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Arsene Wenger made the extraordinary claim that Arsenal are unprepared for the season just seven days after insisting his team were ‘physically ready’.
The Arsenal manager left out three regular starters for the opening game against Liverpool — Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny, who all returned to training last week after appearing at Euro 2016.
Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey — who limped off with a hamstring injury — did start the game despite having had just two weeks of pre-season training. Alex Iwobi also limped off with a thigh injury.
Speaking last Sunday after their friendly win over Manchester City in Gothenburg, Wenger said: ‘I feel we could see we played together for a while, physically we look ready.’
But the Arsenal boss changed his mind after watching his team lose for the third time in four opening-day matches, saying: ‘We are not ready physically. You are in a catch-22 situation with the Euros — whether you give the players a rest who need it.
‘They are not ready to play this sort of game and get injured like Ramsey or you give them a rest and not have them for the start.
‘When will we be ready? I don’t know. We have to be ready next week because we go to Leicester.’
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was wrong to celebrate Sadio Mane’s goal so exuberantly — his side’s fourth.
He said: ‘I made a big mistake. There was still half an hour to go. If you celebrate too early, life gives you a knock.’
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