Arsene Wenger admits he’s frustrated by the number of points Arsenal have dropped this season despite the fact they remain unbeaten in the Premier League.
After yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur the Gunners have drawn four of their six games and sit fourth six points adrift of next opponents Chelsea.
Reflecting on the season so far, Wenger told press yesterday evening: “It’s frustrating. I think the positive is that we are unbeaten but the negative is that we’ve missed four points from the quality of the games we’ve played.
“Somewhere we have to keep that unbeaten record and I think at some stage we will win the games instead of drawing. I think today we would have won had we not conceded the first goal.”
The Gunners fell behind to Nacer Chadli’s strike nine minutes after half time just as they were starting to get on top of their neighbours. Having made two substitutions due to injury in the opening 45 minutes Alexis Sanchez was thrown on for a frantic finale that saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain equalise but a winner not materialise.
“It’s the kind of game that you win if you don’t give a goal away. They waited for us, defended deep to catch us on the break, and we had about 70 per cent possession. You have to be patient without making the mistake.
“We also had a handicap because we lost two players early in the game and we were restricted to just one change when we had complete control of the game in the final 30 minutes. I had only one option to bring on going forward and that is not enough in a game like that.
“We lost the ball in our half [for the goal]. But I must give credit to my team because once again we came back and we put a huge effort in with a high workrate all together.
“It’s one of the few times that we’ve had so much possession against a Tottenham team since I’ve been here, but they defended well. You have to give them credit. Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen did well, as well as Hugo Lloris.
“They took every second they could again, to make the game last as little as possible. I would like to see the referee deal with that in the proper way for once.”
The game was very similar to Leicester away.
Suprised we got it wrong again.
Also, its teriifying to see the amount of influence Aaron Ramsey has on this squad.
He is out of form and the team does not gel too.
God knows whats going to happen since he is injured now.
Someone needs to step up.
Are all the injuries really a surprise at this point?
This just shows that it is very important to rotate the squad as much as possible, especially when facing teams like Leicester City.
AW you’re frustrated………..how do you think us fans feel.
PS Give me £3m consultation fee for the answer
It’s not really that surprising that Ramsey has such an influence mainly because last season they had an entire season getting used to the fact that Ramsey was an rampage. Now not only does Ramsey have to adjust his play in a new formation, with 2/3 new forwards in front of him, the entire team has to get used to not having Ramsey as a clutch… Although he may be injured, and that is never a good thing considering our upcoming games, I believe that Wenger’s side will have to figure out some way to make this 4-1-4-1 work and… Read more »
Well it might be 2 points dropped for this game but if we – somehow ! – manage a draw at Stamford Bridge next week, it will definitely be 1 point gained.
But I won’t be holding my breath.
Ditch this 4-1-4-1 shit it doesn’t work. It isolates our DM and makes us lack fluidity going forward. I’m also sick of seeing Ramsey backheel the ball to nobody or opposition players
I’m hoping that once Theo gets back Arsene’s going to put him and Alexis on the wings and go back to a 4-2-3-1. Neither Flamini nor Arteta are capable of playing as a lone DM, and I think we’re asking for another beating away from home by forcing them to do so. I really don’t get why we’d go back to a 4-1-4-1 after watching everyone just click instantly in the 4-2-3-1 against Villa.
I agree. Ramsey is much more effective rampaging forward from a deeper role. He’s got that engine to play box-to-box.
I’m hoping rotating with Diaby who also is a great box-to-box player can provide a surprise element to our line up and Diaby shows his quality and fulfills his potential.
I really like the fact Wenger is angry and showomg his discontent about drawing against the scum + other games this season – finally shows he’s hungry for more titles.
COYG!!!
This season there have been games we could’ve won and we’d be better for the points gained but we contrived to draw. If the team and the manager could somehow rally and beat Chelsea, I’d be a tard bit satisfied. Chelsea are not really playing great, they just happen to be making better choices in the final third. Nothing spectacular about their overall play
Don’t underestimate what an unbeaten run can give a side. It may mean dropped points, but as long as we can keep it going it has inherent motivational attributes that can’t be found elsewhere.
Right now not losing might better serve us more than a sequence of winning and losing.
38 draws would probably get you relegated. I know we can’t and won’t draw 38 games but just making the point that being unbeaten is one thing, dropping 2 points all the time is quite another.
And he’s making the point that at least we’re not getting 0 points. Had a couple of these draws been losses, it would’ve taking a harder toll on the squad. If we’re going to start off a season slow, it’s better to draw then lose. Everyone of course agrees that winning is the best but you can’t and won’t win 38 games either.
*taken
*than
I know I know…
The main reason we are drawing games and conceding goals, is because defensively we are not alert enough to hard pressing from the opposition Midfield. Arsenal F.C. once had one of the best back four in the Premier League, an unpenatratable wall supported by a rock of a Defensive Midfielder, look at it now.
Just came back from church my spirits still down can’t believe we drew with totenham…
me too. still a bit down after that. we did drop points at home to a small team.
I am also having trouble swallowing this draw. I don’t even like being unbeated if it means we keep drawing. I rather LWLW than DDDD. That’s 2 points more. They just watched us and we couldn’t teach them a lesson.
Thank fuck Spurs are shit. If we would have had the same counter attacks the spuds did, we would have had 4 goals.
Yet remind me who a very good clinical counter attacking team are… Oh yeah, Chelsea. Sort it the fuck out wenger.
And how disgraceful were our attacking corners? Let’s sta they’re on par with out defending corners. Again, sort it the fuck out.
Pardon the language, I rarely cuss but I’m still so gutted such a piss poor team ended level with us at home
I just can’t work out why we moved away from a midfield of fast, athletic and powerful players.
We need to sell some of our playmakers and add some steal.
I’m dreading the Chelsea game.
Why Arsene thought he could win the league and compete with Europe’s elite with this lot is a mystery to me?
I agree that we need some steel, especially in the defensive middle position. Flamini allways gets trampled in to the ground, or like in the Swansea game last season, Bony ran through him all game like he was nothing but air. Any big attacker does the same, And even Eriksen, one of the smaller Spurs player’s pushed Flamini off the ball winning a goal in the process. Flamini also often struggle with the pace of the premier league making him come to late into tackles and pick up yellow cards. There was probably a good reason for why Roma let… Read more »
ROMA???
looking ahead the mid-week game is crucial, to get some form going in the Champions league and for our confidence. Lose and we’re in deep trouble early in the season. I fear for the squads confidence if we lose, and there will probably be a backlash from fans as well.
I think the Chelsea game would be a tough one, but we could get something if we play well. That means its important to go there on the back of win.
Maybe play the boys in their natural positions next time? Just saying…
Nah, better to experiment with positions like in youth leagues. I think Wellbeck would be a spiffy keeper. Let’s try him there next. Try Cazola as our CB too. And everybody gets a ribbon and a little trophy at the end of the season…..
Agree with some of the reactions here! Hard to believe how Spurs ended up with a point. Flamini is poor with his control, Arteta is average at best (overall) & we donot have anyone else to play a DM. Now couple this deficiency with the fact that we are playing 4-1-4-1, and it is not difficult to understand why every team is scoring against us! Why Alexis didnot started the game is beyond my footballing knowledge, but to have a £30 m signing on bench surely doesnt makes much sense. Gutted!!!
Over last season we had 7 draws, and this season we already have 4. I know its better than losing but we have already dropped 8 points, and thats nearly like losing 3 games. I suppose we have had a fairly tough start compared to Chelski but we really do need to be picking up 3 points against teams like Spurs
I’m really scratching my head over the negativity that has come out of this result from what seems to be a large chunk of our fans. We all wanted to beat Sp*rs. Nothing worse than dropping points to them. But we absolutely dominated the game and it was just one of those days where you can’t get that goal you deserve. Everyone has them. Play that game 100 times over and we win it 90 times. Comfortably. There were loads of positives to take from the game and only two negatives – the scoreline, and the injuries. Really starting to… Read more »
Though the odds are not entirely in our favour against Chelsea, I feel it is imperative we get a win against them.
It is somewhat disgraceful that that cunt; JM has gotten the better of Wenger in every single game.
It is about time we stepped up. We are actually better than how we are playing. Another defeat to Chelsea would do a lotta psyholigocal damage to me…im wondering how worse an effect it would have on the players as well- if they arent already resigned to defeat.
There’s definitely a correlation between our draws and our injuries that disrupt the team. Whether it is a cause, I don’t know.
The invincibles drew 12 but I take it point and while I’m correcting people it was Milan not Roma who let flamini go 😛
Wenger has yet to beat moriniho 1st got come soon let’s hope it’s next weekend COYG
Wenger should have known we lack the killer instinct in front of the goal with or without Giroud. We are too tippy tappy for our own good. Whar are we trying to do.run rings around the box and never shoot?!?!?!? It would be crimes against humanity and common sense ….if wenger still believes that a reinforcer / badass ass kicking foul mouth destroyer/ arnold starring in predator typish player isnt required in front of and in the defense. I pray our sensitive fly weight team dont get humiliated in turkey or against those Chelski What happened against spurs was ample… Read more »
I’ll skip the chelsea game. Fabregas assist/scoring against us and fking act like not celebrating…i’m out really!
WHO?!?
Develop some fucking backbone!!!
Unless Arsenal are not involved in a match, it is always our eleven versus 11 cunts – neglecting the cunt with the whistle. Nobody is special.
Wenger’s frustrated!? FFS….get your fuckin tactics right then, you muppet. Ridiculous that Alexis, Ozil and Gibbs were practically playing the same position for 20mins!!
Trouble is many of us are used to the arsenal we fell in love with. Truth is this is by far diferent. The core of the team are at best slightly above average players. As for chelsea, one would pray wenger will go there,pack the midfield with five men and play not to lose. But trust wenger, the football purist- he’l go there and attempt to play tiki taka with per@the centre circle. Then the mourinho jibes will continue. That’s the current fate of a gunner. Life goes on.
I think Diaby should be used as the DM in the Chelsea match. If Jack, Arteta and Ramsey are out then we have nothing left to lose. He controlled the midfield against Liverpool wen we won there 2 seasons ago. It’s a long shot but it might work. I would even play Coqulin in the there with him and use Sanchez, Ox and Welbeck to hit them on the break. Matic would steamroll Flamini without breaking a sweat.
Take a breath guys. We outplayed them thoroughly, and even with the early breaks they never looked like scoring until we gifted them one. Second half tactics especially were spot on. We should have won. We won’t win all the games we should. Simple as that. And all the calls for Alexis to have been included at the first: he gives the ball away too often and I think Wenger’s frustrated by it. We are more balanced with Ox and Ozil/Cazorla on the flanks for the kind of possession game Wenger has always loved. I hope he improves in that… Read more »
Mourinho will crush Wenger again. Hate the man but he’s 100x the manager than the clown in our dugout
stop with the negativity. So chelsea win this particular upcoming match… so what? Arsenal are doomed? Chelsea have run away the title? Liverpool seem to have chelsea’s number (at least better than arsenal), did that win them any particular awards or medals? Most clubs will opt for wenger over mourinho if they were both available. That gives a lie to your myopic assertion that mourinho is 100x the manager wenger is. If mourinho was so better and infallible, how come he allowed lampard to leave? The same lampard who is now scoring goals for fun at city. How come he… Read more »
Liverpool with Chelsea’s number, in that they lost both games to them last season?
Disappointed eh ?
I’ll tell you what’s disappointing Wenger. The dull, bland, dreary beige shit your teams churn out week after week, and your lame drivel afterwards.
Ramsey plays with a lot of energy so this is hardly a surprise. He has gone many games injury free and let’s remember that Wales were not involved in the world cup (sorry to the welsh in da house)
Arsene has to take part of the blame for the dropped points.
1. Why play Sanchez for 90mins against Soton and then keep him out of the derby – bad decision if you ask me.
2. Why take Ozil to the left again after his showing against Villa? Bad move if you ask me.
He should also forget about Wilshere and Ramsey on the pitch.
Arsene’s stubborness is hurting the team in my view.