Gunners outplay Marseille

LONDON. — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger urged his players to “finish the job” after they moved to within sight of the Champions League soccer knockout phase with a 2-0 win over Marseille. Wenger said his team face a tricky game against Napoli but demanded that they “finish the job” to progress in the Champions League.

The Gunners are three points clear at the top of Group F after their comfortable 2-0 win over Marseille.

It means Wenger’s men only need to avoid a three-goal defeat in Naples in December to reach the knockout stages.
Jack Wilshere scored both goals at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night to leave Wenger’s side with 12 points from five games in Group F, but they are not yet assured of a berth in the last 16.

They need to avoid defeat at Napoli in their final group game to be sure of going through, although the qualifying permutations mean that they could still progress even if they lose at Stadio San Paolo on December 11.

“It’s unbelievable (not to have qualified with 12 points), but it’s the reality and we have to finish the job,” Wenger said.

“It is not an easy situation. It’s a tricky situation because you could think, ‘OK, (the objective is) just not to lose big (to Napoli),’ but I think that would be a mistake from ourselves.

“It is to put in our head to go there, play in a positive way and try to win the game, because everything else would be a dangerous gamble.”

Wilshere opened the scoring after only 27 seconds — the fastest goal in the Champions League this season — and completed his brace in the 65th minute when he converted a low cross from Mesut Ozil.

The England midfielder had previously scored only twice this season, and he said he was keen to add more goals to his repertoire.

Asked what his goals target for the campaign was, Wilshere told ITV: “At the start of the season I said 10 goals. I’ve never scored four in a season (before), so we’ll see. I’m feeling good at the moment.”

Wenger praised the coolness of Wilshere’s opening goal, which saw him cut inside a defender before curling a shot home, and suggested he should take inspiration from teammate Aaron Ramsey, who has already found the net 11 times for the English Premier League leaders this term.

“I like his first goal, because before he rushed a little bit,” Wenger said.

“He’s starting to think, ‘What Ramsey can do, I can do as well.’ He’s calm in front of goal; especially the first goal shows that.”

Wenger was, however, critical of Ozil, who saw a 37th-minute penalty saved by Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda following a truncated run-up.

“Everybody can miss a penalty, but I think his run on to the ball was a bit short. But it’s the way he takes them,” the Frenchman said.

He also expressed annoyance with midfielder Mathieu Flamini for cutting the sleeves on his shirt.

It is an Arsenal tradition that players take to the field wearing shirts with sleeves of the same length, and with Flamini’s teammates having all-sported long-sleeve shirts, Wenger pledged to speak to the French midfielder about the matter.

“I don’t like that and he will not do that again,” he said. “I was surprised and we don’t want that.”

The Gunners face Cardiff, Hull and Everton in the Premier League before their trip to Italy on December 11.

“We have a big programme,” added the Frenchman. “I have to rotate until the Napoli game without dropping points in the league.”

Arsenal beat Napoli 2-0 at Emirates Stadium but Wilshere, who scored his first career double for the Gunners against Marseille, also refused to get carried away.

“It’s a tough game. At home they are a very good team. They’ve got great fans,” said the midfielder.

“We’re not through yet. We have to regroup again. It’s a tough group but we will go again.”

With Marseille having already been eliminated, coach Elie Baup used the opportunity to give some of his younger players a taste of the Champions League.

Midfielders Mario Lemina (20) and 21-year-old Giannelli Imbula both started the game and Baup said he hoped that they would learn from the experience.

“What I take from it is that for our squad, tonight (on Tuesday) there were lots of young players who dipped their toes in this competition for the first or second time,” he said.

“We have to analyse all of that and show them how to progress from matches like tonight.

“There were lots of young players of 19 or 20 who have great talent, but who need to understand the demands of the high level in the Champions League.”

Meanwhile, Flamini has been banned from cutting the sleeves off his match jersey after flouting a club tradition for the second successive game.

Arsenal players are expected to wear the same length sleeve as the match-day captain, but Flamini refused to abide by the unwritten rule, cutting off his sleeves at the elbow for the clash against Marseille.

Flamini did the same thing in Arsenal’s previous game; the defeat against Manchester United earlier this month.

His decision sparked an angry confrontation between the Gunners kit staff and Flamini. But Wenger insisted Flamini would not be allowed to break the club tradition again.Wenger said: “I don’t like that, it won’t happen again.”

However, speaking after the game Flamini seemed defiant in his intention to continue with wearing short sleeves.

“I’ve been playing at the top level for 10 years and I like to wear short sleeves,” said the former AC Milan midfielder. “It is what I like.”

Olivier Giroud also had short sleeves, though in his case the French striker had rolled them up rather than snipped them off. — AFP.