Wenger frustrated with inconsistent Gunners after draw

SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom (AFP) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed frustration with his side's inconsistency and criticised their mental sharpness after they needed an own goal to snatch a draw from Southampton only three days after beating Newcastle United 7-3.

But he confirmed that his search for a remedy will not include bringing back the club's former striker Thierry Henry for a second comeback season.

"We didn't create a lot after having scored five at Reading, seven against Newcastle," the Frenchman complained. "The goal chances we created were not a lot and our game lacked purpose, lacked penetration, lacked speed - all the qualities that we usually have and that we didn't see tonight.

"It is frustrating. It is nothing to do with the physical side. In a game of that magnitude against a Southampton team that was really highly determined, I felt we lacked purpose in our game, and it was more mental than physical. We lacked sharpness.