Arsene Wenger says Danny Welbeck played football ‘the way you want him to play’ after watching the striker score the winner against former club Manchester United.
The England international’s 61st minute strike was enough to secure the Gunners safe passage to the FA semi-final at Wembley next month, but it was his workrate both in attack and defence that most impressed his boss.
“We all want to do well when we play against our former club to show that we are a great player but it’s not easy to deal with the mental situation,” Wenger told his post-game press conference.
“He focused just on his game and didn’t do anything special, he just played football like you want him to play. He has shown mental strength because that’s not always easy to deal with.
“I don’t know [if he was extra motivated],” continued the boss.
“You’ll have to ask him that. I just think he wants to win and he’s a team player. What I like with Danny is that he’s intelligent, he wants to do well for the team, he’s a great talent and recently he has done extremely well for the national team as well.
“He has shown today when you can produce such a complete performance offensively and defensively, he has a great future.”
Despite Welbeck celebrating his goal with gusto, Per Mertesacker revealed that the ex-United man cut a muted figure at full-time; the 24-year-old seemingly overcome with emotion at what he’d just done.
Having regained his composure, Welbeck faced the cameras to stress that his performance was driven by a desire to be as professional as possible.
“It’s good for the team that we’re through to the next round, in the semi-finals at Wembley,” he told Arsenal.com.
“To get the goal was good for me but it was all about the team performance tonight. It was a great reception. It was hard for me but I tried to be respectful.
“It was about being professional, keeping my focus and motivation. I kept plugging away and then got on the end of Antonio Valencia’s backpass, beat David de Gea and got the winning goal. I’m just really pleased we’re through to the next round.
“I stayed professional and I was just doing my job. To be able to get back on the scoresheet and get through to the next round is the most important thing.”
Cazorla and Ozil … behind Welbeck … like two mischievous schoolboys after making someone look foolish.
Ozil is an unbelievable footballer. Many of what he does go under the radar. It takes watching the game to actually see how our game flows better when he is on the field. He is at the centre of every good attacking move yet he is able to take attention away from himself. He even makes some pundits appear foolish.
you can tell how good he is by how many players always try to close him down. They know he can unlock a defence very quickly with one little fake or a quick through-ball. Very fun times indeed!
I’d love to see him up his scoring game- he’s pounding the pitch and getting in the right areas but he looks a little short of confidence in front of goal. If he starts nabbing a goal or two I think even the dimwits in the UK press will have to accept what he brings to the side.
NO! Then Real Mad will start to sniff around for him .. oh wait.
Ozil has played 13 league games this season, has come back from a ‘World Cup Hangover’ and has had to come back from injury after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. In those 13 league games, he has notched up 3 goals and 5 assists, giving him an average of a goal or an assist every 1.6 games. That is better than Santi (7 goals, 5 for an average of 2.25), Ramsey, Rosicky and Wilshere’s stats this season. The only players this year who have gotten a lower average number of games to score a goal or give an assist… Read more »
Waking up in the morning with a spring in your step… God, I wish every morning could be like this!
If he had been centre forward all season he would have scored a lot more. Some good years in front of him.
Ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole ole COYG
Will enjoy that win for a long time to come.
On a funny side note: All my friends who are fans of Man United have been missing since the final whistle. Oh to be a Gooner…….
I was watching the game in a bar with loads of Man U fans in Barbados and I was so animated at the final whistle that could have ended up with a good fight if I wasnt a woman! ha ha
COYG!
Actually a lot of them went missing since 2014 itself. Bunch of glory-hunters!!
I just found a bunch of them, they are here with me in Surrey.
“We all want to do well when we play against our former club” – Stick yourself up front against Monaco next week Arsene 🙂
Excellent comment. That’s all.
haha yes! those two striking up a proper partnership on the pitch has been huge for us. not so long ago we wondered how they could possibly play together and they’ve both modified their games for the team. With those two elusive talents in the background teammates like DW23 are loving it.
“The Gunners send their regards,” said Lord Welbeck as he scored.
Don’t you mean Don Welbeck?
Well, there are no Dons on Game of Thrones.
My bad…thought you were referencing Godfather
seems an appropriate time for me to comment
I got into shit at work because not only did I get a few of my more rowdy gooners to watch the game at the place where I work (if the bitches are gonna shift me I’m bringing the party there) but I did the Arséne Wenger goal celebration of “walk in a little circle and clench your fists” when I saw we had gone 2-1 up. My manager saw me and shat on me for being “unprofessional” – which it is, but fuckit- and I just laughed and laughed because he’s a cunt that likes rugby.
one thing you can always count on…arsene buying only the classiest of the classy. and when it’s unearthed that said player isn’t classy, he quickly disposes of them.
Valencia wooaaoo, Valencia wooaoo, he passed Danny the ball… And Welbeck scored the goal.. Valencia wooaoo
Today is truly a great day to be a gunner
Fantastic night yesterday, wasn’t it? I knew that we could win – united are a mess right now – but anticipated yet another now-show at Old Trafford; fortunately this time we showed up and did the business. We were well worth the win on the night. I was particularly pleased for Danny Welbeck, who had a point to prove to both United and Arsenal. The two teams I most love us beating are Chelsea and Man United, so to see off the Red Devils at Old Trafford was especially sweet. And to top-off a brilliant night we get a dream… Read more »
Good starting paragraphs.
Tailed off about the top 4 – I reckon we have a great chance with 6 home games out of 10.
And got worse with the personal stuff, though understand you are just trying to give some back. Might be worth asking why you got any in the first place. And noting that he was wise before the event…
Another person who obviously can’t read. I’ve just said that I think we will qualify for the CL – it’s between the parenthesis.
And I only gave the opinion that we would lose because DanielSchulof ask me for it. It was an honest guess based on past performances. Today I am fucking over the moon that I was wrong.
Ok?
It was the ‘it wouldn’t bother me..’ part that was the problem. You are right in saying you thought we will, which is realistic. But we won’t attract new Sanchez’s or Ozil’s etc without CL, so it does bother most Arsenal fans.
As I said, it was the personal stuff that was the problem, don’t drag yourself down, keep your head high. An honest guess but founded on good reasons is fine. Remembering that most Arsenal fans are hoping for a win.
While it’s not good to be wise before the event, it’s even worse to be a fool before the event. You predicted gloom in your last post. Surely, if you are supporting a team since 70s, you would be more optimistic than that.
No. Because my optimism is not blind. Years of watching Wenger sides bottle it at Old Trafford had made me wary. Support and optimism are not the same thing.
Dude, you are just a boner killer. I work with someone like you who claims to support Arsenal, and I can’t bear talking to him before a game…
Indeed, there are ways of saying things that antagonise people a little less but the principle is the same.
You’re right, I went over the line with my posts yesterday. I apologize. I’m sorry. I was fired-up about the win and drunk, not that those are any excuses. I’m really embarrassed. Sorry. I don’t care how old you are and I think you are fully deserving of some (good-hearted) grief for being so critical, so often, after the team’s down-moments, while refusing to acknowledge their good ones. And I don’t understand what you’re trying to say about “being wise after the event” — this whole exercise was about putting opinions out in public before the event. But you don’t… Read more »
That’s very big of you, DanielSchulof. Apology accepted.
Just remember: we are all Gooners, and we all want the best for our club. Some of us just disagree on how to achieve it. But we are all entitled to an opinion.
Is that the sound of kissing (and making up) that I can hear? OK, perhaps not that far but glad to see you can both be big men.
I welcome different viewpoints, it would be boring if not. However:
I would ask for personal respect, some facts when you give an opinion so we can see where you are coming from, acting like a fan (eg surely happy when we beat Man U???). some balance (eg frustrating past few years but good squad now, lots more money to spend, plus jury out on AW reaching the heights again, or whatever).
^^^ @ Gooneron …..you have Man Utd mates?? Shame on you!
Fat gooner how could you not want us to get at LEAST third in the league and thus avoid the prelim game, continue to attract top quality players and soon topple the chav trophy buying scumbags?!?!
I do (read my post). But we won’t win the Champions’ League with Wenger in charge.
Bore off.
Gotta say most gooners I know are a pessimistic lot, like you put it “after years of watching Wenger sides bottle…” But theres something about your pessimism that pisses me off, ” I wouldn’t bother me too much if we didn’t finish in the top four (although I think we will) because we are not good enough to win the Champions’ League.” What a load of shit is that!? Who you’d reckon will lead Arsenal to UCL glory then? Mou? Pep? Well the chance of top class managers coming in for Arsene is never higher, not due to Wenger not… Read more »
Really think the finish isn’t being given as much attention as it deserves DeGea was coming storming at him and he gave it the perfect knick to get it around him but still be able to stroke it home before (I think) Jones could cover the line. Great goal even better result well in lads!!
Welbeck has potential to be a more complete striker than Giroud. He has the pace, technique and frame for it but needs composure. At 23yrs, he has plenty of room for development. That goal showed his predatorial instincts are sharp. At the moment, he is a better option with more open play where Giroud is the better weapon to add an assertive physicality against more packed opposition. Wenger played mind games with Van Gaalible and won. Who would think? He mentioned pre match that we should not just sit deep and defend. Van Gaalible went attack mode and instead Wenger… Read more »
Ha ha welbeck needs to work on his finishing my arse he went around one of the best goalkeepers in the world ffs. Not every strikers can keep their cool in situations like that. We saw Tores in such situations several times