da poker： Porto boss Sergio Conceicao has hit back at Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard criticised Porto's playing style during the 1-0 win over Arsenal.
da blaze casino： Article continues below
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Arsenal lose 1-0 to Porto in first legArteta criticizes Porto's playing style Conceicao hits back at the Gunners' boss Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Arteta suggested in his post-match presentation that Conceicao's Porto side team had ‘no intention of playing’ on Wednesday evening as the Portuguese side defended with their hearts and smothered the Gunners to zero shots on target through the course of the first leg of the round of 16 clash between the two sides. The hosts managed to put one past the Premier League side in the dying minutes of the game and will now take a goal lead to the Emirates.
AdvertisementWHAT CONCEICAO SAID
When asked about Arteta's comments, Conceicao hit back at the Spaniard: "It’s an opinion. They wanted to play, we wanted to win. Arteta is from the [Pep] Guardiola school, who is the coach with the most titles in the world. They think that the best way to beat their opponents is to have more possession of the ball, but that depends on the team and the performers they have."
"We had 40%-60% possession of the ball, which is not a scandal. I didn’t mind having 30%-70% and winning too. It all depends on what you do with the ball within the strategy defined to score goals."
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Arteta's men lacked the same sort of preciseness and fluidity that they have displayed in the Premier League over the last year and specifically over the last five games in which they scored 21 goals in total. They were blocked out by a stupendous defensive performance by Conceicao's side having registered no shots on target at the Estadio do Dragao.
WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL AND PORTO?
The two sides will meet once again when they duel in the second leg of the round of 16 at the Emirates on March 12. Before that Arsenal will take on three Premier League games as they look to maintain their title battle against Manchester City and Liverpool.