LONDON -- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says his two new signings still need time to adjust to the Premier League after showing some nerves on their debuts against Southampton.
Centre-back Shkodran Mustafi and striker Lucas Perez both started for the Gunners in a 2-1 win at the Emirates on Saturday as Santi Cazorla's late penalty secured the Gunners' first home win of the season.
Mustafi played well defensively but gave the ball away sloppily on a couple of occasions, while Perez struggled to get involved in Arsenal's attack until the second half.
And Wenger said both have room for improvement but are understandably rusty after not playing much so far this season.
"I feel both are short, they lack competition," Wenger said after the game. "And their second half was much better than their first half. They were a bit surprised by the pace and the commitment of the Premier League, and they will adapt to that. Also, they were a bit on their nerves I think in the first half. In the second half it was much better."
Both players were brought near the end of the transfer window to strengthen the spine of Wenger's team. But the late deals meant they missed out on playing time, and are now playing catch-up, Wenger said.
"Perez has played one game, the first game of La Liga. Then they didn't play him anymore because they knew he could go," the Frenchman said. "And Mustafi has only played one half since the start of the season with Valencia. So they are missing games."
Mustafi played the full 90 minutes while Perez was taken off for Olivier Giroud after 62 minutes. Giroud was then adjudged to have been pulled down in the area in added time prevent another frustrating afternoon for Arsenal at the Emirates.
The team were booed off the pitch after losing 4-3 to Liverpool on the opening day of the season, and Wenger acknowledged that it was important that another disappointing result could have soured the mood further.
"When you lose your first home game you cannot afford to drop points in your second home game because it creates a little bit of an anxiety level at home, and that's not what we want," he said.
Arsenal have now earned three penalties in their opening four games, with Cazorla converting the last two. He had to wait several minutes to take this one, as Southampton argued that Jose Fonte's tug on Giroud wasn't a foul and Laurent Koscielny received treatment on a kick to the face.
"I had a lot of time to think about where to shoot my penalty, but I kept calm," Cazorla told the BBC. "I thought if I shot down the middle the keeper might go to one side."
Koscielny's injury may be another concern for Arsenal, who already have Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista sidelined and travel to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
"Koscielny has a problem with his face. He's with a doctor now. I haven't spoken to them but it's very swollen," Wenger said.