Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he wants to see Lincoln City back in the football league after the Gunners’ beat the Imps 5-0 in the FA Cup.
Despite putting five past the Imps, Wenger also confessed his side were nervous in their first half performance, as City more than matched the Gunners despite being a goal down at half-time.
“We were a bit nervous, especially with the criticism after Bayern Munich, but we had to look at the bigger perspective and that’s what we did today,” Wenger said.
“Of course I didn’t want to gamble today, because I knew it was important to win the game.
“The team performed well against Bayern and I wanted them to find confidence back in their next game, that’s why I maintained 90% of the players from the starting line-up against Bayern.”
Wenger also spoke gave high praise to Cowley’s City side, he said:
“It was difficult, they (Lincoln City) knocked Brighton out, they knocked Burnley out.”
“Lincoln had a very direct game, they had clarity about what they wanted to do and they did that well, for us it was important to be focused and not to make a mistake, there was a big crowd behind them as well.”
Then when quizzed about whether he would like to see their quarter-final opponents in League 2 next season, Wenger said:
“I think they look like they have the quality, they’ll go up.”