TNT Sports
Vieira still hopeful
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Published 23/02/2005 at 11:35 GMT
Captain Patrick Vieira believes Arsenal still have a chance of reaching the Champions League quarters despite a 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich. Wenger said Tuesday's performance was the English champions' worst in the competition and he had felt like crying
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Arsenal's defending was abject, particularly in the second half when they shipped two goals and could have conceded at least two more. Toure was at fault for the first goal and injured England defender Sol Campbell was badly missed.
"It is frustrating to concede too many goals and we need to work on that as a team," Vieira said. "We need to defend better if we want to progress.
"Sol is important to the team but he was not there and we have to cope. It is frustrating because Bayern were not better than us."
Arsenal failed to have a meaningful shot on target in the first half and once again in a match that mattered, key players like striker Thierry Henry, and midfielders Vieira and Robert Pires could not impose themselves.
"We were very, very disappointed with the quality of our performance," was Wenger's verdict.
Claudio Pizarro scored the first two goals for the home side and Hasan Salihamidzic added a third in the 64th minute before Toure redeemed himself partially by stabbing home late on.
"At 3-0 down, it would be 95 percent that you have no chance of going through," Vieira told the London Evening Standard. "Now we have hope with that last-minute goal. It will still be difficult but not impossible. We can score goals and we now have to believe in ourselves."
Campbell, who has made only 19 appearances this season because of leg injuries, is doubtful for the return at Highbury because of an ankle problem.
Wenger conceded that the London side's defence, and Ivorian Toure in particular, needed an injection of confidence after conceding 45 goals this season in all competitions.
"Pascal Cygan did well but Sol Campbell, with his experience, makes everybody better," Wenger said. Kolo has a bit of a doubt in his mind at the moment. He has lost a little bit of his confidence and we have to pump him up again."
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