Arseblog News can’t remember a single instance in his entire 19-year tenure where Arsene Wenger has publicly criticised one of his players.
In post-match interviews, pre-game press conferences, chats with the print press, appearances on TV both at home and abroad he consistently goes out of his way to relieve the pressure on squad members who may have made a mistake on or off the field. It’s just his way of doing things and he’s not going to change.
So today we were hardly surprised that the boss fully backed David Ospina, labelling the Colombian ‘world-class’ just days after his own goal clanger against Olympiakos.
“Looking at Ospina and Petr Cech, I think I have two world-class goalkeepers,” he told broadcast media ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United.
“It is the easiest choice I have to make because I can pick either of the two and I am very comfortable. It is the most difficult as well, because the two of them are world-class players and always you have to leave one out.
He continued: “No matter who plays you have a good goalkeeper in goal.”
Wenger had hinted prior to Tuesday’s Champions League game that Petr Cech had been struggling with a calf injury. After the game, visibly irritated by the criticism arrowed in his direction, he said, “I make the selections for the team and I am responsible for them. And I know many things that you don’t know. Or that you ignore.”
Clearly still annoyed by the narrative playing out in the newspapers and on the web, he reiterated why he felt the criticism of his selection was incorrect.
“Like I do not know anything you do in your job, you make decisions because you have more information than I have and it is exactly the same in my job. You come to the game, you judge the game and you assess if I am right or wrong.
“I never criticised that, I accept your judgement of how the team played and your assessment, but I don’t have to give you all the information I have to make my decisions.
“One pundit says something on television and all behind that they repeat exactly the same thing. It is quite boring because nobody came out with numbers of this game where the game was won and lost.
“It’s quite depressing to read that and to hear that, to all come just to the same conclusion and not watch well what has gone on on the pitch. We have lost the game because we didn’t defend well, yes the goalkeeper made a mistake but we could still have won the game [despite] that.”
We do like it when Arsene gets angry at hacks. He had earlier threatened to walk out of the press conference at the persistent questions about Jose Mourinho’s comments; like they matter in the build-up to a game against Manchester United.
Anyway, it’ll be intriguing to see who gets the nod this weekend in goal. For what it’s worth only one of our keepers has made the 59-man long-list for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
His name is David Ospina.
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So lets appreciate the fact that we have 2 world class keepers and acknowledge that they can make mistakes from time to time. Like west ham, like Olympiakos, Like Seaman did, like Lehmann did.
We don’t need to throw petrol on this media witch hunt.
I’m sorry but this is absurd…. Ospina is not in the same category as Seaman Lehmann and Cech. He’s a competent goalkeeper, but it’s massive hyperbole to call him World Class or include him in that category of names.
I wouldn’t disagree with you but what’s the approach to take to that as a supporter of the club? Destroy what little confidence and slate him on the internet or get behind him and recognise that he’s still our player and we might need him later this season?
Saying he’s not world class is not the same as slating him. I did no such thing. I said he was competent
I didn’t say you did. What you did was challenge someone else’s opinion on how good Ospina is – what was the point? If Double98 was absurd for giving his opinion on Ospina then so were you for doing exactly the same.
Spot on Gus.
Smart-Ass, you do know that the criteria for “world class” is entirely subjective and down to a matter of widely held opinion.
Surprised to see the reaction below – I wasn’t calling his decision to express his opinion absurd, I was strongly disagreeing with the content. Happy to hear other people’s views, even if I think they’re wrong. It creates discussion. I think the claim ‘Ospina is a world-class goalkeeper’ is an absurd one, based on a definition of ‘world-class’ as ‘top 3 in his position’. If your definition of ‘world-class’ is ‘Fairly competent’ or ‘Decent back-up’ then yes my comment does sound silly. But I think we all implicitly know what we mean by world-class, and we all know Ospina is… Read more »
I reiterated Wengers assertation that he is world class – Wenger does not use that expression willy nilly and i believe in his judgement on players.
Not so absurd
So if “double89” says the Ox is better than messi, as a fan what I should do is just nod my head right?
deji na gramma una fit talk abi.
You can not your head, shake your head, dance the cha cha cha, or yell into the internets Deji. The point is, it doesn’t really matter – is doing the hoki poki what it’s all about?
You can do what you like, you’re as entitled to your own opinion as anyone else. If you start calling fellow Gooners “absurd” just for giving an opinion you don’t agree with then you should be called out on it.
Ox is better than Messi in the OG area. Sorry, just for lol.
When did i get the “”?
No that is ridiculous – Ox is not as good as Messi that doesn’t mean he is shit.
It doesn’t mean that he is not potentially world class.
Say what you think but think about what you say
@Double98
Oh the irony….
1. Getting behind a player, doesn’t mean inflating his ego with lies of abilities he hasn’t got.
2. Do you really think Ospina is here, reading the comments, and being heartbroken at what he’s reading?
1. In your opinion he doesn’t have those abilities. Just because someone else believes that he does doesn’t mean they’re “lying”, they’re giving an opinion.
2. Course not, where did I say that?
Sanogo is World Class.
You cannot disagree, it is my opinion, right?
That is based on your prejudice and the media lens you have formed it through – David Ospina has been the top goalkeeper at two consecutive tournaments for his country – He was exceptional in france for several years before we bought him. he was also the best goalkeeper in the epl last season trouncing Hart, Courtois, De Gea in terms of Saves to Shots, Distribution and Dealing with crosses. His season stats dwarfed Seaman at his best. Its a very small sample but there you go I’m not saying he’s better than David Seaman but he is a world… Read more »
Double98 the short term memory on show around the internet is staggering. Just like a club can be branded “in crisis” after a single game, players too can be recast and viewed through whatever the media wants, with fans and pundits alike mindlessly taking the bait. The herd mentality on show is indeed depressing, as Wenger put it today.
the club is not in crisis after 1 defeat, but it is after many spineless defeats that’s come from the very same mistakes that’s not rectified season after season despite having “better” players. You are part of the Wenger groupthink that’s depressing
After so many spineless defeats it’s a wonder the Arse have never been relegated. Cause for celebration in my book.
We are debating this for our own entertainment – Ospina does not give a fuck what you or I say on news.arseblog.com. He can’t even speak English (I assume?)
And stop being a contrarian – you know full well Ospina is not one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Come on. Admit it. He’s not.
[Without wanting to upset the many avid upholders of freedom of expression here, I am forced to clarify that these are my own, subjective views and do not necessarily reflect that of the wider Arseblog community]
On what metric do you decide the level of a player? as a goalkeeper Ospina measures up against all of them on measureable performance stats.
Where he doesn’t measure up is subjective and immeasureable stats like Looking Like a goalkeeper, Height, Neck lenght etc
All footballers are aware of fans blogs and they will be aware of what their supporters think of them.
in Arsene’s head he is world class, in Arsene’s head there is no players in the world that can’t improve us, in Arsene’s head this team is good enough to beat all the top teams in Europe. Season after season his cult will come here and tell us this season is different and find the excuses to justify his beyond believe decisions.
So it is Ospina for Bayern so Wenger can prove to the world they are all wrong and he is right!!!!. This man is beyond help.
Arsene IS the problem.
In YOUR opinion. in my opinion Arsene does an extraordinary job and keeps us competitive against often insurmountable odds. Clubs with limitless cash + myopic vicious media is enough to deal without the added pressure of disgruntled, deluded and denigrating ‘supporters’.
@Double98
Let’s agree to disagree. You clearly aren’t going to budge, nor am i.
It’s a great deflection as this article and the responses are proving. The real issue Arsene is why you went to Croatia and changed your keeper left back right back and holding mid against a team that had not been beaten at home for a long time. It was very poor management. The result meant pressure was built so high that even you called it a must win game. Yet still you changed your keeper left back. The issue is are you good enough not Ospina.
Ospina for Ballon d’Or. He’s world class after all.
I read about that Ballon d’Or thing as well, which I found humorous. However, in the last two international tournaments he played in, Opsina was quite amazing. One of those was the World Cup, just prior to Arsenal acquiring him, the other the Copa America just following his first season at Arsenal. And in between was his season at Arsenal, in which his stats and clean sheets would suggest he was one of the best in the PL. And yet we as Arsenal fans, myself included to some degree, still doubt his ability. No doubt he made a terrible mistake… Read more »
Fucking let em have it Arsene
So I disagree with some of Wenger’s decisions and feel he’s responsible for our results (Tuesday’s inclusive) but sometimes when I listen to some of the cunts in the press ask him questions I’m reminded where my loyalties should lie. This one actually started off on a fairly reasonable note and I thought he was going somewhere meaningful with it….@ least not until he mentioned another cunt who can’t be taken seriously. Cunt: “Do you accept that when you look at your squad in the summer and you think ‘we only need to strengthen in one area’, which is the… Read more »
There’s nothing wrong with any of those questions. What he didn’t like was his decisions being questioned, he’s made it quite clear he’s accountable to no one, especially not the fan’s, as he’s held us in contempt for years!
I didn’t think so too, until Cunt Standard’s name surfaced. That’s just taking the piss, mate.
The way the media (and some of our fans if I’m honest) treat, speak to and speak about Arsene Wenger is truly disgusting. The tone of the questions in that press conference – sycophantic, patronising and passive aggressive in equal measure – tells you the mind set of these people. Arsene Wenger should not have to share a room with these guys, let alone answer their idiotic, inane and inconsequential questions.
I agree with you on the point that Wenger does not get the respect he deserves from the English media. When man utd and Liverpool struggle to get into the top 4 they portray it as an achievement but when Wenger makes the same argument for arsenal, he is mocked. Having said that I feel that there is a case of Wenger being more accountable to the supporters. We have been making the same mistakes for the past 5 years and some sort of responsibility needs to be taken,the reason needs to be ascertained as to whether it is due… Read more »
Really well put Boss, some folk on embarrassing blogs like Le grove and justarsenal really are mindless morons (yep that’s an opinion buts let’s not hide behind the word opinion, otherwise we all end up in the playground throwing opinion back and forth) you then have the other extreme untold arsenal who are almost cult like with a handful of sycophants who agree with everything the Koresh twins say. However, someone is accountable for the selection and set up of our beloved team.
It was particularly noteworthy that the questioning about Ospina came from Andy Burton, a man we all know is highly principled in the manner in which he conducts himself…
I understand your delight when Wenger rightful gets angry at the press, it’s delight to see him stare down gobshite reporters. His dismissal of questions around Ospina as “boring,”are petulant and defensive and remind of Mourinho at his worst howver. Arsenal supporters are entitled to know why he decided not to play our first choice keeper in what he himself called a “must win game”. Was it just arrogance as it currently looks like he believed that he could field whoever he wished as it was only Olympiakis. His refusal to explain is yet again a slap to the face… Read more »
RE Martial, when Man Utd first bought him Wenger said he was tracking him for years but didn’t buy because we have Chamberlain and Joel Campbell for that position. Then last week and today he said that he didn’t think Monaco would sell him. Which is the genuine reason? My knowledge of the transfer market is next to nothing but in my less than humble opinion, I think Wenger dropped the ball on this one. I don’t know if it’s pride or stubbornness, perhaps neither. As an Arsenal fan I don’t want to admit it but as a football fan… Read more »
As his agent beautifully put it
Some people follow players others sign them
“Which is the genuine reason?”
A bit of both. Stop looking for some kind of conspiracy theory in everything.
Not sure if you have me mixed up with someone else my good man but this is the first time I’ve posed a question on this. I’m not seeking or wishing for conspiracy, just thinking out loud. Maybe I’m just looking for a little more transparency. As fans I’d like to think we’re can be afforded that much, especially after the window has closed. When I say drop the ball I’m not saying he has made a mistake, but perhaps could have been more ruthless. As a team, it’s not like we don’t need more depth and this was the… Read more »
There is nothing transparent about the transfer window. It involves cretins by the name of agents and also has three parties that need to agree on a move. I would imagine it wouldn’t be easy to pull a transfer off without money and/or clout and maybe other factors too.
One more thing I would like to point out is, the transfer window is over. It’s best to look ahead rather than look back. You can’t change it.
I see you’re partial to a bit of Martial
He dropped the ball by not buying a 19 year old for up to £58 million?? That’s like me dropping the ball by not betting my all my money on a cat winning the grand national. Louis Van Gall(stone) getting lucky is not Arsene “dropping the ball” He might settle down and be shit. he might wreck a knee in a desperate assault on Alexis Sanchez this sunday and never play again…. then where is the ball dropped or safely in Wengers hands. Making absolute judgements on a player after a few games is bad. but criticising someone for not… Read more »
He was £36m not £58m, why does the price go up by £22m when we all know it’s not true?
We all know there are clauses that potentially put the price up to £58m and if those are reached he’ll be very good value
So you reckon its a bad idea to bet all your money on a cat winning the Grand National Double 98 ? Shit, I wish I’d spoken to you this morning before I put that stupid bet on. Its just that my cat is so fast. (and they gave me such good odds) Damn. Regretting it now.
Wenger has to have seen your cat and rejected it before its ridiculous enough to come true – so have faith man.
Your new show is doggy-doo, DM. Since when was Greenback German?!!!
Re martial, I read that Monaco were unwilling to sell him and Kurazawa, so I think Wenger was reluctant for both the reasons he stated, not just one of them. Saying that, yes he’s started impressively, but consistency is key. United have had Nani, Macheda, Young, Januzai, etc who we’re all hyped up and failed to deliver, so it’ll be interesting to see if Depay and Martial can do it. £36m is a ridiculous amount of money for any youngster, so I can see why Wenger didn’t go for him. What I wish he did was go out and buy… Read more »
I’m assuming he answered why yet again they were so bad defensively? Why there is zero appetite when they don’t have the ball. When watching this game back did ozil have a good game?
Guys a joke. Take the criticism and move on
I think its time. And I am saying this with a heavy heart. We are the modest of the clubs in this cruel world.
The greatest challenge to the english game nay football in general, is the collective short-term approach of pundits, analysts, media and fans. Players are not allowed time to get their form back. Managers are under untold pressure and teams are in crisis after 3 bad results. Unfortunately, this situation affects the fans and through them, to the players. You are bound to hear more groans than cheers on the stands these days. We need to get a grip on things and not allow ourselves to be tossed to and fro by the hapless media and pundits – some of which… Read more »
There’s nothing short term about making the same mistakes for several years, these are issues that have been around for almost a decade now.
I hear you, but part of the problem is that this is far from short term. Our failings are all to familiar and have been recurring for some years now, which makes them all the more frustrating.
Look, I love Arsene and all, but I don’t buy the “patronizing questions from one-eyed journos” angle. Those were all reasonable questions – apart from the Jose one, which put a silly twist on a decent point.
This to me was him approaching a place of no return.
I agree. Love the man but I struggle to see how he can get arsey about the questions regarding Ospina- if they weren’t allowed to ask about that what were they going to discuss, the weather?
I respectfully disagree. Every question was on the same “talked-to-death” point – cech had a knock and was rested, nuff said – with little variation and was devoid of any intent of gaining tactical insight but rather to goad Wenger into either a hostile reaction or criticism of his own player. In-fact, Wenger highlighted exactly what they should’ve done; highlight the MANY other ways we failed that night. Someone could’ve brought up the proclivity of his teams to collapse and – like Wenger suggested – bring up the number of recent Euro defeats prior to this one and what needs… Read more »
They weren’t ‘reasonable questions.’ Just purile scab-picking. Asking the same thing again and again and again, showing zero respect for Arsene Wenger’s response, and he was right, it is so boring! The underlying thing I find most disturbing though (not necessarily talking about anyone on here in particular, more a generwl observation) is the way some of our fans take the attitude of detachment from the club, and feel like they’re ‘owed’ something, and Arsene Wenger is the one that gets it in the neck. Everyone is an expert, everyone thinks they have the answer, and if the club aren’t… Read more »
Spot on.
I detest this labeling of a certain group of fans as being entitled. These are ad hominem attacks used to distract from the real issue at hand which is the constantly repeated spineless performances by Arsenal players on the pitch over the last 8 years. if you want to say we won 2 FA cups and that is an achievement with due credits to Wenger; then fine, state it as such as your argument that Wenger is not as shit a manager as we have been led to believe. But do stop calling us entitled or being”misled” by the media.… Read more »
If The Limp Bar’s opinion is that some fans are entitled is he not entitled to express it? You might hate his opinion but he’s as entitled to give it as you are to give a different opinion. In my opinion what causes “childish warring sects” is a basic lack of respect for other people’s opinions. For as long as I’ve been a fan of The Arsenal there have been different viewpoints about the manager, the Board, the kit, whatever – there will be long after Wenger’s gone too – but ultimately we all want to see the club being… Read more »
And so are the journalists who asks him questions even though some might perceive the queries as a means to provoke uncomfortable responses from Wenger. They’re entitled to do so. Live and let live.
A lot – a serious, fucking lot – of Arsenal fans still want those questions answered.
Do fan’s not deserve an answer? or is Wenger above criticism?
Like it or not Ospina dropped the ball into the goal and given that he’s our second choice it’s a valid question to ask. But arrogant old Arsene’s use’s his old tried and tested method of petulantly dismissing any criticism by saying i know more than you, i know best and if you ask again i’m walking off.
The fan’s deserve better!
He gave an answer. He said on Tuesday night that Cech was carrying an injury so he decided to go with Ospina. It wasn’t the fullest of answers but a) he has no obligation to give more reasons and b) he clearly doesn’t want to give any more details. You could interpret that as him dismissing criticism but that isn’t the only possible interpretation. You could equally conclude that there’s clearly something that Wenger doesn’t want the media/opponents to know about the situation and he’s trying to get the press to back off.
Why does he hold a press conference then if he doesn’t want to face questions?
He could just release a statement with the information he wants to give .
He’s under no obligation to answer anything, but i and many others don’t have to agree with it. His response just makes him look like an angry dictator!
But he is obliged to attend press conferences. I’m sure it’s some sort of regulation by FA in connection to selling TV rights.
I can remember Ferguson media black out, he was sending his assistant to speak to press conferences, though still were fined for that.
It’s also a very small minority of fans, who unfortunately happen to be the most vocal. And to think that all fans are going to just sit back and take defeats on the chin is unrealistic. As is wanting people not to have an opinion on it all; how boring would football be if we all just accepted that we don’t know as much as the pros so we won’t pass judgement?! Also, just because none of us are experts doesn’t mean that we’re not right where Arsene’s wrong sometimes- I doubt anyone’s expecting him to nail every decision! And… Read more »
I’m already paying £1,000 plus, going to games home and away, have been for years. I don’t feel i’m owed anything in terms of the background reasons as to why Wenger picked certain players, and the same went for George Graham when he was boss – I only feel i’m owed entrance to watch the games. I will judge his performance at the end of the season based on what information I have, as I did with Graham. If Wenger chooses to give me more information then that will help me make a more informed opinion. Ultimately I know that… Read more »
First he agrees that they know more than he does in their line of work, then he accuses them of incompetence.
I’m all for supporting the manager but surely not blind support.
re: Martial – why is Wenger getting so much abuse on this topic.. Because he is french and managed Monaco over 20 years ago its taken that Martial would automatically choose Arsenal over Man Utd if Wenger saw fit to bid for him. hence Wenger dropped the ball… Arsenal Scouted him (along with the 100s of other players over many years) and made a judgement not to buy him, I guess if he dropped the ball on this then he should be patted on the back for every subsequent flop he didnt buy.. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, its a… Read more »
He is not really rejecting the questions – he is rejecting the fact that these journalists are asking him the same thing over and over because they have formed a consensus, based on zero knowledge and want to get him to accept the consensus.
It is a press conference about this sundays game and for a manager who takes each game in isolation, the reporters are contaminating the narrative by talking about the last game and doing mourinho’s heavy lifting by persisting with turning his conspiracy fantasies into theory.
Absolutely no knowledge whatsoever, if only they had worked half a day in football they would know that dropping the ball into your own goal is actually the sign of being World Class and no way a sign of incompetence.
I don’t know how people can defend Wenger’s arrogance, probably the same way Chelsea fan’s think the sun shines out of Mourinho or Terry’s arses, because they don’t know right from wrong.
So the coaches of International team coaches that nominate david ospina as world player of the year think that dropping the ball is a sign of world class keeper.
You are defining the man by one mistake.
What arrogance is wenger exhibiting…?
You only need one nomination to be nominated for World player of the year, not multiple so that doesn’t prove a consensus that Ospina is considered World class.
If Wenger thought Ospina was World class why did he buy Cech?
What arrogance is Wenger exhibiting? Dismissing someone’s opinion because in you’ve decided they don’t know what they’re talking about is arrogant
He dismissed their opinion because they didn’t form it from a position of knowledge. He quite rightly saying that he has no obligation to furnish the press with the facts that input to his decisions.
opinions are like assholes everybody has one but only wengers is informed.
The fact is that Wenger engages in these long winded diatribes that basically boil down to I know better than you so stop questioning me, it’s why a lot of people consider him arrogant. He creates the problem by engaging in the first place. Keep it short and simple. Ospina is a great keeper, he made a mistake, that is not why we lost the game.
Could Akpom be the reason we did not sign Martial? I prefer to give Akpom an opportunity in the first team. It would be great to have an Arsenal developed centre forward in the team, I can not remember the last one we had.
Kevin Campbell.
Kid hasn’t scored since his first two games at Hull… in the Championship.
Are you really comparing him to a kid who’s effectively now the leading striker of one of our fiercest rivals and most successful English club of the last 2 decades?
He’s loyal to his players; good on him. But a story like “Wenger stands up for his players” doesn’t satisfy the need to bash people in the papers for entertainment. The delight by media in people’s struggles as entertaining is plain evil.
You must be living in a cave. This world feeds and operates on evil.
So it’s lesser an evil by virtue of people loving it? Not living in a cave, Plato, just calling evil by its name.
So the countless news on killing, terrorism, poverty, crime etc etc should all be silenced because after all they’re published because the media has an agenda as these stories are perceived as taking advantage of the misfortune of others as a selling point for journalism?
The media sells stories, whether people take delight or pity in those stories are their own business.
Lets be honest with each other guys. This is Arsene’s time to face the music for bad displays and results after arrogantly calling the same journalists and pundits out during the transfer window as being ‘knowledge less and spewing shit’. This is them calling him out for what he asked them to do… ‘judge us during the season’. This is them calling him out for actually asking legitimate questions, seeing as Wenger himself said we had a squad capable of winning titles and competing with the best in every position. I remember blogs stating after the transfer window was closed… Read more »
One thing that annoys me about Wenger is his constant referring back to numbers and stats. Yes we dominated, but we spent 4 years with Denilson and co passing the ball from side to side ‘dominating games’, it means nothing if you can’t defend. Anyway, all we can do now is look forward to Sunday, I think we can get a result against United and he’s proved last season he knows how to beat the big dogs in the league again so COYG!
All the more reason to praise Mr. Blog for giving balance to the Philistine-led
Media shebang. We all Love a bit of art, don’t we ?
Let’s stuff the devils back down their hoary hole on Sunday.
Success,they say has many friends,and failure has non.and sadly,that’s what arsene and his team has been over the years.how can a club like arsenal not sign any out field player because he didn’t see any french player.he concludes there’s not top quality player.is that ambition? So, please allow the fans who are not blinded by sentiment to express their frustration at the team shambolic display.
The thing that some people don’t seem to get is that there may be very good reasons why Cech was left out which Wenger couldn’t possibly tell the press or the fans. Maybe Cech’s got personal issues, maybe he was sh!te in training, maybe he has disciplinary problems, maybe he’s carrying a particular injury which if opponents hear about could put us in trouble – we’ll probably never know, that’s life. It isn’t unreasonable of Wenger to expect to be allowed to keep some stuff out of the media and the media and fans do not have the right to… Read more »
If there are many things Arsene was leaving out about Cech,then he hasn’t helped himself in that regard as the press were pressing him to tell the truth. Then, I can rightly say that,with all the enormous knowledge Wenger have,he’s still lacking a sizable knowledge about public relations as it is all about truth not falsehood;it doesn’t use propaganda.
they have the same stories cause you have the same mistakes, have had em for least a decade… its our failure that has become boring.
No Coq on Sunday please. Giroud-Alexis-Walcott-Ozil-Ramsey-Cazorla-Bellerin-Mertesacker-Gabriel-Monreal-Cech.
The way we’re defending at the moment, United are bound to score a goal or two anyways. Let’s ditch this silly defending thing and just score more goals than them.
It seems that some people don’t recognise sarcasm.
I have said it before that it is the easiest thing in the world to criticise. For one you don’t even have to be consistent with what you criticise. Last year AW was critics by fans and pundits for picking Chesney over Ospina for the Cup final – the year before it was for picking Fabianski over Chesney. Now it is a crime to play Ospina if Cech is available. Cech made mistakes in his first game for us. Did anyone say ‘that is what you get for dropping your No 1 goalie from last year for the new guy?’… Read more »
Ospina dropped the ball, thereby proving that Wenger dropped the ball. And I’d like to drop a ball made of steel on Mourinho’s head from a great height.
I’d like a harp to follow on and slice him into a shit sandwich.
“Arseblog News can’t remember a single instance in his entire 19-year tenure where Arsene Wenger has publicly criticised one of his players.”
Really? Arseblog News has poor memory then. 😛
Do you not remember the public criticism of a young Van Persie? It’s the only time he’s ever done it.
I don’t get the fuss over Ospina. He played great last season, and to prove it wasn’t just a fluke or based on Arsenal’s defense/set up, he had a great Copa America. The problem is how you manage your GK that you demoted after good performances and make sure he’s ready to go when called upon, and Wenger did a terrible job at that.
Have to agree with Wenger.
Even with the selection he made, they should have been good enough to beat Olympiakos at home.
Application was the issue and if Wenger is culpable, it isn’t a transfer market (we were not lacking goals from Alexis or Walcott and Coqzorla were available) rather its in motivating the players to get stuck in properly.
The first goal was a bit unfortunate. Granted ospina mucked up, the defending for the third goal was absolute calamity. We had warning signs with the second goal to Leicester sadly not heeded.
Pretty disappointed with the way our fans treated ospina on Tuesday. Fans were not behind David at ALL. Still believe he is world class, did we forgot the beautiful save on Messi in the copa, plus all the saves for the world cup. Emirates was so quiet hope to hear more support on Sunday vs United.
Did the ball definately get dropped in the goal? I’m confused as I’m convinced I saw a replay from an angle that showed it was on the line and not over it. There’s no goal technology in the Champions League so it would be just our luck if it wasn’t a goal at all! That said, I’ve been really surprised at all the hate for David Ospina, who I think is a very good goalkeeper, and one who kept his calm and made at least one very good save after that incident. Also a quick word for the pathetic home… Read more »
The Emirates is becoming more and more of a toxicly bland place. Toxicly bland…something only Arsenal’s stadium could manage.
I love the club as much as the next guy and living half the world away at the moment I realize I shouldn’t be throwing stones in glass houses…but the atmosphere at the Emirates is just bad. One of the worst in the whole league. It’s getting downright embarrassing and it seems to be affecting the players now too.
Arsenal didn’t lose the game just for Ospina. Everyone point him out immediately but ignores that Olympiacos scored another 2 goals. What about the defense? We are looking for a single excuse for the defeat but we never saw the real problem: Underestimating the opponent. We didn’t learn as Wenger said. He selected an excellent keeper who had played very very well before and all people forget that, but the most annoying thing is that we played against a sub par team who should have not even threaten us. Saying that, in my opinion, Ospina’s selection over Cech shouldn’t have… Read more »
I don’t know why anyone – fans, journalists, critics or supporters of Arsene are devoting so much time to Ospina’s selection. He was only responsible for one goal of the three, and it was a freak accident more than anything. The real issue isn’t why Ospina started a “must-win” game, it’s why the players who took the field adopted such a casual attitude in a must-win game. Yet again. I appreciate Arsene has strong support around these parts, but I’ll re-iterate that when push comes to shove this team will crumble because they lack the correct mental preparation and that’s… Read more »
I understand where you are coming from with your point and I agree with all except the “push comes to shove” part. The reason being is that I actually think this team will prove to be quite impressive in the matches against high level competition. I think the real problem is more along the lines of respecting the lesser level of opposition enough to dispose of them professionally and ruthlessly. However, the verdict is still out on both of these items as it is still early, and most of the games we’ve lost can really be explained by early red… Read more »
Time will tell I guess. It’s pressure games that would concern me the most. I’m sure we can beat most teams when we play our best and there’s no pressure. But when we’re really up against it can we do it? I have my doubts.
I was pleased to see Arsene come out fighting at the Presser, now it’s over to his players to do the same on Sunday. I would’ve preferred to see Cech in nets the other night, but it wasn’t as if he was replaced by an 18 year old rookie. Ospina is an excellent goalkeeper, whether he’s “World Class” or not is just a matter of opinion. No one seriously batted an eyelid when he started ahead of Cech on Tuesday night, no one could’ve predicted that howler, pretty much his first for Arsenal. Unfortunately the press saw it as an… Read more »