said Wenger. 'We were poor, defensively and offensively. There was no cohesion. It was a completely off-the-mark performance. [LNB]'There were massive errors. We were never close in our marking and you do not win games like that. [LNB]'We were naive. I don't know why. Were we a bit inhibited or tense? I don't know. The physical reasons are not obvious because we finished the game quite well.' [LNB]Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Arsenal simply could not cope with Wayne Rooney but Wenger said: 'It was not only Rooney who gave us problems. There were other players who gave us problems, too. We gave them too much room everywhere and Rooney took advantage of it. [LNB] Naive: Gael Clichy (left) was just one of several bamboozled Arsenal defenders[LNB]'We conceded twice from our own corners - goals two and three. I believe it was more much more to do with our positioning. I don't want to go into personal analyses. But they were better than us today.' [LNB]The defeat had echoes of Chelsea's 3-0 win at the Emirates in November. After that, Arsenal went 10 league games unbeaten but that run came to a halt yesterday, leaving them five points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand.[LNB] 'It is a massive blow and a massive disappointment,' confessed Wenger. 'We need to do something special now to stay in the race.' [LNB]The Arsenal manager, however, denied he had contributed to his team's sudden loss of form by resting nine first-teamers in the FA Cup fourth round to keep them fresh for a sequence of four vital Premier League games.[LNB] Menace: Wayne Rooney exploited Arsenal's weaknesses, said Wenger[LNB] Since losing 3-1 at Stoke in the Cup, Arsenal have dropped five points, drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa before they were destroyed by United yesterday, but Wenger insisted: 'It is nothing to do with that.' [LNB]On Sunday, Arsenal travel to Chelsea and Ferguson will be hoping Wenger's side help United in the title race. [LNB]'We need Chelsea to drop points and they'll be saying the same about us,' Ferguson said. 'Arsenal are not out of it and I hope they go there on Sunday and batter them. Batter them.'[LNB] Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3: Rooney the destroyer - Sharpshooter Wayne shatters Gunners' title illusions with a little help from Nani How Wayne Rooney will scoop the jackpot if he stays at Manchester UnitedEx-Arsenal great Thierry Henry hails Manchester United hotshot Wayne RooneyFuture's so bright we need shades - Sportsmail enjoys Arsenal v Manchester United in groundbreaking 3D broadcast [LNB] Explore more:People:Wayne Rooney, Alex Ferguson, Nani, Arsene Wenger, ThomasVermaelen
