Arsene Wenger stands by Cesc Fabregas gamble

Posted Monday, December 28, 2009 by BBC.com

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes he was right to bring substitute Cesc Fabregas on against Aston Villa despite his captain aggravating his hamstring.

Fabregas broke the deadlock and scored twice in the 3-0 win but had to go off after his second goal.

"We do not know yet if it is a recurrence of the pull or just scar tissue," said Wenger.

"If it is scar tissue then it is a few days, but if it is a reoccurrence, then it is three weeks out."

Fabregas was left struggling after a sprint to get on the end of a Theo Walcott pass as he extended Arsenal's lead before Abou Diaby completed the win with a late strike.

The victory moved Arsenal to within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea with a game in hand.

"I feel that I did the right thing, and would do it again," added Wenger.

"I put him on the bench and I knew before the game that if it was really needed, I would put him on.

"Had we been 1-0 up I would not have done it, but at the end of the day you do what you think will win the game.

"Aston Villa are a team which makes you nervy because you can be dominant and lose the game.

"You could think 'we were dominant and did not take advantage of it, so let's be cautious' - or you gamble a bit try to push it further and score. That is what I did."

Arsenal were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea on 29 November but have since taken 13 of a possible 15 points to close the gap on the Stamford Bridge outfit.

"It is a massive result for the team," said Wenger. "When you look where we were a few weeks ago, credit to the team, they didn't give up when everybody has written us off.

"We kept going and that shows that the team has shown mental strength.

"This team is talented, is hungry, has a great spirit and for me they deserve to be successful. However, we have not won anything yet.

"It makes it interesting now. We are in a strong position.

"We can have belief, but it is a long way to go and we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to improve together."