• Champions League

Arsenal were too predictable, claims Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov said Arsenal had played into Monaco's hands by sticking to a predictable gameplan in Wednesday's Champions League defeat.

Arsenal face an uphill struggle in the second leg of their last 16 tie at the Stade Louis II on March 17 after being beaten 3-1 by a clinical Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. Former Tottenham striker Berbatov scored the second of the visitors' goals.

"To be honest, we were not surprised," Berbatov said. "Arsenal have very quick players and when they go forward they leave a lot of space at the back.

"We knew that and we had prepared well and took advantage of it. We knew their weaknesses and we exploited them and I think everyone can agree that we deserved our win.

"Our team is very young but very talented. It is not only about age but about class. If you prepare well and do what your coach says, you can see the result. We believed we could do something. This is for everybody."

Arsenal went into the tie with many claiming they had - for once - been given a clement knockout stage draw having been pitted against Bayern Munich twice, AC Milan and Barcelona in recent years.

The Premier League side had fallen to those heavyweight opponents in the round of 16 in the last four years, but were hotly-tipped to progress to a first quarter-final appearance since 2010 when Monaco came out of the hat.

Nabil Dirar, who captained Monaco in the absence of Jeremy Toulalan on Wednesday, told RMC Arsenal had perhaps thought the game would be straightforward.

"They thought they were better than us, and that's the truth. When you see the potential and their team. There are only big names. It's great to play against them, but in football, it's not always the best that wins. Perhaps they underestimated us. All the better for us," said Dirar, who felt Wenger's side had been undone by Monaco's unusually physical style.

"Arsenal are an English team, but they don't really play an English style. They have technical quality. We're a really physical team that stays compact and plays on the counter-attack. That is what surprised them."

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