Arsene Wenger tells referee 'it is always the same with you' but admits Arsenal finishing was 'poor'
Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was able to make a string of saves at the Emirates to keep the match goalless
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsene Wenger said that he was “maximally frustrated” with Arsenal’s “very bad finishing” as they drew yet another blank and slipped five points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City.
Wenger also clashed with the officials and even with Southampton manager Ronald Koeman in the second half, a revival of their bad blood when the teams last met at St Mary’s on Boxing Day.
Wenger told Lee Mason “it is always the same with you” after disagreeing with a string of decisions. Koeman then used the same words directed at Wenger himself.
Arsenal have now not scored in their last three league games and Wenger was scathing in his criticisms after seeing Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and Theo Walcott all miss multiple chances at the Emirates. “Our finishing is very bad at the moment, we have played now three games without scoring a goal,” Wenger said afterwards. “In the three games we have had chances that we haven’t taken. At this level it is important.”
Wenger was direct in his criticism of the Arsenal players who had failed to win again, for the fourth league game in a row. Wenger drew the stark contrast between his side’s good build-up play and their profligate finishing.
“You rate the quality of the chances you create, and the quality of the finishing,” Wenger said. “The quality of the chances we created today, considering it was a Premier League game, was high. The quality of the finishing was poor. That differential explains the 0-0. It is maximally frustrating.”
“We started slowly, a bit nervous, because we lost our last game at home. But in the second half it was one-way traffic and we still couldn’t score. We didn’t make enough of our set-pieces, we didn’t take them well. We didn’t finish well. Our finishing was very poor.”
Arsenal take on Bournemouth at Dean Court on Sunday.
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