Source: Team_Talk
Wilshere deserved red card - Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted Jack Wilshere deserved his red card in the hard-fought 2-1 win over Birmingham on Saturday.[LNB] Birmingham went ahead through Nikola Zigic after 33 minutes as once again the Gunners - who lost two straight league games before the international break - failed to make the most of their early possession.[LNB]However, Samir Nasri levelled from the spot just before half-time, with Marouane Chamakh slotting home a well-taken second goal two minutes after the restart which proved enough for all three points.[LNB]Wilshere then showed his immaturity with a reckless challenge on Zigic in the closing stages which earned him a straight red card and a three-match ban.[LNB]Wenger had talked about the need to clamp down on such tackles in his programme notes, and accepted the 18-year-old could have little complaint.[LNB]"He mistimed his tackled and got a red card, which he deserved," said the Arsenal manager.[LNB]"Jack has acknowledged he deserved it, but he did not spend his whole game trying to kick people, he was one of the best players on the pitch.[LNB]"It was more of frustration and did not want to hurt the player, but we do not complain about the red card."[LNB]Wenger accepted Wilshere's rash actions will grab the headlines, but maintained the teenager was on the right path.[LNB]"Wilshere is a complete player. He played defensively well, offensively well, and overall he had a very influential game," the Arsenal manager said.[LNB]Wenger, though, understands better than most the need to keep on top of such incidents.[LNB]He said: "We are the team who has the most fouls committed against them, and I encourage our players to play football.[LNB]"We got a red card and deserved it. What can we do about it now? Nothing else.[LNB]"Wilshere will be suspended for three games and will be punished. I have spoken with him about it already. He said he mistimed his tackle, touched Zigic on the ankle and deserved a red card."[LNB]Wenger admitted the pressure of the last couple of results had weighed heavy on his team, so desperate to return to winning ways.[LNB]"Victory was imperative," said the Arsenal manager.[LNB]"We were backs to the wall in the championship, where we were in a position where we really had to win, and when we went 1-0 down, we made it even more difficult.[LNB]"We played with nerves, and you could see our fluency was affected by the fact we had not won for two games.[LNB]"We played a bit with the hand brake in the final third, especially when we were 2-1 up.[LNB]"It was never comfortable today, you could see and feel that in the way we played."[LNB]Birmingham manager Alex McLeish maintained Zigic was lucky to have escaped serious injury and feels this incident shows just how easy it is for mistimed challenges to end in disaster.[LNB]"It was a bad tackle and if he does not get a red card for that, then we pack our bags and go home," McLeish said.[LNB]"Zigic was lucky not to get a very badly damaged leg. We have had to put up with the Eduardo stuff for the last couple of years, and it is scandalous.[LNB]"It was a mistimed tackle from Martin Taylor and caused terrible damage to Eduardo - but that tackle could have caused Zigic a lot of damage.[LNB]"We know Jack Wilshere is not a dirty player, but it does show you players can mistime in this hurly-burly game in football. Everybody has to recognise that. It was a bad tackle and it was the correct decision."[LNB]The Blues players were furious with the award of Arsenal's penalty, when Scott Dann clipped Marouane Chamakh's trailing leg and referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot.[LNB]McLeish said: "From the dugout it looked a penalty, because Scott put his foot in and you are always vulnerable to that decision.[LNB]"But when I saw the reaction of the players, I thought there was more to it, and the players insist Scott never touched him.[LNB]"If people are going to dive, if that was the case allegedly with Chamakh, then it is difficult for the referees, but the players insist he never touched him."[LNB]McLeish was happy to see Serbia striker Zigic get his first Premier League goal following a £6million summer move from Valencia.[LNB]"He has struggled with the speed and aggression of the game in England, so it has been difficult for him," said McLeish.[LNB]"Today was a much more improved performance and he scored a terrific goal.[LNB]"We are looking more dangerous and know we need to kick off our season against Blackpool next week, but this game was good for the confidence."[LNB]Wilshere later agreed with Wenger and McLeish, admitting he was deserving of his red card and had no complaints.[LNB]"I just want to say that I mistimed the challenge on Zigic and accept that I deserved to be sent off," he told the Arsenal website.[LNB]"I have no complaints about getting the red card and I will learn from this. I'm missing three matches now which I'm really disappointed about, but I just want to say that I deserved the red card."
