Wenger scathing of Arsenal's Champions League opener

Wilshere injury adds to Wenger's woes as Arsenal slip against Dortmund

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund 2 Arsenal 0. Arsene Wenger labelled his side’s performance “disappointing” as Arsenal began their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 defeat away in Dortmund. There were no positives to take from the Gunners managers on a night when his side was outclassed across the Signal Iduna Park pitch and the evening ended in the worst possible way – with concerns for the state of Jack Wilshere’s ankle. Admitting the England midfielder had injured his ankle, Wenger told reporters: “It's difficult to say how bad it is because I am a bit cautious. Normally it's not very bad but because of his history I'm a bit cautious.”

The last thing Wenger needs is another injured player as he seeks to raise the morale of his squad after the defeat in Dortmund. Not just a defeat but the demoralising quality of a 90 minutes in which Arsenal managed just four shots at goal compared to their host’s 22. “Congratulations to Dortmund, they were the better team. We had a disappointing performance and the victory is normal,” said Wenger. “They were better and stronger than us in midfield, I agree with that. But it's very difficult on the night to go into any individual assessment of any players because as a team we were not at the requested level.”

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