Wenger defends starting Ospina after discouraging loss

All the blame for Arsenal's home loss to Olympiacos on Tuesday was directed at Arsene Wenger and his decision to start David Ospina in goal over Petr Cech.

The English side finds itself in the unenviable position of beginning its Champions League campaign with two losses, the latest collapse involving a pair of goalkeeping blunders from the Colombian netminder.

Yet the Arsenal boss was defiant in his team selection after his side's 3-2 defeat, slamming the media for making assumptions without knowing the reasons for his choice.

"I make the decisions and selections for the team and I'm responsible for it. I know many things that you don't know and that you ignore," Wenger told reporters.

"You cannot select a team by using a poll and getting everyone's opinion before the game."

Wenger's reasoning for selecting Ospina was based partly on the 'keeper's solid performance last season when he supplanted Wojciech Szczesny for the starter's role.

"David Ospina played 19 games last season and kept 14 clean sheets and last week he had a fantastic game," Wenger said. "No keeper is mistake-free, it could have happened to Petr Cech as well."

The longtime Arsenal boss said Cech experienced an injury "alert" ahead of the team's last Premier League encounter with Leicester City on Saturday, and that he was unwilling to take a risk with the 33-year-old.

While the loss may leave a sour taste in the mouths of those associated with the club, for Wenger, it pales in comparison to another famous defeat in the illustrious competition.

"Sit on a bench in a European final and I will ask you the question after," Wenger answered when asked whether it was his worst European night, alluding to Arsenal's loss to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.