Arsene Wenger says that his Arsenal teams will always attack but admitted they’ll have to defend better in order to be as successful as he wants.
The Gunners were caught out in midweek by an Olympiacos team who sat deep and took their chances, and the Arsenal manager says that’s something the Gunners will have to cope with better.
“When you accept to take the initiative in the game, you also have to accept that you can lose it,” he said.
“They came to defend, to play with 11 players behind the ball and we lost the game, but that can happen and also to other teams. We have to take the initiative and be better on defending – that’s where we are guilty.
“If you play offensive football and you lose everybody kills you. But if you sit for 10 games with a team which refuses to play then you will fall asleep and everybody says: ‘Why don’t you attack?’
“When you don’t win the games you are wrong, you have to accept that. When Barcelona win the European Cup and attack from everywhere, we say: ‘Oh, what a fantastic game, it’s absolutely marvellous.’
“But if you attack and you lose the game then everybody says: ‘You’re naive.’ And it is true. I don’t think you can explain the fact that we lost the two games in the Champions League by [us] being inferior.
“We’ve played two teams who accepted our superiority at the start, but I think you want teams to go forward.”
And the manager is keen to bounce back from the Olympicos defeat, keeping a positive frame of mind.
“I don’t see why we should be absolutely down,” he said.
“We are on the back of three or four good results in the Premier League. Yes, we had a disappointment in the Champions League. It was disappointing to lose, but overall every competition is different, you have to go in a different competition in a different state of mind and we have to be inspired by what we did at Leicester.
“If I say now that we are three points behind Man United, playing Man United at home and I don’t believe that we can win the Premier League, what would you tell me?
“You will slaughter me.”
If Arsenal beat United, and City don’t win, we’ll be joint top of the table on Sunday evening.
Something to think about.
We need 100 % commitment from you gunners to beat Man utd on sunday
We want that through out the season not just against Manu, any game you win you gain three points, against man you is the same. We not just ask but demand it, with 190 million wage bill we should have that commitments.
Need 100% from the fans too. Which sadly isn’t likely to happen unless we get an early goal and go on to steamroll them.
Very true sir. I’m afraid Arsene is responsible for potentially creating (again) a very hostile atmosphere which becomes difficult for the players to perform. I will be there and as some of you will know it’s a different experience from watching at home or in a pub with a mixture if different fans. Atmosphere is contagious and as an Arsene Wenger fan who still respects him and always (I hope) will he is responsible for most of the loss’s this season I believe. Don’t start the opinion bollox again otherwise I will throw the word straight back and you can… Read more »
I take my godson to the Emirates on occasion, he supports Arsenal because i do (his mum supports spu*s HAHAHAHAHAHAHA) and i’m almost embarrassed at how quiet and unresponsive the whole stadium is 85% of a game. You hear and read about stadiums being intimidating places to play because of the support maybe it’s time we did more of this? How can we expect the team to perform at home if the only sound the players hear are tuts and sighs at everything? The only time you can guarantee the crowd to chant is during a corner. A wall of… Read more »
Arsene, if you want your team to defend better then how about spending some time practising defending on the training ground?
It wasn’t an accident that the defence you inherited was the meanest in the land. George Graham had them spending countless hours practising to get that good.
And Steve Bould, you were part of that famous defensive unit so perhaps you should stop being a yes man to your boss!
I’m jealous of your inside information.
Agree. What does offensive style has to do with leaving an opponent unmarked during set pieces especially corners where all our players are in our box ? How do you fix a problem that you do not want to admit ?
“We have to take the initiative and be better on defending – that’s where we are guilty.”
Yes, but the lessons aren’t being learned, are they? What’s different now than say, after Monaco or Anderlecht? I’m not particularly upset though; long since accepted that this is a facet of football under AW. Hope for the best, expect Arsenal.
I have a solution…sack Steve Bould. Isn’t he suppose to make our defence better?
I cant see us losing this one. Mr.Wenger should know that.
Nothing much to be said..the team should just do the needed…COYG onward and upward to victory
Well, for starters there is no way that city will fail to get the 3pts against Newcastle, Especially at home. Sometimes Wenger gives the impression that he is giving interviews to young clueless kids who don’t even understand football, what with the way he talks in fantasy deluded riddley dribble! What a joker! And a con artists! We need batman to come swinging in with a few Bangs and Pows! to knock some sense into him and wipe that smirk of his face ? All jokes aside, we need to go back to basics, with Defending being our main priority!… Read more »
You’re an idiot.
I second AnthonyG, what an idiotic comment and insane analogy
“We lost because we were superior” that is as deluded as it gets. If we are superior then show it. Some how Wenger manages to get out of pressure. And believe me we are gonna beat united. but we wont win the title. I have seen this movie too many times. The Olympiacos incident will keep happening unless there is change. We need a new manager with fresh Ideas. Some one like Klopp. A win against United wont change that. The Olympiacos game showed why we wont win the BPL or UCL. Legends retire. Arsene is a legend but he… Read more »
Sitting here wondering why everyone is so confident, did i miss something?
And Ozil please get stuck in abit more thanks
Who Ozil?
Mr where’s Wally impersonator when it comes to big games!
Mr talks a big game but fails to deliver when we need him most!
Naaah! Leave him on the bench,
At least we will all know where he is ?
Think we’ve found Wally.
@ Arse blog
Please be gentle with your commentary on Sunday!
Oooooooh! You are killing me mate!
You need to be more specific to who the Ooooooh was for… I rely on your text commentary mate so please please please …
Oooooooh = for Arsenal chance
And
ffs! = Opponents
Thank you matey ?
Arsene knows.
As usual Wenger would use stats to show Arsenal dominate a game. Whatever for? Goals decide who is the winner and he has been a failure most of the time against MU. In both cl and epl matches, the gunners were the better team but lost. Last season n the epl although they controlled the game they lost 2-1 to MU.Its obvious to all but the most blinkered akb,his tactical naivety is 100% to be blamed. Don’t be surprised they will lose again. MU will be poised like acobra to hit on the break.Of course nothing is cast in stone… Read more »
“Against the top teams he has been given spanking after spanking but still refuses to change course.” Assumed the top teams in the PL are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd, please check the results between these teams from this and the last campaign (all competitions): Arsenal: 5W – 5D – 3L (18:13 goals) Chelsea: 5W – 6D -2L (13:10 goals) (<- formerly known as the bus) Liverpool: 2W – 4D – 8L (14:28 goals) Man City: 3W – 3D – 5L (16:18 goals) Man Utd: 6W -2D -3L (20:12 goals) No spankings for Arsene amongst the 13… Read more »
I feel good now thank you Arigoon!
Reports suggest that Arsene was ‘ashen faced’ while reading the riot act to his players on wednesday. If he really was ashen faced then he needs to stop sitting so close to the fire.
Agree with die hard gunners.Wenger says he wont change his attack style.
Sooner or later repeated losses will make him embrace anti soccer.
The problem with his attacking style is because in spite of 30 years coaching
the defenders are still naïve. Hence the goals conceded from corners and
free kicks.
Agree with fatboy. Defence must be stepped out. Rooney must not be left isolated.
Kane was scoring for fun last season. Now the defenders have latched on to him and he aint going to ge the time and space.
I hope Wenger will have a plan to contain Rooney. I don’t know. His repeated losses to MU
shd wise him .If its all out cavalier attack rest assured the MU smash and grab will
add more fire to his critics.
What the fuck, only the negative Nancy’s showing up to comment? Arsenal have a lot of problems, but Ozil isn’t one of them. Don’t suppose you notice the number of chances he’s created already this season. Yes, losing socks in there really was no excuse for last week. But using the loss to justify your biases about individual players is moronic.
Not sure why am commenting or am the least bit surprised, happens all the time.
Ozil for a goal and two assists on Sunday.
Any blog post with ‘Wenger’ in the title, this is what we get.
‘Social media’.
Nothing would make a better statement than beating the mancs on sunday. This will determine my mood for the coming week. COYFG
Just fukin beat Manure and all will be forgotten.
Just Beat ManU..That is all we are asking for..We just have to beat Di gea more than once to win the game..He carried them last season at Emirates.
Arsene ‘s record is one win and 8 losses against MU and 4 draws . This is very poor by any top teams std.
Mu have not lost to Arsenal in the epl the last 4 times. Its’ about time Arsenal beat Rooney and company.If Arsene wants to beat his hoodo team its Sunday and show he still can be trusted
to manage Arsenal.
Jesus Christ, you look at some of the comments on here (a relatively sane little speck of the internet) and I’m surprised Arséne hasn’t cracked and thrown out the “I don’t need to explain myself to clueless cunts” (okay, paraphrasing here) line earlier.
The less you know the more comfy the armchair.
Really really really hate ManU, especially this turgid jammy cunts of a team and there £300 mil philosophy.
So do me a favor and stop talking and beat them comprehensively with your fucking feet not your fucking comments!
Ta
We always beat them when it really really matters anyway
Unless you live on cloud cuckoo land you would have to be a little nervous about Sunday given the complete buckets of shit that have already been served up by our team this year. But we still have the most talented squad since the invincibles so COYG
This year? As in the highest points 2015 in the 2014-2015 season? Who could go joint top Sunday? ‘Bucket of shit’.
Do you just follow arsenal via comment threads on social media or do you actually follow them in real life?
Been following them for over 30 years as it happens. And like I said I think this team have served up some right buckets of shit so far this year (west ham, Zagreb and olympiakos for example). If you follow a club and contribute to players/ management wages you have a right to criticize underperformance. Or you can keep you head up your rectum….
Honestly, it’s time our guys walked the talk….do the talking on the field boys!!!
I’m rather bored of hearing the same old stuff from AW. He’s a great manager no doubt, Arsenal owe him so much and he’s an innovator.
But it’s the same old mistakes year on year, which never changes. Either he’s too proud or too stubborn to change, but it’s getting beyond funny.
I don’t think we will win a title under him as he doesn’t have the tactical nouse or ruthlessness to take that extra step and equip us to actually challenge.
This post and the interview is a tough read. I am reading it in early morning and my head hurts.
Is “Fatboy Gooner” the son of “Fatgooner”?
Its easy staying faceless and commenting on a blog about football management like we know a thing about managing a team. Dont understand why we should slag the coach or Ospina for making that mistake. Cech, Hart, Neur all have made individal mistakes in a match. If wenger had played Cech is there a mathematical proof we would have won the game? I feel we should ease of the gas of negativity and genuinely support your team in good and bad times. If some AFC fans were say QPR fans they probably would have by now set their team bus… Read more »
Ozil only with a goal and an assist. Fatboy is right, he’s the problem.