Soccer: ‘‘Worthington winners not worthy of Europe’’ - Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the winners of the Worthington Cup should not qualify for Europe.

Wenger, speaking after his second-string Arsenal side lost 4-0 in the quarter-finals at Blackburn, claims the extra UEFA Cup place should be decided on final league position.

He said: ‘‘I would give one more place to the championship because it’s more difficult to play in the championship.

‘‘As long as there is a European place at stake we want to play in the competition.

‘‘But if you ask me what my priority would be, I think it is much more difficult to finish fifth or sixth in the league.

‘‘For me it is very important to see some players at this level and the fact there is a European place in this competition is the only other advantage I can see.’’

Matt Jansen’s hat-trick, his first for Blackburn, decided the contest while there was also a goal for veteran striker Mark Hughes. Arsenal, by contrast, hardly managed a shot on target.

Wenger admitted his side had been over-run particularly the inexperienced players such as Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto.

‘‘We had the first chances in the game and could have been one or two up,’’ said Wenger.

‘‘After that we showed we lacked much experience and lost some stupid balls in the middle of the park.’’

Asked whether Inamoto was one of those he was disappointed in, Wenger added: ‘‘I took him off at half-time, and he was not injured.’’

Rovers’ matchwinner Jansen was ecstatic with the victory. ‘‘If we can beat Arsenal 4-0 we can beat anybody,’’ he said. ‘‘We are in the semi-finals now and anything can happen.

‘‘Goals have been few and far between for me so far this season so this partly makes up for it, and hopefully I will go on a bit of a scoring run now.’’

Blackburn manager Graeme Souness praised his side, particularly Jansen and Turkish midfielder Tugay.

He said: ‘‘It’s always nice to get into a semi-final and we played very well. ‘‘A big deal will be made about Arsenal only playing a second-string side but it’s still full of good players.

‘‘When you playing against the likes of Wiltord, Kanu and Keown they will still beat a lot of Premier League teams.

‘‘I was pleased for Matt because all this time he has never allowed his head to drop and has worked hard for the team.

‘‘All the headlines will be for his hat-trick, but I think we should also recognise that Tugay is a very special player. He’s a delight to watch.’’