- Title: Dazzling Arsenal raise Wenger's England stock
- Date: 28th September 2016
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (SEPTEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER SAYING: "I didn't follow it too much but it's a huge surprise what happened. Who could have predicted that 48 hours ago? Nobody. But the English game is always full of surprises." ARE YOU FLATTERED BY BEING LINKED WITH ENGLAND JOB? "Look, of course, but my priority has always been this club and until the end of this season I am here. And I've completely focused on that." DO YOU KNOW GOD SAVE THE QUEEN? "Yes I know." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER SAYING: "The best recommendation is his performances. It's difficult to ignore him when you take the best English players and when you see him play tonight it's difficult to ignore, but I will leave that to Gareth." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER SAYING: "He (WALCOTT) assessed well where he stands and rectified well what he has to add to his game and that's down to him, 95 percent down to him. And for the rest I think it was a game again a first half of top quality, the pace, the quality of our movement, the technical quality. We created many dangerous situations. I would like to congratulate my team for the quality of what they produced tonight but I have a regret that is that we didn't take enough our chances we created. But it is a good basis to have a taste for more." FC BASEL MANAGER URS FISCHER ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) FC BASEL MANAGER URS FISCHER SAYING: "But I would not say that we were swamped by the speed. No. Not at all. If you look at the pictures whenever we put pressure on them it was difficult for them. Whenever we didn't put pressure on them that's when these players have the speed and are very precise, and if you are very precise then the speed is even quicker. And we had problems with these situations." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) FC BASEL MANAGER URS FISCHER SAYING: "Yes it is always possible that a game changes. Yes the second half was better on our side. But I think it could have been 3-0 before that actually. So yes, but if you really have that chance to score the 2-1 then you have to take your chances. But that's when we just lacked the last bit of belief, the last will, the last desire, we didn't have that. And had we scored the goal, well yeah, who knows, it might have become interesting. But I think the result is certainly okay." FISCHER WALKING AWAY
- Embargoed: 13th October 2016 23:45
- Keywords: Arsenal Basel Champions League Wenger
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00151HC75R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: If he really wants the once-again vacant England job Arsene Wenger's Arsenal players provided the Frenchman the perfect showreel in a classy 2-0 defeat of FC Basel to move joint top of Champions League Group A on Wednesday (September 28).
Sam Allardyce's self-inflicted demise after only 67-days in charge of the national team has inevitably given voice to those who say the FA should turn to Wenger -- an almost de-facto Englishman after 20 years in charge of Arsenal.
Arsenal's vibrant display against a club that has got the better of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in the competition in recent years will strengthen their calls.
"I didn't follow it too much but it's a huge surprise what happened. Who could have predicted that 48 hours ago? Nobody. But the English game is always full of surprises," said Wenger over the departure of Allardyce.
A pre-match poll on the BBC's website had 66 percent of voters agreeing that Wenger should lead England out of the mess created by Allardyce's downfall after he was secretly filmed making inappropriate comments in a Daily Telegraph sting.
Asked if he was flattered to be linked with the job, Wenger said he was, but was focusing on finishing the season with Arsenal.
"Look, of course, but my priority has always been this club and until the end of this season I am here. And I've completely focused on that."
Theo Walcott, discarded by Allardyce's predecessor Roy Hodgson for the woeful Euro 2016 campaign, scored twice before the break as the hosts tore Basel apart.
Walcott combined superbly with Alexis Sanchez for both goals -- the first a header from the Chilean's cross after six minutes and the second a precise shot after a slick one-two with the south American wizard left Basel's defence standing.
"He assessed well where he stands and rectified well what he has to add to his game and that's down to him, 95 percent down to him. And for the rest I think it was a game again a first half of top quality, the pace, the quality of our movement, the technical quality. We created many dangerous situations. I would like to congratulate my team for the quality of what they produced tonight but I have a regret that is that we didn't take enough our chances we created. But it is a good basis to have a taste for more," Wenger said of Walcott.
Had it not been for Basel keeper Tomas Vaclik, a rampant Arsenal could have been six up before halftime.
Basel manager Urs Fischer said the deficit could have been bigger.
"Yes it is always possible that a game changes. Yes the second half was better on our side. But I think it could have been 3-0 before that actually. So yes, but if you really have that chance to score the 2-1 then you have to take your chances. But that's when we just lacked the last bit of belief, the last will, the last desire, we didn't have that. And had we scored the goal, well yeah, who knows, it might have become interesting. But I think the result is certainly okay," he said.
Arsenal have now gone eight matches unbeaten since losing to Liverpool on the opening day of the season and against Basel continued where they left off in a 3-0 rout of Chelsea at the weekend courtesy of another first-half onslaught. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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