Ian Wright: Wenger made a big mistake – Arsenal legend Ian Wright

Ian Wright labelled Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger’s decision to select David Ospina “a big mistake” after the Gunners slumped to a 3-2 defeat against Olympiacos in the Champions League.

Goalkeeper Ospina was preferred to number one Cech and it was his inexplicable fumble that led to the visitors’ second goal.

Quite why Cech has yet to play for Arsenal in the Champions League is a mystery, but resting the goalkeeper for the first two group games has spectacularly backfired.

The 3-2 home loss leaves the Gunners pointless and stranded at the bottom of Group F, with tough back-to-back matches against Bayern Munich up next. “It happened to Petr Cech earlier in the season“. The Frenchman added that he did not require to provide an explanation to the press for every decision that he made.

Wenger blamed the lack of “quality in our defensive concentration” for the defeat while he lamented bad luck, too.

When asked if he regretted the call, he bullishly replied: “I honestly don’t want to go into that conversation with you“.

Walcott returned the favour for Sanchez, setting him up for a header to make it 2-2 midway through the second half, only for substitute Alfred Finnbogason to score the victor nearly immediately.

They will be without centre-back Laurent Koscielny against Manchester United on Sunday, however, with the France global now expected to be out until after the worldwide break with a feared hamstring tear. There has to be someone to blame for missing the fact that a quick counter attack was their other major weapon, because we certainly did not set ourselves up to cope with that tactic, a fact put into stark focus on their third and winning goal. “When you play against this team you know they’re going to have a lot of the ball”.

“The most important thing was for the players to give everything they had, to believe in themselves and never be scared”.

“Bayern, as everyone knows, are a great team, that have won the Champions League very recently and have the ambition of doing so again“.

Olympiacos had lost their last six away games in Europe and all 12 of their previous visits to English opposition – including three at Arsenal – but took a shock lead on 33 minutes when winger Pardo fired through a crowded box via Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s heel.

Fate was tempted – and could not resist as the hapless Colombian dropped a harmless corner from Fortounis into his own net just before half-time after Walcott had brought Arsenal back into it with an equaliser.