Arsene Wenger has explained why his side failed to deliver in Germany in the Europa League group stage encounter against Cologne on Thursday. Wenger said his men had lacked a spark in attack during their 1-0 Europa League loss to the German side.
Despite the lost, Arsenal still maintained their lead in Group H following the 0-0 draw between BATE Borisov and Red Star Belgrade.
A Sehrou Guirassy penalty goal in the 62nd minute after he was brought down in the area Mathieu Debuchy was all the Germans needed to gun down Arsenal.
Arsenal dominated in possession but could not equalise as Wenger’s second string again struggled to create quality chances.
Wenger told post-match press conference that, “We had a lot of possession. We lost the game to one shot, basically.
“It was a very nice penalty that we have to take on board. It was honestly not a penalty at all.
“We missed a little bit of accuracy in our passing in the final third that is required to score more goals. We had plenty of dangerous situations, but we always missed a little something to finish our chances.
“I must also say that Cologne defended with spirit, with commitment and overall the crowd was absolutely fantastic for them.
“I must say that the attitude was good. It took us some time to inject some pace into the game. In the second half, it was much quicker.
“The pitch was a little handicapped tonight, and the players were because of it, but I cannot fault the preparation or the concentration of the players.”
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