UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praises his side performance after trashing Braga 6-0 in the Champions League opener

Record ID: 575104

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praises his side performance after trashing Braga 6-0 in the Champions League opener
  • Date: 16th September 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (SEPTEMBER 15, 2010) (REUTERS) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM CAMERAMEN AND WENGER SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER, SAYING: "He has taken another dimension. What is, people forget that he is 23 years-old when other people start. He is a fantastic influence and it is important that he leads this team to winning and I believe as well that the young players who play along side him, it's fantastic opportunity for them to improve as well. If you are 18 years-old like Wilshere today, you see Fabregas 23 it's a big opportunity to learn a lot." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER, SAYING: "We played the game we wanted to play, a high pace, top technical quality and with a lot of creative attitude and good concentration and good collective spirit. But our game is based on that, it's a philosophy of our game and for a long patches of the game we managed to express that." REPORTER WRITING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER, SAYING: "You watched the game tonight. You don't need replays to see that we can play, be very creative, be dangerous, score goals. We scored goals and I don't think when you see what pace we can play and have many chances we can create. This team knocked Sevilla out, they are a good side, Braga." CAMERAMAN WENGER LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM BRAGA MANAGER DOMINGOS PACIENCIA WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAGA MANAGER DOMINGOS PACIENCIA, SAYING (AS TRANSLATED BY OFFICIAL TRANSLATOR): "Above all I would like to say to the players we are not as bad as we were today. Braga has taken their first steps in this competition, we know perfectly that we are playing against great team like Arsenal and we knew it's going to be tough to get points here.But I will tell my players that we should keep moving forward and take this game as experience and not repeat it in the future. The way we approached this game was very nervous and we gave them too many opportunities." REPORTERS AND PACIENCIA SPEAKING
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA87FP80MIFHCRSLHOLV0JD22XO
  • Story Text: Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas played the role of chief tormentor to perfection as Braga's Champions League debut ended in a humbling 6-0 defeat in Group H on Wednesday (September 15).
    The Spanish midfielder opened the scoring with a penalty, struck again after halftime and was at the heart of a dazzling display by the home side.
    Braga, nicknamed the Arsenalistas, beat Sevilla to take their place alongside Europe's elite but were swamped before halftime as Arsene Wenger's side went through their training ground routines.
    Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh helped themselves to goals and substitute Carlos Vela joined the party with two after the break as Arsenal threatened their 7-0 record home win in Europe.
    They all owed a debt to the inspirational Fabregas, however, as the 23-year-old turned in a performance to rival that of Barcelona's Lionel Messi the previous night.
    "He has taken another dimension," Wenger told reporters after the game.
    "What is, people forget that he is 23 years-old when other people start. He is a fantastic influence and it is important that he leads this team to winning and I believe as well that the young players who play along side him, it's fantastic opportunity for them to improve as well. If you are 18 years-old like Wilshere today, you see Fabregas 23 it's a big opportunity to learn a lot."
    The Frenchman was also impressed with his team's attacking power.
    "We played the game we wanted to play, a high pace, top technical quality and with a lot of creative attitude and good concentration and good collective spirit. But our game is based on that, it's a philosophy of our game and for a long patches of the game we managed to express that," Wenger said.
    "You don't need replays to see that we can play, be very creative, be dangerous, score goals. We scored goals and I don't think when you see what pace we can play and have many chances we can create. This team knocked Sevilla out, they are a good side, Braga."
    Braga's manager Domingos Paciencia was understandably not in as good move as Wenger after the game. He said he wished the game could have been called off at halftime.
    But even after the heavy defeat he said he will try to encourage players to keep their heads up.
    "Above all I would like to say to the players we are not as bad as we were today," a shell-shocked Paciencia told reporters at the Emirates Stadium after an embarrassingly one-sided opener.
    "Braga has taken their first steps in this competition, we know perfectly that we are playing against great team like Arsenal and we knew it's going to be tough to get points here.But I will tell my players that we should keep moving forward and take this game as experience and not repeat it in the future. The way we approached this game was very nervous and we gave them too many opportunities," he added.
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