Soccer Extreme : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his side lost concentration and focus in their 2-1 Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night.The Gunners were brought back down to earth after Theo Walcott had put them ahead in the 10th minute with former striker Eduardo grabbing the winner just before half-time after a Craig Eastmond own goal leveled the score prior to the half-hour mark.
Wenger said it was purely the lack of application after the opening goal that brought about his side’s downfall.
"Congratulations to Donetsk, they played well and won the game. We had a good start, but after that we lost our urgency and let Donetsk come into the game too much," the Arsenal manager said.
"We lost concentration in the duels and you could see what was coming towards half-time.
"I felt we moved out of the game altogether and moved into the game altogether, so it was more of a team problem, a kind of complacency problem more than an individual problem.
"In the second half we came back into the game and gave a lot, you cannot fault the team, and we were a bit unlucky.
"We have learned the lesson that at this level you cannot lose focus at any moment and that is why we were punished.
"But we are still in a strong position in the group." (tribalfootball)