Arsene Wenger has spoken out against the theatrics of the Barcelona squad, suggesting that they were attempting to influence the referee during Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League defeat against the La Liga giants.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Arsenal manager said: “They are tricky you know. When they go down, they shout. They never go down silent so that influence quite the ref every single time. All of them (Barca players), not one goes down without shouting.”
Arsenal was undone by a Messi brace, with the striker scoring in the 71st and the 85th minute; the latter goal was a spot-kick taken after Messi was caught by sub Mathieu Flamini in the box. The defeat means that Arsenal is now very unlikely to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite Wenger’s protests, his squad struggled to defend itself against Barcelona’s attacking prowess, with the Premier League club never really looking like they were going to best their opponents. Wenger criticised his team’s finishing, saying: “The way we finished our chances is a problem. I felt in the final third we missed something.” He continued: “Barcelona are through 95%, but we want to go there and play. We will not go there and have absolutely no chance.”
