Theo Walcott says Arsenal should have opted for “damage limitation” during last night’s crushing Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Gunners were already trailing 5-1 from the last-16 first leg but Walcott’s early strike seemed to give Arsene Wenger’s side hope of a comeback.
However, Laurent Koscielny’s controversial red card snubbed out Arsenal’s chances and the visitors ran riot to secure a staggering 10-2 aggregate victory.
Arsenal were powerless to prevent Carlo Ancelotti’s side from creating chances at will after Koscielny’s dismissal and Walcott has conceded that the hosts missed a trick by not shutting up shop.
“We should’ve been smart and just [opted for] damage limitation really. It’s just a big shame,” Walcott told Arsenal’s official website.
“People will be saying that we don’t care and stuff like this but obviously we do care. There’s loads of players who are very hurt, completely, in the dressing room.
“We need to move on very quickly from this disappointment,” he added.
Arsenal’s failure to reach the quarter-finals for the seventh consecutive season has forced Wenger’s future back onto the agenda.
And the Frenchman, who was the subject of fan protests prior to yesterday’s game, was furious with the referee’s performance.
But Walcott is adamant Arsenal must draw a line under their latest defeat and focus on putting things right in the FA Cup and Premier League run-in, having dropped out of the top four.
“We can’t say, ‘if this happened, or if that happened’. That’s the worst thing in football.
“We need to work on the league position. it’s going to show if we’re ready for the fight towards the end of the season. Trust me – we are,” insisted the England international.
COMMENTS