Having watched his side fail to win in three competitions in the space of eight days, Arsene Wenger admits that he’s desperate for Arsenal to get back on track in March.
The Gunners drew a blank in their FA Cup fifth round with Hull – set to be replayed a week today – then lost to Barcelona and Manchester United with two performances that have angered supporters, killed their Champions League ambitions and left them having to overcome a five point gap on Premier League leaders Leicester.
Talking ahead of Wednesday’s game with Swansea – and with Saturday’s North London derby on the horizon – Wenger highlighted the need for his players to come out fighting.
“What we want to do is defy all the odds that are against us at the moment,” he said. “The best way to do it is to fight together for that. We have come out of a bad week so we want to have a good week now.
“It’s as simple as that and that’s why you love competition. A bad week is not permanent, it’s what you make of it and how you respond. That’s the beauty of sport. Things change quickly one way or the other. That’s beautiful as well.
“We are professional and we want to focus on how we respond to the defeat. It can happen. We lost 3-2 at Manchester United, we are not happy with the result but if you analyse the game we had two lapses of focus that we paid for. That made the game difficult for us after.
“We gave a lot against Barcelona and the disappointing outcome certainly had an impact on our belief against Manchester United, but we want to focus on the positives and recover from it. We want to give our best from now until the end of the season.”
There’s really very little wriggle room for fuck ups if we’re to win the league this season – even if we win ALL our games we’d still only hit the 84 point mark. Given the abject performances and results that have peppered this season it’s hard to feel confident, especially with so many ‘big’ away games still on the horizon.
Upcoming visits to Sp*rs, Everton, West Ham and Man City, makes us feel very queasy indeed.
And having to respond to a kind of performance where we should not have a response to in the first place at countless time really is depressing
He doesn’t seem to get it does he?
We’re on a constant cycle of responding to poor performances
I’m pretty sure he does get it. But it is clear the team IS lacking in belief, and it wouldn’t do any good for the manager to start criticising them openly in public. He has to try to get them going hoping that the next result will be better and that the confidence will return. I saw effort on Sunday but no fire and a timidity when defending. We didn’t stand toe to tow with then – we shrank back. This isn’t a defence of Wenger. I think there is a very strong argument to say two things 1. His… Read more »
Did you watch the interview? He looks bewildered at the question, like he doesn’t understand why it’s being asked. I genuinely don’t think he see’s the problem. The guy has no mental strength or courage otherwise his teams would play with some, which it hasn’t since the players he inherited who had it when he arrived left. To say the team plays with no fire and timidity is just a reflection of the manager, there isn’t an aggressive or confrontational bone in his body. I also don’t think the squad is as talented as you think, we have 3 maybe… Read more »
Aggressive or confrontational? Why the feck would you want an aggressive and confrontational manager? Even so, we’ve seen AW throw tantrums and go toe to toe with other managers on the touchlines. He still has the fire, the players keep letting him down which is in part his fault for picking them. Bring on the Swansea!
Sorry but that is utter tripe. Say what you will about Wenger, the man has been through nearly 20 years of the stresses and strains of managing in the Premier League. He has suffered abuse and criticism (some justified, some not (criticism that is, not abuse)) and shielded both the club and players during that time. Mental strength and courge are two things he certainly has- to the point of blind stubborness in some eyes… Your character assessment is so wildly off the mark I wonder if you’re thinking of someone else.
I know exactly who i’m thinking of, if he has so much mental strength and courage why hasn’t one of his teams played with any for the last 10 years? If he had so much mental strength and courage how did he allow our collapse when Eduardo broke his leg and not inspire them to the title for their fallen comrade? If he had so much mental strength and courage how did he allow us to lose 8-2 at Old Trafford, or 6-1, 6-3, 5-1 in the same season, or throw away a 4-0 lead to Newcastle, or lose from… Read more »
John you’re meant to shout megs when you embarrass someone
Coming from behind to beat Leicester? Would that be an example of mental strength?
As fans we’re all entitled to criticising our team, individuals, the manager, coaching staff, and so on, but this season our squad IS good enough to win the league. Man City have underperformed, Chelsea lost the race in autumn, Man Utd are rebuilding (and very slowly), Liverpool are in transition, whereas Spurs have rode their luck with a few good players who do a great job of leading their squad, and they’ve been lucky injury-wise. Then there’s the anomaly of Leicester who have deservedly taken the league by surprise and by storm. So basically, two teams have taken advantage of… Read more »
Your spot on!
Sadly he won’t change though
I am in total agreement
VintageFuzz, yes, aggressive and confrontational, and by that i mean calling out players for bad performances, letting them know whats expected of an Arsenal player and that their place in the team is on the line. Which clearly doesn’t happen if the “progress” of Theo Walcott, Ramsey and Chamberlain is anything to go by. GeneWildersCrazyDNA, you’re right about the lack of true belief being contagious, but when was the last time you heard the manager talk about trying to win the league or champions league,? Even today he talks about how “we are playing to fight for the title”, not… Read more »
I’m in agreement John C. As much as I respect him for what he has achieved I’m worried we’re now really starting to see that the era of forced penny-pinching and over-protecting his under-performing players we had during the stadium debt may have permanently affected his judgement. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope he turns it around, but we’ve been living the same league season for a decade. It just seems that period set a benchmark that the owners had no qualms with, and as that business model worked wonders financially they’ll not pressure him enough to turn 4th… Read more »
Let the truth be told, there is no fucking mental strength in the team. Time and time again, it has shown vividly that the team lacks mental strength. John C made a very vital point and some people’s myopic reasoning could not see beyond their love for Wenger to the good of our beloved Arsenal. Where is the mental strength that United academic players trashed us last Sunday. All our close competitors like United, Chelsea, Liverpool and City knows what it takes to play us, which is the mental strength. It doesn’t even matter if it is the first team… Read more »
He is a deluded spin-doctor who is accountable to no-one, and we are a plastic yank corporation
Todays blog was really depressing because when you work through the reality of it all, he is basically bullet-proof unless the fans revolt
Kroenke is a bigger problem in my book, he does not give a FUCK about this club
Wenger and him have slowly killed my love for this club, death by a thousand cuts
Groundhog day anyone? Cos that’s the way I feel
A bad week is not permanant but it feels like we perminantly have a bad week!
don’t defy the odds, do it right the first time!
It would have helped to start the season prepared. We all know Mr Wenger has good intentions and is sure he can turn things around but his autocracy is hurting Arsenal
We haven’t played well enough for months, we can all name good performances but we need to score goals and win games.
This bad week isn’t permanent, but its been lasting about 12 years. I love Wenger but he has to go, he cannot motivate this team or any other he has had in the last decade to finish at the top. He always says we have great mental strength but if you were to ask ANYONE else which team are the most fragile mentally, I guarantee 90% would put Arsenal at the top of that list. We are so mentally weak it is scary, how can he have players with such class that are perennial winners such as Cech, Sanchez, and… Read more »
Infuriating as our usual bottling cycle is, it just seems a little different this year. 33 points up for grabs, we still have every chance. Usually we have an unbeaten run after we get knocked out of the Champions League, so here’s hoping for the same. Saying that, Spurs still have West Ham, Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Southampton, Stoke and Chelsea to play so good chances of them dropping points. Leicester have Southampton, United, West Ham, Everton and Chelsea to play, and again every chance they’ll drop points too. Only difference is they don’t have any other games where as Spurs… Read more »
Good on you. A bit more of this please people! Highbury didn’t give up when we were 12 points behind champions at end of Feb, this year we’re 5 behind Leicester. Get behind the team Emirates
Yes gooners. Its only 5 points and everyone is already acting like the seasons over. I believe in Wenger and the team all the way. Dont let plastic fans damage our unity
COYG!
Mate, just because someone doesn’t share your view that Wenger is still the man, doesn’t make them a “plastic fan” I’ve had a season ticket for thirty years. I love the club and I respect and love Arsene too. However, Einsteins definition of madness, is to keep doing the same thing over & over again and expecting a different outcome. Isn’t that what he carries on doing? One stat, in and of itself (and there are dozens more) we haven’t won in the league at OT for TEN years! And last Sunday against Man U with fourteen injuries, we completely… Read more »
Continuing the Einstein/stale theme, do you think you will renew your season ticket?
Been having this ‘Bad week’ for past 2months Arsene.
If I was Wenger I’d have the entire squad watch the 1989 season review for inspiration and all the 1-0 down, 2-1 up games that led to trophies in Arsenal history. We are traditionally a side that bights people in the ass when they think we’re down and out. And I’d really love to see Paul Merson’s face if we do win the league this season.
Bights? On the same day you knock Gabriel’s English? niiice one!
Twelve years enough?
If we lost against Man Utd because of two lapses of focus then I guess my nephew is a monkey after all.
He was bloody convincing in Rise of the Planet of the Apes though.
We are stuck in a rut under Wenger. He doesn’t and will never turn any anger toward his players. He will always look for excuses for them. He also never is never critical of himself either. His team selection on Sunday was wrong and has been for the last several games, injuries are much less of an excuse now. Even in hindsight, Wenger has to blame himself. Picking 2 holding midfielders at home to a championship side in the FA Cup was a terrible decision. Time to step down Monsieur and let someone with some passion and modern day player… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if this is what happened Sunday
Arsene “iwobi get ready your on”
Iwobi “ok boss”
Arsene looks to his right
“What the fuck, get those fucking pink boots off you silly cunt and what the fuck are you wearing gloves for, the sky is blue and the sun is out, actually put your tracksuit back on, Campbell get ready your on”
Alas they all seem very pampered
Yeah, because a decision about whether to play a player should depend on what colour his boots are and if he’s wearing gloves. That’s the way to manage a team all right.
I think your missing the point, unlike you. Shame.
the litmus test for mental toughness of a boss is not in whether or not he allows his players to play with pink boots and gloves.
neon-green boots, fluorescent purple boots, black boots, rainbow colored boots. color of boots are irrelevant. all that matters is merit, and iwobi merited a spot on the pitch. simple as.
your point was rubbish from the get go.
Explain it to me?
It’s all to nice blogs. Wenger is to nice. Show some bottle show some fight, roll your fucking sleeves up and fight, the title is there to win. More concerned with how I look and I don’t want me hands to get cold. It’s like a cancer running through the club and it’s all down to Arsene. Even though I love the man. We’ve had it for years players like Bentdner all thinking they are prima donnas. As for bambooney I bet you were a school prefect, brown nose.
My comment also has nothing to do with wearing coloured laces to support the gay community. I was fully in support of support. Great cause. Maybe my comment is bring misinterpreted because of previous post. Which I thought sparked great debate and hopefully opened some closed minds.
Simple, blogs: colors are for pampered people, while serious folk live in black and white. With cold hands.
Your getting thumbs up for asking a question. It’s easy to please sycophants hey.
It’s like dragging a horse to water bloggsy, you can do that but you can’t make them drink. It doesn’t matter how legitimate your point is some people just won’t get it.
We’re a beautiful team aren’t we? Lots of beautiful guys, with beautiful sentiments, playing beautiful football… wait we don’t even do that anymore.
And to quote McBain we sleep on a pile of money with lots of beautiful women.
Why must they pluck at our heartstrings so? Their flair for the dramatics is leaving me more than a little queasy. A 5-0 smashing of Swansea would be a nice tonic. Listening, gentlemen?
I’m unsure whether this is an interview from 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, or whatever year? Every year is the same.
You mean 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015& 2016… Thats alot of bad weeks
We have heard this many times. He never runs out of excuses. ” the new stadium is limiting our ability to buy new player”, ” the team showed tiredness due to their previous game, which didn’t give them much time to rest”, “The referee did not give us any chance”, “Gabriel’s English”, ” Some of the key players are out due to injury and that is causing us a lot” …..bla bla bla!!! It is never Wenger’s fault.
The thing is ‘A bit of fight’ may well have put an end to a bad week. Why is the emphasis on ‘the fight’ always after the event. Usually a dispiriting loss.
That was my first thought. A few weeks late on the ‘bit of fight’ comment.
I think it’s the right comment, just a bit late.
We can still win the League, but it’s always an uncomfortable feeling when you know it’s out of your hands.
80 points will more than likely win the league this season…
Could be less too. We won the league in 1998 with 76 points.Looking back on the records it says we won the league that year. It doesnt mention the points total. If we win the league its still a title. Ive heard people say thay even if we do win it, its not brilliant because the quality is poor this year. Who cares, as long as we are 1 point ahead of everyone else at the end!
Exactly. After reading some of the comments on here, I think we could go 38-0-0 with a +167 goal difference and the regular moaners would still be banging on about how it’s not good enough, because we only won the Champions League final by a score of 7-0.
My calculations before the Man U game said we could still be champions if we lost one, drew two and won 9. I still think 80 points will be enough.
After a horrible week, I could use a good rambling from Rambling Pete to cheer me up! Where art thou Rambling Pete?!
Wenger, about time you showed some ability to motivate your players. Shouldn’t have to rely on criticism to do it for you.
Exactly. Do we have better players than Leicester and Spurs? Undoubtedly so. Why then are they playing with confidence and displaying the will to win that our boys so palpably don’t/can’t? Every little set back seems to be a crisis of confidence. Why? While we haven’t set the world alight this season, up until the Southampton away game we looked reasonably solid, couple of stupid draws thrown in there, the West Brom game was a bad one to lose, but all of a sudden the wheels have come off big time and the players look scared and bereft of ideas… Read more »
A bad week is definitely not permanent, but that does not mean it automatically gets better.
It could get worse.
I hate losing (especially to that crowd) , but to lose without making a tackle of note during an entire 95 minutes , leaves me devastated.
I’m all for getting behind the team when it matters, on match day leading up to games I tend to forget about disappointment and am generally stupidly positive before kickoff (apart from Barcelona last week). It’s extremely disappointing to be in a situation where we are relying on other teams to fuck up, particularly in this weird Leicester season, but if we beat Swansea, Tottenham lose/draw tomorrow night and we beat them on Saturday, the league is definitely back on and we could hopefully build on that. What I can’t support though is a lack of signings when Arsenal Football… Read more »
I think Arsenal fans have just had it with the lack of ambition at the club. The fact that we’re sitting on a Fort Knox of funds only makes it worse. The measuring stick should not be United’s third choice squad or a Chelsea side playing its worst football in years (both of which beat us). The measuring stick should be Barcelona. Bayern. These are the teams we should be aspiring to beat and we’re miles behind them. Still. And there’s no good excuse for that anymore. I don’t know whose fault that is, but fans are fed up with… Read more »
Please Wenger, enough talk. We have been bad for months.
Anyone who thinks we’re still in the running for the title needs to wake up. It’d would be a miracle if we win 6 of our remaining games.
Using the barca game as an excuse is ridiculous considering manure also played in the europa league.
Stop making excuses!!!
Treezy , it seems like you’re trying to say ‘Fuck off Wenger’ but the words wont come out of your mouth.
Maybe that’s because Trezy has said it in every single post he has ever written on Arseblog, and he’s now trying (hard) to come up with another angle? For a change…..
Could you point to ONE post where I said “Fuck off Wenger”??
It’s not just this week, it’s the last 8 years of the same thing over and over and over.
He’s being obtuse.
“WENGER: A BAD WEEK IS NOT PERMANENT” Le Prof is starting to sound like a cabinet minister who is about to get sacked. But, of course, he won’t be going anywhere – not while the Yank still owns the club. Actually, Wenger might be right. In a week from now things could look very different. Spuds have a tricky away game at West Ham on Wednesday, then they play us on Saturday. If they lose to the Hammers and if we win tomorrow and at WHL then we could be three points clear of Kane and co at the weekend.… Read more »
Blimey Fats! Love your post!
Thanks. It was from the heart.
I’m with you on this one Fats – that Yank is cunt leech, that needs to fuck off away from our football club.
Fucking eh! Well said fatgooner. Blogs and James talked about that in his last podcast as well. Quite depressing shite.
We are a corporation masquerading as a football club.
Thank you for your interest in our affairs…
Fatgooner (after the FA Cup draw): Great draw. I agree with that comment above that we mustn’t take that replay with Hull for granted, but we now have a great chance to make history. By the time we finally play that game at the KC we’ll probably be out of the Champions’ League: that means we can focus on the FA Cup. Our players have proven that they don’t have the guts to win the title and will fall away again, so the FA Cup is our only real chance of glory. Let’s go for it. For some reason I… Read more »
whether we win the league or not it is time to seriously think about the future. It is now clear that there are certain players who are not and will never be up to Premier league standard and that it is time to let them go. They are Walcott, Flamini, Ramsey, Wilshere, Ospina and Gabriel. Others will be retiring like Rosicky, Arteta and possibly Mert.. Chamberlain I would persevere with for another season. To think that we passed up on Kante and Mahrez is just insane, we really need a shake up with the scouting system. Blogs is right when… Read more »
I find it galling that he says the loss to Barcelona impacted on the players belief in their ability to beat manure!!! REALLY!!! No one expected us to win against Barcelona so they should have taken the positives – I.e. they kept them quiet for 70 minutes and didn’t get spanked!!! The mentality is definitely weak and goes back to the invincibles who buckled after loosing a match against manure – having gone unbeaten for 49 games!!! The common denominator here is Wenger!!!
To use the loss to barca as an excuse is desperate. If he truly believes that, it’s over I’m afraid
No it’s pressure…
How about start Gibbs for a change?
Yes, Gibbs could have come on to replace Sanchez, he could not have been worse
Why?
Monreal has been one of the brighter lights in the whole squad. Zero reason to not start him.
Time for a clear-out. Players like Ramsey,Walcott, Flamini, Ospina, and Gabriel will not win the Premiership for The Arsenal. Wilshere is too injury prone to be much help, Arteta and Rosicky are retiring at the end of the season. I would stick with OX-Chamberlain and Chambers for one more season and look to strengthen the side with a quality DM, CF and possibly another centre half. I regard Ngolo Kante as one of the best signings of the season and we passed up on him? Insane really when you think about it. He was the best player on the ground… Read more »
No As he has said there we are professionals. Professional players and managers are used to losing and there is no shame in losing to the best team in the world, arguably ever. Whilst the manner is incredibly frustrating the defeat should not have the huge consequences for the next game that it does for afc. lose against barca and everyone should have been desperate to get out there and take it out on man it’d We start slow and put no pressure on. They hada young lad booked in the first ten mins. Everything should have gone at that… Read more »
Im gonna call it i think this will be his last season at Arsenal and i think he will walk…
8 million reasons I don’t think he will
The amount of money in the bank is a red herring, since we could spend all that money on the best players in the world and they would still fester under Wenger’s stewardship. The players we have should be good enough to win the league in this of all seasons and even those such as Walcott whose form is terrible have shown enough flashes of talent over the years to suggest that they could be extremely useful if only Wenger knew how to harness their talent, whether that be by changing the tactics or knowing when they need a rocket… Read more »
Why are we expecting any other reaction different to the one after barca?
Won’t the disappointment be the same? We lost at home to barca so will we play with the handbrake on?
It’s just horse shit that flows nowadays
I think he should go but I really really do like him, and I think he is a superb speaker and manager of the media!
They never ask him the hard questions though Paul! They give him an easy ride
He’s a nice guy, he isn’t a winner anymore though
Here’s to Theo scoring 10 goals tomorrow, a couple from Alexis and Giroud to put our GD to bed.
Then it’ll be Spuds at the Shite Hart Lane.
Bare with me on this cricket analogy, when Australia were winning everything in the early 2000’s it was Warne & McGrath that took the plaudits, everyone forgot it’s easy to bowl when you have 500 on the board! My point? If we had been offered a guaranteed 2 goals at Old Trafford would we have taken them before kickoff? Answer I think is yes. I think the lack of confidence in this team stems from the fact despite Cech we are a poor defensive team with good defenders – 2 nil down at Old Trafford and ending a win –… Read more »
I’ve lost count ofvweeks we have to make a response starting from week 1.
Teams who have to respond often and again will win nothing. I hope tomorrow is the last response we have this season…but who knows with this team. We might yet need a response at WHL. Hope to everything that is holy that I am wrong and just overly pessimistic.
Arsenak have lost their mojo
Can’t help feeling that there’s a growing disconnect between the management and th fans. Wenger’s ramblings are becoming increasingly dreary and irrelevant.
ranieri is making this guy look like a fool
Tomorrow I think it should be chec, belarin, mert, Kos and nacho, le coq, ozil, maybe Rambo or elneny, Campbell, welbeck and giroud
Well not really sure what to think about Leicester dropping points, if I thought we would take advantage I’d be over the moon but I have a horrible feeling spurs will take advantage – ugh can’t believe I just wrote that ugh!!!
If we lose at Shite Hart Lane then AW should do the honourable thing.
Gazidis can fuck himself too – In June 2013 he said ‘We are beginning to see an escalation of our financial firepower. On the pitch we’ll be one the top teams in European football, competing shoulder to shoulder with Bayern Munich and Barcelona’. How did that work out? Don’t feed us any more BS.
Here’s an idea. Park your vitriol and anti-Wenger rants until the end of the season and fucking get behind our team. We are well and truly in the race, and hell, who knows, it might help if we start believing and supporting instead of whining and crying about how shit everything is. If you had of given me a chance to be this close to winning with twelve games left at the start of the year, I know I would have taken it. Get involved people.
Fuck off Bobby! We have exactly the same league record as same stage as last season P27 W15 D6 L6 – 3rd place. Chelsea were looking down on us with binoculars. We are only in this ‘reachable’ position because all of the usual suspects have fucked up this season.
There has been no improvement from last year – imagine if we didn’t have Cech in goal? The Spuds would miles ahead of us. Completely unacceptable!
If you think it’s acceptable then you’re one of those ‘low expectation’ mother fuckers.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions bobby, I tend to agree with fat gooner and his belief that Wengers time is up!!! Yes we can theoretically win the league but realistically with our performances, not in one game but over the past two months, I doubt we will pull it off unfortunately!!!
I’m not necessarily defending wenger, I’m just suggesting an element of positivity and an inkling of optimism right now could and probably would help our team succeed.
Alright spinner, just give up then and keep complaining. It’s over. Kill yourself. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the season. Your enormously high expectations must leave you regularly disappointed in life.
I think the fans should undoubtedly cheer the team on within the stadium but this is a forum to discuss issues and opinions – I’m now of the opinion that Wenger should call time at the end of the season, hopefully with the double under his belt, and bring in diago Simone (spelling) as he has done wonders at athletico!!!
And why do I have to imagine if we didn’t have Cech in goal? We do. Remember. Wenger bought him.
The reason I’m including Cech in the argument is that we have the same points as last season. This year we have Cech so we ‘should’ have more points (since he gives us x number of points per season). Therefore, we have regressed by having the same number of points as last year’s team with Szcz / Ospina.
Wakey wakey – get your tongue our of Wenger’s backside and assess the situation in an objective manner.