Arsene Wenger admits that Arsenal are “not ready” for the new season

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks dejected Action Images via Reuters

Arsene Wenger admits his Arsenal side aren’t ready for the new season – and he doesn’t know when they WILL be.

The Gunners were booed off on Sunday after losing 4-3 to Liverpool , their third opening-weekend home defeat in four seasons.

Boss Wenger was forced to field an inexperienced centre-back pairing of Calum Chambers and Premier League debutant Rob Holding.

Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista are out injured for four months and six to eight weeks, respectively.

Laurent Koscielny, as well as team-mates Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, was deemed not ready after only returning to training last week following an extended run with their countries at this summer's European Championship.

Wenger said: “We are not ready, physically.

"You are in a catch-22 situation with the Euros, whether you give the players a rest who need it.

“We are not ready because we had many players at the Euros who stayed very late – Aaron Ramsey, Ozil, Koscielny, Giroud, they went to the semi-finals (at least).”

When it was put to Wenger that he can’t afford to wait until the end of August to be ready and fans would expect them to be ready for the opening day of the season, he said: “I agree with you. But we are not stupid.

“We prepare the players we have in well but as well, you have to consider that we have been a bit unlucky.

“We have lost Mertesacker and Gabriel in the preparation, and Koscielny is not fit.

“You sometimes have to accept that you cannot control absolutely everything even if you try to be as intelligent as possible.”

Alex Iwobi limped off with a thigh injury just before fellow midfielder Ramsey was forced off with a hamstring problem to cap a miserable day for the Gunners.

Wenger, whose next match is away to champions Leicester, added: “I don’t know (when we will be ready). We have to be ready next week, because we go to Leicester.

“We see first what we can do with the players who are preparing at the moment and how many players are injured today.

"Can they recover today? I don’t know.”