After Arsenal’s defence came in for harsh criticism last night after letting Anderlecht claw back a draw from an unlikely position, Per Mertesacker has called on the whole team to be more defensively aware.
The BFG was caught out for the header that brought the equaliser, but it’s also fair to say we could have done more to stop the move in the first place.
And in a less than veiled dig at some of his teammates, he says that if a back four as makeshift as ours is right now is allowed to be exposed, then we’ll get punished.
Speaking afterwards, Mertesacker said, “When we drop sometimes everyone has to be involved to defend. You can’t afford for just five or six players to defend, or just the back four.
“That is what we lacked especially in the final third and in the last 20 minutes. We have to defend better as a team. We did not stop them playing and they are good at it.
“As you could see, even in the final third, when you do not put them under pressure, they can deliver good balls through the middle. They can cause trouble and we just left them playing. So in general that was the problem.”
Nevertheless, Per was confident that last night’s result wouldn’t prevent Arsenal qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
“Last night is a small setback for us but it is a good warning and we will bounce back quickly. We are really good at that, we have shown that a couple of times.
“We still have a comfortable situation in terms of going through.”
The issue, of course, is that finishing second usually results in a much more difficult game in the knock-out stages but our sources tell us Arsene Wenger is going for the old-school ‘third time lucky’ as he aims to face Bayern Munich once more.
Loved it when their striker took him on off the ball at one stage…don’t take on the BFG
………..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz boring
My thoughts exactly. They’ll all come out with this shite, then maybe ( hopefully ) put a bit of a run together, then do the same thing again when it matters. But hey ho, the boss seems untouchable, the players pick up their wages and fuck off to other clubs when they’ve had enough ( i only care about the ones who actually try by the way ) and we, the fans, get laughed at and ridiculed in our respective jobs/social lives. I’ve stood by Wenger through thick and thin, but i really do think he needs to make this… Read more »
“and we, the fans, get laughed at and ridiculed in our respective jobs/social lives.” – bahahaha, jesus christ, sack up
Can’t argue with that.
When we have to protect a lead, everyone has to contribute defensively.
I think he is taking a dig at ramsey who went bombing forward on every occasion instead of sitting behind with flamini and protecting the lead we had.
Ramsey was bombing forward out of pressure to get on the scoresheet. He really needs to get back to basics.
He wasn’t the only one though. Rosicky done the same when he came on, Cazorla was up there too. It is the mindset of the team I think, when the game is open we keep throwing men forward. We haven’t learnt how to control games or to take the sting out of a game still.
The manager, Bould or even the senior players should have been instructing everyone to just hold the ball. Why did that not happen?
While I agree that the most important thing is qualifying and being first is a bonus, no team should give away a three-goal lead.
The positive from last night is that our attack looked really fluid and direct. Thankfully, this defensive “collapse” came in this game and not in the League.
Funny, that comment from Wenger about the team being fatigued, yet the thought of rotating when we’re playing two games pr week does not seem to cross his mind.
Also, last year we defended like we wanted to defend. Mertesacker may be trying to put the blame for that on the team, but somehow it just feels like Wengers responsibility too.
I’d be really interested to see videos of us defending similar plays and set pieces this season and last season to see what sort of a difference there is in how we approach them. No men on the posts for corners is a difference I’ve spotted, so they have definitely changed their approach in that respect, but I’m not observant enough to spot if they’re doing anything more nuanced!
Giroud got on the end of many opposition set-pieces last year. I’ve seen Welbeck get his head on one or two of them but not more. Monreal is too short and Mertesacker is too slow to play with Chambers on the right side, considering that he’s a young lad who tends to make defensive errors and leave a lot of space behind him. Just a few things I’ve noticed so far. Our general approach is not that different. The results however, are.
Please stop blaming manager for using same players for yesterday squad. Are we expecting that all 11 players should play only 70 minutes per week ? They are professionals. They should be capable of playing full 90 minutes twice per week. The problem with yesterday defect was we were overconfident and team somehow wanted to win by large margin. They were not happy with 1st goal conceded. So they tried to extend the lead. But am sure it does not happen in league games where Arsenal used to shut the shop once we take 2 goals lead (Example – Aston… Read more »
Please stop using logic in here. It doesnt work that way.
Terry scores own goal…chelsea loses title…you see anyone blaming mourinho ?
Gerrard slips and ba scores, liverpool lose title … you see anyone blaming rodgers?
On the contrary, mou is hailed cause he ‘got close’ ..even with his little pony, and rodgers also hailed.
Here at Arsenal it does not matter who makes the mistake on the pitch. We know who to blame. Like a broken record.
Can you remind me again when last we nearly won the title?
I would say last season we were close. A couple less injuries and it we would have been up there. Liverpool were even able to have a go right to the end. Before last I think you have to go back to the Eduardo season
I had a wierd thought this afternoon, had monreal been sent off, i think we might have won. If wenger was forced to make a defensive sub, then the players would have played defensively and protected the lead rather than chase the 4th goal and get hit on the counter. Basically im saying had the ref been more harsh we might have got the right result… Just a thought
Have a look at the bench from last night and suggest what defensive substitutions he could have made… He doesn’t have and defenders left.. I have no problem with the subs he brought on, he just needed to take Ramsey off and tell whoever was left on to stay in their own half and defend.
I don’t know about that. I think we’d have won if we’d just made better and earlier subs. Podolski for Welbeck was ludicrous. I agree with taking Welbeck off, but it should have been done at 70 minues not 82, and when Rosicky came on, it should have been for Ramsey, not Ox. And again, it should have been at 70 minutes, not 82. Enough of all this. It was a cluster-fuck, everyone’s pissed off, our (the supporters) confidence is shattered again, and what’s done is done. Hopefully we’ve got all the hand-wringing out of us now and hopefully we’ll… Read more »
I see Wenger as fully responsible for the subs. Poldoski was the wrong choice, Walcott or Sanogo would have been better choices. In retrospect Bellerin, and playing 5 across the back would have made sense.
Can’t agree. Welbeck was knackered and Podolski did try to close the opposition down, he just doesn’t have the energy or physicality Welbeck possesses. Ramsey, Cazorla, Rosicky etc shouldn’t have been charging forward for another goal. The red card could have actually helped us funnily enough!
Should have been Rosicky for Ramsey and Bellerin for Welbeck. Ramsey and Welbeck were both exhausted, and Ramsey was in full headless chicken mode. Bellerin at right back, Chambers in the middle for three at the back. Would have taken the pressure of Monreal. If we got a break, Chambers could move ahead of Flamini.
Chuck it away.
Make statements about how it shouldn’t happen again.
Repeat.
In terms of results, we’re not in disaster territory but that is the only hanging leaf on the dying tree for Wenger. We have to forget about lessons learnt, about moving on, about starting afresh. We have to forget about the new centre backs and defensive midfielders that Arsene is going to buy in 2 months. None of that will hide the pattern that has took 10 years for us to see…Arsene’s squad building principles are outdated, they’re good enough for a certain level of success but ultimately not quite enough to win it all and I think that’s evident… Read more »
Hard to disagree with you here. I think if he came to Arsenal in ’08 and with the same players we had throughout the years did the things he did since then, he would’ve been out of the club a lot sooner.
Hate all the fallout after a bad result… Roll on Sunday!!
This isn’t kneejerk or anything, but Santi and Flamini shouldn’t be in this team. Rambo can be excused for trying to play his way back into form having been out for a while but what excuse does Santi have. He’s been quite poor for a very long time. Take away the goals at Wembley in the cup run and you can see his head hasn’t been here for a while. Flamini just doesn’t cut the mustard. Chambers is learning while Monreal is NOT a central defender. The BFG is only really at his best when paired with Kos. What does… Read more »
Flamini is awful, and it is not a coincidence that the defensive shape collapsed when he came on. There is also not a coindence that he was a free. OK as a squad player, but with Arteta aging and more brittle, there always seems to be a mistake waiting to happen especially if it is a half decent team.
At least Santi is playing the position he’s supposed to play. I can’t say the same for Rambo right now.
well we signed santi to play the # 10 role, and he was a mini Spanish magician in his first season. then we pushed santi out wide where he is not that effective and his performances dropped. then we signed ozil to play the # 10 role, and he was a normal size german magician in his first season. then we pushed him out wide where he is not that effective…..
Still cannot digest the defeat yesterday. Mertasacker should work on his game first. He is one of worst defender In the league. I have never been impressed by his defending be it whether Arsebal win or lose. He cannot read the game intelligently.
U are upset 🙂
Friend, most of us are seething because it was a bad result but don’t go overboard. And BFG is a good defender with decent positional sense. His weakness is speed (or the lack of it) and reaction time. We’ll bounce back. Bring on the Swans…
I think the real question is when did Wenger have so little faith in the likes of rosicky podolski. Rosicky is dying for a run in the squad and has been a catalyst for streaks of good form for the squad for the past 3 seasons. Give the guy some game time
Rosicky has been pretty dire when he’s played this season, and Poldi runs so massively hot and cold. He was massive against Burnley, but was a limp wet rag against Anderlecht. Also one has to keep in mind that his performance last weekend was against a team that hasn’t won a game in the PL yet, and in the CL Poldi was NOT the sub we needed to make at moment in the game given his allergic reaction to putting in a defensive shift.
It is a strange one really. Rosicky was charging forward as much as Ramsey as he is desperate for more playing time. I just don’t get why he hasn’t started more. He can even do a job in CM alongside Flamini/Arteta.
The fact is BFG is an average defender. A serious club competiting for titles should have better defenders at the back!
Says it all that Germany dropped him after they reached the knockout stages of the WC. He’s physical attributes make him an unreliable defender. He can be awesome and all, he can be smart and charismatic but that won’t make him faster or more agile, that won’t make his jumps and headers more dangerous and that won’t make him stronger.
So why didn’t Wenger direct the midfield to protect the back four? Why was he sat on his fuckin arse while the Anderlecht manager changed tactics from the touchline?
Wenger out.
Think it was the “Let’s score another 3 or 4 goals and make up the goal difference deficit with Dortmund” syndrome. Identical to Liverpool at Crystal Palace last season (when Suarez cried his eyes out when Palace equalised 3-3). Lpool had a goal difference deficit of 7 goals to Man City at the time. Basically if we’d won yesterday’s game 6-0, then we’d only have to beat Dortmund by 2-0 at the Emirates (reversing the result in Germany) to Top the Group on overall goal difference. But if the score had stayed 3-0 yesterday, we’d have to beat Dortmund by… Read more »
I wouldn’t mind facing Uefalona again for a change, you know, just to shake things up a bit.
We will face Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich all at once. That’s just what we do.
The game went to plan with the team first half then 2nd half 1st anderlecht goal offside, i blame certain officials 3pts and arsenal fc would av qualified
While the first goal probably shouldn’t have counted, you can’t really excuse any team let alone a team like ours with the talent we have to drop a 3 goal lead within what, 30 minutes? That was a capitulation, no two ways about it.
Getting a bit sick of the same old rubbish that they say after a defensive collapse. It was an Anderlecht youth team at home that we drew against…not a top premier league team like before. Wenger needs to let Steve Bould take over defensive coaching as Wenger seems to forget that this needs to be done! You can blame the back four for being makeshift but you can still coach certain situations you face.
Just not good enough anymore. Fed up of arsenal being a couple of players away from being a good team
This! Well said. Tired of the same old platitudes and capitulations.
“We still have a comfortable situation in terms of going through.”
This is just about the most dangerous thing we could tell ourselves. We were in a pretty comfortable situation after 58 minutes last night too.
For the Alexis Sanchez free kick Mertesacker holds his crotch for an unnecessarily long time after the shot has been taken. It’s no wonder we concede so many goals.
While I agree that we need to defend as a team, his comments are more than a little one eyed. After all, if he and Monreal didn’t make their INDIVIDUAL mistakes, we would have won. He’s been rubbish from corners too…
I dont understand whats all the fuss about. What happened last night is totally Arsenal like isn’t it? Many games in recent years panned out in similar manner like last night. What Mertesacker says today is just repeating what had been said by other previous players before.
This will continue to happen unless we could settle back our back four like last year. Can’t wait for Swansea.
Time for the boys to vent their frustration and anger on Swansea… Our attack is taking shape so we are guaranteed goals there but the defense is a bit of a worry. Please pick players that can track back and do a job at the back. We can get a good win and this gloom will lift.
This is going to rub some people the wrong way. *Santi shouldn’t be in the first team. Apart from the goals at Wembley in the cup run and a couple of above average performances, he hasn’t looked interested for a while. He is either on the wane or just doesn’t care. *The BFG is one of the most likeable persons in football. Having said that, he isn’t one of the best defenders in it. His qualities are highlighted in tandem with what Kos brings to the table. Says a lot that he just isn’t that good without Kos. *Flamini doesn’t… Read more »
Last question…Realistic expectation
2nd in the league (we can finish above City. They are nothing special at the moment).
If we are lucky in the CL ( draw Bayer or Porto), quarters; any other, 2nd round.
FA cup run. If we make semis, anything can happen.
Finally; The manager makes 2 signings in January.
Realistic. Aren’t they?
Looks like we are gonna get WilFried Nachos at Swansea this weekend. Bring yer own napkins.
Not only did they teach us a lesson by equalising but also in the injury time, they thought us how to stop attacks! Don’t understand why we never learn the basics!
It’s irritating to hear the same from the manager and the players.
I found yesterday’s collapse so dire that I had, for the first time ever, a dream that I was called up to the first team. I told Cazorla, “But I don’t know what I’m doing,” but he said to work hard, and when it was time to play Real Madrid, we were playing uphill on a 30° grade.
Like he did after the last abject capitulation?
The funny thing about the players’ reaction to the latest embarrassment is not different from the last 20 embracing situations they’ve put this team through. The come out the next day and say all the usual lip service nonsense. And they prompt go back to not doing their jobs with any type of effort and intelligence. They must think the fans are so stupid. I don’t care what you say in press conferences and interviews. SHOW ME WITH YOUR EFFORT ON THE PITCH
Excuse my typos in my post. It’s a combination of disgust and auto-correct
So a bit of perspective : We want to have experience in the ranks and a solid DM because this is our paramount issue or so the story goes. City must be derelict of both a tall imposing physical DM and lack experience in the squad because last I checked, we are only 3 points off them in the league and they are sitting at the bottom of their CL group. Dortmund may be ahead of us in our CL group but their home league is in the toilet lying close to bottom. Bundesliga is strong league but it is… Read more »
A few points:
The forward line got enough chances to win the game for us but they didnt coz lack if clinicality up front
The first goal is clear offside & shld have been given. The first goal was the impetus for theur comeback. Their turnaround started from that. So we cant totally ignore the wrongly awarded goal totally
A few players are not returning the trust given to them by the management…the likes of Santi & Aaron, Flamini & Per.
Words better said on the pitch Per.
Just saying.