Arsene Wenger admits that Arsenal need the likes of Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere to return from injury if they are to secure a place in the top four this season.
The Gunners, as has so often been the case in recent years, have been racked with injuries throughout the season. However, with a four point deficit to make up on Chelsea the need for a big push in the final third of the season is clear whether his big guns are available or not.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Manchester United the boss was unusually candid about the challenge facing his stretched squad.
“If the players come back, we are strong enough [to make the top four]. If we do not have the players back we will struggle.
Asked why he had yet to invest in reinforcements in the January window, Arsene continued to stress his usual argument that buying players wasn’t like popping to the shops for groceries while also hinting that the economic downturn affecting the continent was also playing its part.
“Football is not a supermarket where you go in there and say give me a left back please, and a right back and a centre back. We have to find players better than what we have.
“You cannot buy a player every time you have an injury: where do you finish? England is bankrupt, the whole of Europe is bankrupt and everyone continues to spend like nothing happened.
“Arsenal are not bankrupt. We manage in a sensible way and that’s why we are not bankrupt.
“Everybody spends irrespective of whether they make money or not. It’s normal. But we try to spend the money we have.”
I don’t think many fans have realised how much we miss Santos, yes Jack and Bac are very much missed, but I think our rise in form (after Utd) and our recent drop in form has directly coincided with Santos’ absence
I completely agree, coincidentally as Santos and Sagna went out both Gervinho and Walcott’s form dropped.
** its not coincidental
Whilst I agree that Santos had a positive effect on the team, particularly going forward, I don’t think you can blame our loss of form on one single player. Some fans have a tendency to always see things in black and white, when the reality is that it’s never like that.
I would argue that both Vermaelen and Sagna are much bigger losses. Not being intentionally argumental, I just think it’s a bit odd to say having Santos playing would solve everything.
The drop in form of Walcott and Gervinho after recognized full-backs went missing sounds like a perfectly logical conclusion though. When you have players who do not naturally know what to do in those two positions, either a) they become weaker going forward (affecting the wingers) or b) they become weaker at defending (and may even require wingers to be more defensive, though this is probably not what’s happening with us at the moment). At the moment our system relies a lot on performing wingers as our midfield right now is stretched to the limit with Ramsey and Arteta suffering… Read more »
year in year out……not even fourth this time round shall we see….!..stop the nonsense and see reality……ARSENAL needs a new MANAGER.
I read the transcript of the press conference and I thought it was quite good. I disagree about signing players though, I think arsenal need a super quality winger or attacking central midfielder to compete with or replace Arsahvin and Walcott. I also think we need help in the center, but that could change when and if Wilshere and Diaby (big if) come back. I do agree that if we buy a defender we will have too many on the books and our first team defenders are quite capable, they are just all out injured… A loan signing would work… Read more »
that the lack we have.we realy needs those big guns to recover from their injuries if we want to secure our place in the top 4.
Absolutely. I think we need at least some form of back-up. Especially considering our injury rate.
I am concerned by this indifference by the management to realise that we need strong players through ALL levels of the team not just the first XI.
Injuries happen, but what kind of back-up do we have?
Moving into a new stadium had to have its consequences and Arsene has done well to keep up with the other big spending clubs. Then again its been six years now and we should have had a team ready by now to challenge for top honours. i dont like manure but when some say if we could have their spending power, the difference is in them winnig titles and reaching later stages of champions league in recent years which has obviously increased their revenue so spending some 50 million of the 135 million is ok . What i am trying… Read more »
Trouble is, having so many players in the squad that contribute very little or nothing at all doesn’t really make much financial sense.It also doesn’t look as if AFC do ‘try to spend the money we have’, or at least try very hard.
We’ve heard this argument regarding not buying in January for the last few seasons – looked how it panned out. Why aren’t lessons ever learned? And then we were going for the title. Now it’s 4th place that’s in danger.
We aren’t going to attract superstars because we wont pay the wages they can get elsewhere. We will just continue to risk buying young prospects or average players in the hope they turn into superstars.
So dont expect to win games until they are back, Wegner you are retarded
This is not a valid nor a constructive opinion/view.
Sorry but it IS a valid point of view. You may not like it but it IS valid.
Those in glass houses…
“So dont expect to win games until they are back”
Wow, a gross misstatement of what Wenger said. So then, you’re the editor at which red top?
“england is bankrupt, europe is bankrupt ” but the fans will still be asked to fork out for a season ticket price rise come renewal time because we want to pay so may underperforming average players 50 k a week.
isn’t it strange? we’ve played half the season and that the owner has yet to come out and say anything about the crisis we’re in? the board too, not a single word ohh well except for PHW they’re awfully quiet.
At least they should try to assure/calm the fans or something? wtf man
Wenger must seriously look in the mirror and reconcile with what he sees before he tells us his views of the market. The truth is no big players want to join Arsenal anymore. To be honest even our big players would rather leave. Arsenal has no ambition and that is why it is regressing in comparison to City and Totenham let alone ManU. We don’t deserve to be in top 4 at the moment. We are going the way Liverpool went. If You entertain mediocre players and a one dimensional manager for a season too long and the players loose… Read more »
This is the serious concern/risk with Arsenal’s strategy. the fact that they did not spend big to replace Fabregas and nasri in the summer means that it will be even harder to buy quality players in the future, as Arsenal’s appeal just keeps dropping. We might buy the young talent and unearth a new superstar -but they will just leave to join a team that wins things, like every other quality player that is playing in a mid-table team.
Wage structure needs re-tooling, too many weak players on good wages. Too many non-performers being held onto.
How much turnover is acceptable without destroying the team dynamics? We all agreed the team needed a boost after last spring’s collapse, but instead Cesc wanted to go home and Nasri wanted more moolah. Score those as negatives. On top of that, Arsene moved Denilson and Bendtner (both derided for long periods). Positives. You can’t also move on ALL of the supporting cast, too. That’s just too much movement for team that needed a little reinforcing only. Arsene has gone about that task with some success. For example, he brought in Mertesacker, after he was linked all summer and after… Read more »
Er, meant to reply to Matt, notsomuch neutral.
The table doesn’t lie and looking above Arsenal, all those teams are stronger- Spurs if any being the most vulnerable but with a big gap ahead of us. Carlo Ancelotti hinted that Wenger will be gone at end of the season and I’d hedge my bets on it.
There’ll be loads of excuses but quite simply that won’t matter.
On another point. the Ox could’ve been used more by now and to me has a very Rooneyish football style about him and could be the next legend cos of that
I seriously doubt Wenger being gone at the end of the season, but he really ought to give us something back other than “We need to focus more” or whatever it is we have heard a thousand times after each piss-poor performance.
“Carlo Ancelotti hinted that Wenger will be gone at end of the season and I’d hedge my bets on it.”
The phrase “hedge my bets” does not mean what you think it means.
If there is no money fine tell us and we can manage expectations. What upsets fans is seeing money wasted on wages to the likes of
squid
Chamack
AA
Diaby
Rosicky
Alumina
Vela
Bendtner
Eastmond
Hoyte
Watt
Pedro
Wellington
Galindo
Lansbury
Djourou
Fabianski
Mannone
And the likes to name a few
I agree in general but some of the players on that list have been our best performers this season – Rosicky for example. Djourou has been solid recently, Flappy is a very good backup keeper.
As said though, I do agree in general because having Bendtner and co on our books is ridiculous.
Had put the thumb down as where is Park on the list of deadwood. Diaby I disagree his career looks over and should get stick for getting injured wearing our colours and Rosicky has been great squad player this year and hopefully can last 90 minutes against manure.
Park has yet to play so no judgement I guess…
A lot of these are on loan and we don’t pay their wages in the main. Chamakh was excellent in his first six months as was Arsh’. Diaby and Rosicky have been pretty much destroyed by injuries. Our keepers are never going to be good value as they’re understudies. Every squad has them. The likes of Vela, Bendtner, Djourou and Lansbury would be very good players given the chance and a run of gmaes in their best positions and formation but it will always be difficult at Arsenal with our 433 that we just don’t seem to deviate from.
normally I’m constructive but Bendtner had his run and well, he’s, erm.. shit.
NG, Bendtner has good qualities, but at Arsenal he’s the wrong player–a square peg, if you will. it’s not that he’s not possibly a great peg as pegs go, he’s just not a round one. Plus, he’s an asshole.
Jasonissimo – I wish I could like your statement more than once. Love how you ended that paragraph.
You’re right, Willy young. We should hire only players who are willing to pay for wages that are below what others pay. Damn that Sanchez Watt, eating up our finances! And young Samuel Galindo, Wellington Silva, Pedro Botelho — why, I can’t believe they’re on £100,000/wk! It’s absolute insanity in the squad. And those damn players on loan! Why, we’re paying them EXTRA to go on loan and the clubs they’re at are paying us nothing.
I luv da gunnas n am luking 4ward 2d arsenal tour of Nigeria where i’ll hvd chance 2 meet my 1st luv D ARSENAL,am sure our lads wil enjoy dere tym here cosdey hv a large fanbase here.luking 4ward 2 2moro at d dnirates
What the fuck does all that mean
hw D i fkn KNw?
Sorry Arsene but sometimes you talk utter fuckin shite…. “Find players better than we already have.” Chamakh? Park? Squid? to name but three…. And who said anything about full backs. It’s been blatantly obvious for some time now that what we need is someone to help Robin out and put the fuckin ball in the net… Come March, when TH goes back to the states, who do we turn too then…? Back to square fuckin one….
Thierry’s injured. We’re back at square one already.
I think he’s willing to buy, if he can sell first.
But no one is any hurry to go after those above players mentioned in my opinion!
Spot on mate… And another thing, if, according to Mr Wenger, if most of Europe, the world, has no money, why are we, the fans asked to stump up even more money to attend games. I just don’t know anymore… Is Arsene just the front man for the board and there really is no money or is he just a stubborn git who won’t buy anyone…? At least if we bought a striker and didn’t make the top four we could say we tried but to sign no one with out current crop of players is at the very least… Read more »
Too true they’re not mate…. Plus the fact other teams can’t or won’t match the stupid money we’re paying shite fuckin players….
Can we buy Frimpong please?
I think £12 millions should do.
Super perfrormance today, glad we’ve got him.
To the tune of the FLINSTONES…
Frimpong, Suuuper Frimpong,
He’s the centre of a midfield threeee,
Frimpong, will destroy you,
and he looks a bit like Miiister Teeeee
Last night, when we met up for a pint,
He told me, that West Brom are fckin $$$$e,
Frimpong, we’ve got Frimpong,
And he will go down in historyyy
Just watched an Arsenal match played earlier this season. Man, I miss Sagna!
we need Fabregas back!
I’m sorry but no. It was apparent that Fabregas didn’t have his heart in it throughout the last season.
Fortunately, he was still masterclass but little things like the ridiculous backpass against Barca will always tarnish my memory of him playing for us.
He will try to wiggle his way out of signing players with any excuse, remember last Jan window? Telling us TV5 will back in couple of week, no need to sign a defender!!!! Only for the window to close and we find out he already knew he was not coming back for almost the rest of the season. Gibbs was about to come back in 10 days that was 8 days ago, Sagna was about to come back end of this month!!!. Now both 2 to 3 weeks away, that will make it mid Feb. Diaby was suppose to be… Read more »
I agree wif d fact dat santos’ injury is a major factor in our dip in form…i tink we can allow dat our defence stability was a major plus in our form, nw we av 80% of d defence out and its bcoz they were played out of position. This has in turn affected our wingers(no wing backs 4 support), put pressure on our midfield, isolated VP….AND to tink we lost him in an utterly irrel€vañt gäm€
can someone translate please it’s giving me a headache trying to work it out?
Text speak is bloody annoying isn’t it. Especially when not used in texts. Surely it would be easier to type out the words properly. Perhaps it is ‘cool’ to use poor English. Actually I know it is.
I think Arseblog should delete those posts. It’s the only way people will learn.
Getting annoyed with Arsenal now. we are just slipping down the league. We have to finish top 4? We should be title Challengers but now we are fighting for 4th? We need to buy some players and not players to develop we need some signings that will take the team forward asap. And how much dead wood have we got in our team just sell them Wenger stop protecting them and ged rid. I would never blame Wenger for the mistakes we make its more the board they just don’t invest enough money. If we did we would still have… Read more »
i think that Wenger needs to continue the revamp that he started this summer. I would like to see some dead wood removed, and a couple of top players signed. Attacking central midfielder for one.
Then from now on our policy should be to bring through the young players and marry them with top class signings.