MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 13:03:26| >> :120:55685:55685:

Arsene Wenger: 'Loss of Eric Abidal was crucial'

Wenger: 'Loss of Abidal crucial'
© PA Photos
Arsene Wenger believes that Barcelona have suffered without Eric Abidal.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has cited the loss of Eric Abidal as the key reason for Barcelona's poor run of form.

Wenger believes that there are several factors responsible for Barcelona's downturn in form which has seen them dumped out of the Champions League and effectively lose the La Liga title to Real Madrid, but stresses the importance of the departure of Abidal for a liver transplant operation.

"I believe as well that they could not afford to lose two players - one Messi and two, Abidal. When they lost Abidal... when you watch the game when we won 2-1 he saved three goals - he made three desperate saves," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"Against Chelsea the other night, the bad luck was they lost Pique early in the game. They played with one defender - Puyol - in the whole game.

"Mascherano is a midfielder and Alves is a... something more than a defender. Basically they played the whole game with one defender. But they are still the best team."

Barcelona, who sit second in La Liga, were hit with the news on Friday that manager Pep Guardiola will leave the club at the end of the season.

ID:25334: cacheID:25334:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2447:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Vicente Del Bosque
Read Next:
Del Bosque: 'Guardiola must be respected'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid29226164204472
2Barcelona29197360342664
3GironaGirona29195559342562
4Athletic Bilbao29168550262456
5Atletico MadridAtletico29174854342055
6Real Sociedad291210742311146
7Real BetisBetis29101273433142
8Valencia28117103232040
9Villarreal29108114751-438
10Getafe2991193742-538
11Las PalmasLas Palmas29107122932-337
12Osasuna29106133343-1036
13AlavesAlaves2988132635-932
14Mallorca29612112535-1030
15Rayo Vallecano29611122538-1329
16Sevilla29610133644-828
17Celta Vigo2969143244-1227
18CadizCadiz29313132040-2022
19Granada2828183058-2814
20Almeria29110182857-2913


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!