Arsenal's predictable tactics gave us a 'simple plan' to exploit 'suicidal defending'

‘To be honest, we were not surprised,’ said Berbatov, scorer of Monaco’s second in a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, which leaves Arsene Wenger’s team on the brink of a Champions League exit.

The 34-year-old Bulgarian knew what to expect after seven-and-a-half years in the Barclays Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Fulham.

‘Arsenal have very quick players and when they go forward they leave a lot of space at the back,’ said Berbatov. ‘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.’

Wenger bemoaned his team’s ‘suicidal’ defending, which leaves them with the task of scoring at least three times against Monaco in the second leg in the Stade Louis II, next month.

Even so, Berbatov refused to accept the tie was won. ‘This is Arsenal, so it’s not over,’ he warned. ‘It is a long way away. We have other games to prepare for first.’

They are at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in a crucial clash at the top of the French league. Even so, they savoured the victory few had predicted at Arsenal, as confirmation of their return to the top of European football.

‘It was an amazing result,’ said Monaco’s vice-president Vadim Vasilyev. ‘We just wanted to do our best, play our football, and didn’t have that much pressure. The pressure was with Arsenal. We had already achieved what we wanted to in the Champions League, which was to qualify for the knock-out stages.

‘So this victory is great and fantastic and it tells us that our project remains valid and ambitious and confirms that we are going the right way. We have a lot of respect for Arsenal and I’m sure the second match will be much more difficult.’

(dailymail.co.uk)