Arsene Wenger believes that improvements to the defence coupled with Arsenal’s free-flowing playing philosophy will help the Gunners to keep pace with their big spending rivals when the new season starts.
While Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all spent big money since January fine tuning their respective squads, Wenger has again remained stubbornly low key in the transfer window.
However, having already revealed that he is in the market for a new defender, while still trying to keep hold of prized duo Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, the Frenchman told Arsenal Player ahead of the pre-season friendly with Cologne that he still firmly believes in the quality of his squad.
“We have a way of play, a style of play and a stable squad and we have a huge hunger. We feel last year we were very, very close and we want of course this time to come back and be even stronger.
“I believe that we have a good offensive power as well. We work very hard on our defensive stability and if we manage to sort this problem out I believe we can be a very good surprise.”
Reflecting on the possibility of Manchester United being weaker following the retirement of two long-standing servants, Wenger cautiously maintained that he would treat all rivals as strong threats while maintaining focus on his own project at the Emirates.
“They [Manchester United] lost big players with Scholes and Van der Sar but I wouldn’t say early on that they will be weaker. Let’s not expect any weaker sides, let’s expect Manchester United to be strong, City to be strong, Chelsea will be strong, Liverpool will be strong, Tottenham will be there.
“Let’s just focus on our strengths and make sure the belief is within the squad and around the team as well that we can do well. I believe that is an important ingredient for us.”
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Man United definitely won’t be weaker. VDS was brilliant for them and the new keeper might take time to settle in, but that old Scottish goob drills all new recruits into place sooner or later.
Man u wont be weaker, they still have the refs. Thats worth more than vds and scholes combined.
I still love Wenger and all he has done but everytime I hear him speak I get a sense of de ja vu. We all know what the issues are but will he really do anything about it. I have this horrible vision of us running around like headless chickens at the first set piece we face at Newcastle
Same old same old Arsene close my ARSE, has had season after season to address defensive problems and time and time again has failed.Somebody has to be man enough and sort this out and it isn’t Arsene and his dithering ways.If we go into the season with no real defensive strengthening we will certainly struggle.So Arsene get your out and stop f$$kin about time is running out.I dare you Arsene to surprise us all.lol. BRING BACK DAVID DEIN AND MARTIN KEOWN real Arsenal men not yes men.ARSENAL FOREVER NOT ARSENE OR THE BOARD.Arsene get your head out of the sand… Read more »
What tripe.
Arsene has bought Sagna, Vermaelen, and Kosceilny in recent years. He has made moves that are the complete opposite of failing to address the problem. While Vermaelen wasn’t perfect his first season, neither was Kos, so there remains room to improve with a further defender signing. It will be for the 3rd or 4th season running, which goes unremarked upon by the media and the so-called “fans” who gripe constantly.
Tried to include this hyperlink re TV5, but I failed: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/04/09/thomas-vermaelen-arsenal-positional-errors/
Yeah and still can’t bloody defend,and don’t forget squelchy and silvestre real solutions..What about the Keystone Cop defending today,do you find this addressing the problem? Everybody is a “fan” to somebody it’s a matter of opinons.Maybe you can enlight all “fans” as to when we will defend like a cohesive unit.P.S. IT hasn’t gone unnoticed but the same basic errors are still happening again and again So stop dithering Arsene and buy commanding defenders to play alongside TV5.
He knows he needs to sort out the defence. Martin Keown yes, David Dein never.
No shit Sherlock.
I know Wenger is a very intelligent man, but why has it taken so long to realise this!?
We can just keep waiting for opposition to weaken, we have to be a bit more proactive.
I still back Arsene, but I already have doubts that anything will change for the better this season.
Close your arse? Close it yourself weirdo
Offload Cesc and Nasri
Bring in Tevez, (someone with heart and fight)
A little champ manager but we can all dream
Sort the fucking defence out then you stupid prick. All he ever does it talk shit. How about some action. If he thinks he we can win the league with lightweight duds like Szczesny, Fabianski, Gibbs, Traore, Squishitte, and Koscialanotherpenalty then he’s barking fucking mad. As if didn’t know that already. Wenger won’t fix shit, because he’s incapable. Get ready for us conceding a goal every 5 set pieces like last season.
All the team from players to the board has no accountability……..!! AW keep saying the same thing over and over……….I wish we slip to 5th place or lower…….otherwise, we are going to hear him saying the same BS next season. And our defense problems is not one player missing, it is the whole team can’t defend from set pieces and we need steel in the middle as well as the back, so one more defender will not cut it Arsene………!! and we still have at least 10 average players on the roster making on average 50K a week, we can… Read more »
I really hope you close the comments section of this site! It’s embarrassing to hear ‘fans’ talk like this about our manager before the season has even started!
Love the news articles but most of the people who write on here are uneducated idiots!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And people are perfectly entitled to think what they want of people depending on how that opinion is expressed.
Agreed
Chelsea, City, United, and Liverpool “will be strong”, and Tottenham “will be there” 😀
A slip of the tongue I’m sure but still. . . . . Very funny
Or maybe I’m not acknowledging arsene superior sense of humour and media savvy. . .. .
I have a very nasty feeling that Wenger is just saying he is still looking for defenders to bolster the team, but I have given up believing anything he says. Yes he has done well in the past, but those days are long gone and now it’s quite obvious that he’s lot it big time and it’s about time the Board recognised him for what he is a buffoon trying to live up to past glories. He needs to be sacked before the new season & a new strong manager brought in who won’t take any nonsense from the players… Read more »
The comments section of this site is excellent, please don’t close it.
It’s good for everyone to get it off their chest ‘Blind Faith AKB’s’ & Glory Hunting Retards alike.
I love the bit about Man utd will be strong Chelsea will be strong etc. then ‘Tottenham will be there’
it is really good to hear AW express the desire for a defender. I have been bangin on about this all off season, everyone knows the story of what we need. I think things will slowly take shape, have faith people… we have Gervinho, he is class and he will hit running. He will press and reinvigorate arshavin /wallcott perhaps RVP (full season injury free hopefully). I think we will have someone like cahill/jagielka just give it time. Dont be surprised to see Bendtner leave for the Toffees in a package for Jagielka/Baines…. Lets not forget that we have “The… Read more »
Wenger is clearly suffering from a mild case of Alzheimer,he has completely forgotten the 4 months horror show his charges put on from january to May,he clearly forgot that he said exactly the same about the defense last year and the year before.I do agree that we could challenge but then do something about it instead of talking all the time,you french tart.
James, you said it all, big ups. A million flies cant be wrong, shit must be good. All of us know, even our dickhead of a manager, what to do but he isnt going to do it. Save me the jading line, ‘Wenger is looking for defenders’. Who the hell is hiding them? Samba, Cahill, Jagielka, Huth, Vertoghen, Metersacker, just to mention a few, and we didnt even need to get our ‘scopes on to see them. Now a manager paid to actually bring them in cant see them. Such a shame…you cant teach a blind man to see.
When he says we were close he is right we were. Before we drew with pool at home, we had the SECOND best defensive record in the league. All of a sudden goals dried up and we started leaking them in. Facts are facts. And what happened to you guys moaning about hangaeland? So who next, Elokobi?
Everyone is entitled to their opinion of Arsene Wenger but some of the childish insults thrown at him show a complete lack of respect for what he has acheived at the club, Grow up, by all means have a moan but this childish name calling just makes you look like pot hunting little whinners.
Whinners? Whingers I meant.
The comments section will remain open, of course, but if people resort to petty insults etc then those comments will be deleted.
It doesn’t matter what side of the fence you’re on, make your point, leave name calling to kindergarten where it belongs.
crybaby cunt!
maybe you should delete your petty insults and comments about John Terry!…..on the other hand….dont!
I think he means don’t insult eachother – you quadraplegic spazglug.
Hmmm….. Thank god these guys love the club. Had they not, am sure they would be trying to shoot the team/manager/board etc. I am frustrated too, at having to face my friends who support Chelflea, Liverfools, Man-few etc. But I love my team! I love my manager! And I love my club. If you want something to be shine, throwing mud at it wont help. Almost all of english football writers (and many online) already dump on us. We are the team that EVERYONE gets up to beat…..not Chelflea, not Man-few, not Liverfools….. wonder why? So why on earth are… Read more »
I just can’t believe that a fan would genuinely want arsenal to finish fifth so that they get rid of Arsene! I think it’s pathetic! The transfer window still has ages left and there could be any number of deals done yet! Stop reading the red top lies and wait and see!
Didn’t he say that there aren’t any defensive problems just some days ago…this dude is confusing me
Diego Lugano.
He’s going to be 31, but clearly he’s a CB at his peak.
“Wenger has again remained stubbornly low key in the transfer window.”
You mean he’s doing it the traditional Arsenal Way!
We’ve always been low key. Announce a transfer when its done. Don’t warn other teams so they can put their prices up. etc etc.
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