LUCA Vialli stressed he was proud of his team in that they did not bow to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round tie on Saturday, January 5, in which Watford lost 4 - 2.

"At the moment the gap between us and Arsenal is quite wide but I am quite proud of the way we performed this afternoon," he said.

"They probably could have scored more goals but we had our chances. We stayed in the game for most of the time, but the pleasing thing for me is that we kept going, even when we were 4-1 down, and, in the last 15 minutes, we created two or three good chances. And then we scored the second goal right at the end which means we are getting there.

"At times the spirit is what has let us down in the past, but the spirit was there, the desire to make it difficult for Arsenal was there.

"We played as a team and we worked extremely hard. Of course we made mistakes, but, when you play against quality players, you are often forced to make mistakes.

"You have to admire the way they played football: the quality, the passing. I have got to say, you have a chance if you play against a top-class team and they under-rate you. But that was not the case. They were 100 per cent up for the game and took it really seriously.

"For us, it was quite difficult, but we competed, and I am really pleased with that."

Asked what Watford can learn, Vialli said in general terms the players learn a lot.

"The performance shows that if we work hard and play for each other and play as a unit, we can compete against such sides.

"We made it difficult for them. It is quite difficult to say what you learn, but you come off the pitch feeling a better player for the experience," he said.

On the subject of spirit, Vialli and the players had a chat after the game in the dressing room, and he told them he was pleased with the way they had responded, particularly after the non-performance against Millwall.

"I think that is now behind us. They are all disappointed because it is not nice to be out of the FA Cup. We gave them a difficult game," he said.

"Arsenal are fantastic and have so many top class players, but what you have to admire in that side is that they did not under-estimate us. They continued to work hard, and I think they are an exciting side to watch, and I hope they manage to achieve something this season."

For Oliver Phillips' full interview with Gianluca Vialli, see The Watford Observer on Friday, January 11.

January 8, 2002 10:00