Having conceded silly goals throughout this season, in part due to the fact we haven’t been able to field a consistent back four (which is in part due to injury but also the fact that we’re allergic to doing the goddam obvious), Arsene Wenger has called on his team to up the defensive effort to put things right.
With an unfamiliar back four struggling to find any cohesion, the manager wants everybody to pitch in and help out defensively.
““We dominate our games,” he said, having forgotten completely about not dominating Anderlecht in midweek.
“It’s just that when we have a weaker moment, we pay for it. That’s why I think we have to produce more effort defensively as a team. What I look for at the moment is how we can be more efficient.
“That’s my only worry. If we can be more efficient, in 10 games’ time we will be in a much better position.”
So, the plan, broken down into simple terms, is concede fewer goals and score more. If he pulls this one off, then we will certainly be in a better position.
What’s curious is that it’s quite easy to recall good defensive contributions from our attackers with the likes of Danny Welbeck, Alexis and even Joel Campbell, who hasn’t played very often, doing their bit.
Anyway, maybe this will go some way to getting everybody switched on ahead of today’s game against Sunderland.
Like the mother of a bed-wetting toddler, we’re just hoping for a clean sheet so we can make progress from there.
ramsey quitting his hollywood flicks and supporting arteta will go a long way to protectong the back 4
Getting a little frustrated with our lack of defensive cohesion are we? 😉
Like how the articles reflect the general mood of the fanbase! Come on you Gunners! (And by “come on” I mean “please defend and at least score once from a period of 30-minute domination”).
So tired of Arsene. I love him for everything he has created and achieved with us but I can no longer defend him. He is ruining his legacy with this blind stubbornness.
What would you have him do? Right now I mean. Outside of the transfer window? Yeah we fucked it by not getting another centre back, but let’s just get on with it and work it out in Jan. The guys got to be positive.
“WE”???? It’s all down to Wenger! Year after year he does the SAME thing, there is no WE, Wenger has complete control over everything in the club from ordering the milk to supposedly managing the team and herein lies the problem. Yes, it can’t be fixed now, but he is the root of the issue and has been for a long time now. A CB is not the only position he missed out on, let’s not kid ourselves. If he acted when he should have then there would not be these consistent failures every season. This is not a new… Read more »
So it was Wenger all along! He gave KSE 3mil. I knew it! Wenger Out!
“What’s curious is that it’s quite easy to recall good defensive contributions from our attackers with the likes of Danny Welbeck, Alexis and even Joel Campbell, who hasn’t played very often, doing their bit.”
What’s interesting is that Welbeck and Alexis recently joined the Club while Joel Campbell was out on loan before this season…make of that what you will.
I wouldn’t mind playing Alexis on the left flank so that Campbell can support Bellerin on the right side. I am looking forward to a win this afternoon!
COYG
A lot of negativity in this article and the fans reactions.
We are where we are. Nothing will materially change between now and Jan so let’s just get behind the team. Please?
I just find it strange, because first half last season we grinded out result after result by thinking ‘defend first, score after’. That seemed to work like a charm, untill we changed our system, Ramsey got injured, and everything went to hell. Why not switch back? Atleast then we defended as a team.
Do we dominate? Against stronger teams I don’t believe we do. We haven’t consistently done that since Fabregas left., especially away from home.
This is all Ozil’s fault.
i wonder if ozil reads this, does he understand it’s sarcasm…
Expecting 100% effort from the boys today. Make the boss proud on his birthweek.
Coyg!!!
I would setup a double pivot of Ramsey and Arteta ahead of our back 4 and then let Sanchez, Cazrola and Ox/Walcott and Welbeck to do their Magic.
Most of our good results at the back end of 2013 season was down to this double pivot. Right now, if we take wins by an odd goal then that’s more the sufficient until Kos backs and yeah ditch that 4141 formation. It’s not the time to test out a new formation anyway but with missing key players it’s even harder to make it work.
have to second ak57,am a fan of our double pivot as well,be it arteta/ramsey,arteta/wilshire, and the top 4 to create havoc! am also excited to see chambers in cb (if he makes the cut), the guy is class!
People giving Wenger a lot of stick. Should he have gotten a DM and a CB? Of course I believe he should have. Are his tactics ungainly? Has he lost the plot? On that I do not think so. I love Arsenal and I love the players who represent the team but I have to say, watching the games recently I would point fingers at the players. They seem to just stroll around the pitch kicking the ball leisurely expecting the opposition to get bored until we are in trouble and its the last 8 or 10 minutes of the… Read more »
Arsenal are suffering from so much more than just not buying another centre back in the summer and its getting really boring reading about it. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should have bought one and a new defensive midfielder, but our current situation is far more comlicated than just that. We’ve been decimated by injuries again (to key players) and are missing our injured players massively. Whatever you think of him, Giroud is a huge miss as he contibutes a lot defensively as well as going forward. We’ve missed walcotts pace and unpredictability for a long time. Losing… Read more »
Would it not makemkre sense playing Gibbs left side cb instead of Monreal.Better in the air better tackler and quicker.Monreal is good in the last third and probably has a better final ball than Gibbs.
I am not saying he is better than Gibbbs because he is not on the same planet defending but we need pace and balance at that back
I also call for collective offense effort. A team of our caliber, with alot of possesion, really need full-backs that can push up and create space for our wingers and midfield. In the anderlecht game it was obvious that we couldnt beat the home sides mediocre defense. Welbeck, santi and alexis went through thé middle time after time and had to face a gathered defense that didnt have to worry about forward runs from our full-backs on the flank. If we’re supposed to have reversed- wingers offensive full-backs are thé Only option in ny opinion
we can buy the best CB and DMF,but with the same tactics, it will still be a shit show.
in the mean time lets get Welbeck or Sanchez a hat trick today
Wenger has quite simply wasted a whole league campaign by not signing a centre back in the summer. A whole year of our football supporting lives thrown away….total mismanagement. Out of the league title race by early October is a complete scandal. Wenger’s conceit and arrogance is alarmingly obvious. I just wish we could get a new manager who can see what everyone else can.
Let’s just try and scramble fourth…..but maybe this is the season Wenger will be found out for the ‘yesterday man’ he really is.
You can’t build a team if you field different players every week because of an average of 1 injury per match…
It’s called ‘having a strong squad’
Arsenal, arsene I love you and will always love you. Its not wengers fault that guys aren’t convert
Maybe if he actually created game plans the players would know what to do.
“Like the mother of a bed-wetting toddler, we’re just hoping for a clean sheet…..” ha ha ha, brilliant!