Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger surprised by Stoke's 'very direct' tactics
Monday 18 January 2016 07:11, UK
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted he was surprised how direct Stoke played in the 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.
It was a game where both goalkeepers shone as Jack Butland denied Olivier Giroud with two smart saves either side of the break, before Petr Cech stood strong in the second period, including thwarting Bojan with a double save.
The Gunners have now won just once in eight visits to Stoke under Wenger, who received another hostile reception from the home fans having once described Stoke's tactics as being similar to those of a rugby team.
That prompted Stoke to complain to the FA about his comments.
Wenger had acknowledged in his pre-match press conference that Stoke have changed their approach under Mark Hughes from the more direct style under former boss Tony Pulis, but said after this Premier League game he thought Stoke would have played more of a passing game.
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He said: "Stoke wanted to surprise us by playing a very direct game and made it very physical. We had to fight.
"When you don't score, you can always lose, but we got the 0-0.
"We expected them to play more on the ground, but they decided to go the other way and we dealt quite well with it.
"Butland had a very good game and Cech had a very good game. They [Stoke] defended very well."
The point was enough for Arsenal to leapfrog Leicester City in the table to regain top spot on goals difference.
Arsenal went into the game without Mesut Ozil, who was ruled out with a minor foot injury, while Alexis Sanchez was only 95 per cent fit according to Wenger and was also not risked.
The Arsenal boss revealed he was pleased with how his side coped without two of his most dangerous attacking players.
"There is no team in the world that would not miss Mesut Ozil," he said.
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"We are used to having him there giving the final ball but even with him, it would have been a very difficult game. Next week, we have some players back and some others are a few weeks away. I hope Ozil and Sanchez are back next week.
"I am pleased with the spirit we showed today.We had two very physical games in four days away from home."
