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Gael Clichy has warned his Arsenal team-mates not to show the complacency that cost them victory against AZ Alkmaar when the Gunners travel to West Ham this weekend.
Arsene Wenger's side conceded a 93rd-minute equaliser to slump to a 1-1 draw at the DSB Stadium in Holland after dominating the encounter throughout.
It appeared Cesc Fabregas's first-half goal had all but secured qualification from Champions League Group H only for David Mendes da Silva to smash home a close-range volley.
Arsenal face the Hammers at Upton Park on Sunday and Clichy believes they must be at the top of their game to emerge victorious despite Gianfranco Zola's poor start to the season.
He said: "We know to play West Ham away is always difficult. They have good players with a good manager and they like to play football.
"They are not doing so well and we are but we have to be careful because it is one of the derbies and West Ham are always a big team when they play at home so we have be 100 per cent to get the three points. It feels a little like a defeat against AZ. Even if they played well I believe they didn't create any chances. I thought defensively as a unit we played well. We also had some chances to kill the game but unfortunately we finished 1-1. It is a big disappointment but we must move on."
Arsenal remain top of the group and firm favourites to qualify but Clichy believes AZ's late leveller underlines the extent of the challenge in the Champions League on a night when Liverpool, Barcelona and Inter Milan all suffered surprise results.
"This competition is hard to win," he said. "We drew last night and maybe with one minute less we would have won the game. I don't think many teams will come here and win the game easily. Barcelona lost, Inter Milan had a hard time. We don't care about the other teams but it shows how in football anything is possible. Away from home you have to keep focused until the last minute and even with the best players in the world you can lose games sometimes.
“So, at the end of the day when you look back at this game, 1-1 is not a bad result.”
AZ let in a stoppage-time goal in their previous match against Standard Liege and boss Ronald Koeman said: “Tonight's equaliser feels great as we know exactly how it feels to concede a late one.”
Meanwhile, Stan Kroenke is rumoured to be on the verge of buying up more shares in Arsenal to take him ever closer to the 29.9 per cent mark at which he must formally launch a takeover of the club.
The American businessman took his shareholding to 28.86 per cent last week after spending £765,000 buying 90 shares and is thought to be close to securing a deal with the estate of the late Sir Earnest Harrison, formerly a chief executive of telecoms company Racal Electronics.
Kroenke is in London for tomorrow's Arsenal AGM and needs only 646 more shares to reach the takeover trigger point.
Reader views (3)
I thought Eboue had a good game. This wasn't a bad day against a rubbish team at all. I was more concerned that the Dutch grabbed so much possession because Arsenal were so lazy. They should have killed the game off. The goal conceded was a cracker very few teams would have stopped.
- David James, London, 21/10/2009 17:54
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I think you could have been more gracious in your writing. Last minute equalizers happen and getting point away from home....when barcelona lost to some no-name team, Inter drew at home...."throwing away victory" is hardly an objective headline...dont you think? Liverpool lost at home...Granted Arsenal dominated and should have won the game...but you make it sound like they were playing against dummies...these are Dutch champions...remember.
- Mezzito, London, 21/10/2009 14:26
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Wenger has got only himself to blame. This game could have been easily won with at least 3 goals. There was no entusiasm at all from the Arsenal players and looked quite happy with just one goal.
Why did Wenger play Eboue again in midfield ? Is there some contract that he will play in every game?
He was very poor and failed to make one attempt to try and get the ball from AZ players. Ramsey should have been played from the start because these players should be given every chance.
Why is it that Eboue is always in the team, either as full back or midfield.?
- A.Messina, Malta, 21/10/2009 13:10
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