Arsene Wenger says that he would have preferred if Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final took place on Saturday rather than Sunday, but that football clubs have only themselves to blame for fixture pile-ups.
Arsenal face Watford in the FA Cup on Sunday (live on TV), before they travel to Spain to face Barcelona on Wednesday (live on TV). With an early Thursday morning return to England, they then go to Liverpool on Friday ahead of a 12.45 kick off on Saturday morning at Goodison Park for a Premier League clash with Everton (live on TV).
With injuries mounting up, and the squad likely to be stretched, it’s going to be testing for Wenger’s team, but the Frenchman was straight up who is to blame.
Asked if The FA should provide more time to teams to prepare, he wasn’t inclined to point any fingers at the game’s authority.
“It’s us,” he said. “We sell football and we give it to the media to dictate the timing because we take the money so I won’t complain at all. I would rather look from our side.
“I would have loved to have played on Saturday but we don’t influence the schedule and we do not get any favours so everybody will be happy in England.”
It is going to be a real challenge, genuine one game at a time stuff, as Wenger concluded, “What matters in football is the next game. The next game is Watford on Sunday afternoon.”
Wenger is still a genius, your dad is not.
Everyone else is to blame, Arsene! A true Communist leader.
“It’s us,” he said. “We sell football and we give it to the media to dictate the timing because we take the money so I won’t complain at all”
Does stupidity hurt?
What part of his statement do you not understand though or you are just struggling with comprehension? How is he blaming everybody else?
as long as we don’t see the same QF as I watched from the north bank in 1987
the one and only time I remember seeing tasty geezers vacate the terraces to head down the clock end to “have a word” with the away fans. and if i remember right it wasn’t long before there was a small fire at the away turnstiles at Vicarage Road…
ah, those were the days!
Wow just checked that out on youtube. Something’s haven’t changed. Had countless chances to win it. Stopped instead of playing to the whistle. Other things have. See the players not surrounding the ref as he decides on the third goal. Standing back to await his decision.
Was that Tony Adams in defence?
…and we bloody lost!
He can’t play his best team in all of the 3 matches. Everton is the most important one so he has to field a weaker team against either Watford or Barca. Going to Barcelona with the reserves isn’t really an option (although I surely wouldn’t mind). So it will probably be a similar team against Watford but with a stronger bench and trying not to play Elneny and Campbell for the whole 90 minutes.
Wouldn’t mind playing the B team against Barcelona.
I don’t think we can do that, really.
Indeed a paddling isn’t really going to do us any favours. also with a strong team i think it may end up closer than people think- with Barca taking it for granted (highlighted by Piques second yellow). After what we went through to get out of the group i’d rather not just give up in the last 16.
I for one forsee a glorious failure on the horizon!!
A glorius failure – sums up the past 8 years beautifully.
This term is annoying me. if by “glorious failure” you mean doing our best to try and compete with a superior team but ultimately falling short, there is no shame in that.
We beat Buyern this season, could/should have beaten Barcelona, that is football and this is Arsenal.
No need to make a drama about losing to a better opposition.
At least we cannot go out on away goals this year…
Might not have a choice seeing how injuries are mounting up!
Nice touch with the JVC tv, reminds me of some great Arsenal kits!
For me to get back to liking Wenger the way i use to admire him before, he has to change his ways. Listen to the wishes and thoughts of the fans, understand that world football has changed, be ruthless in his management style and above all buy players that have winning mentality not only skills. Players that have guts like Tony Adams and the rest of the invincible players.
…’and the rest of the invincible players’ he inherited from George Graham, I guess.
Don’t see anything wrong with the post !
Who are these players like Adams who will enable Arsenal to challenge the likes of Barcelona?
He signed a pure winner in Cech, a gutsy attacking machine in Sanchez, a creative genius in Ozil… I don’t think anybody gives Wenger anywhere enough respect when it comes to the brilliant players he has brought in at Arsenal.
Fans like you Canador, have demanded the ilk of Chris Samba to be purchased, while Wenger is out negotiating with Barca and Real to try get Arsenal up to the next level.
Next level as in Leicester City??
ChrisGoona, you have to understand that there is nothing personal against Wenger. if you really and deeply loves Arsenal, you will understand my point that we need some changes for our beloved Arsenal to move forward. I do not think any genuine Arsenal fan is happy about the way things are going… same shit year in and year out. No single individual is greater than the club and including Wenger.
I am not happy. It is by far the most disappointing season we have had under Wenger because we have underachieved. If you look at our team, the opposition, the opportunity we had, there is no denying that.
My point to you is that he has been bringing in top world class talent. There are not many managers around who could make those signings. I will be very happy if a new manager comes in and can attract that level of player.
Better still, blame the English man for coming up with this lousy idea called football in the first place. That would be more diplomatic.
Like everyone here is on the edge. How do I know? One of the early signs is loss of appreciation for sarcasm
I think most of us here get sarcasm, it was just the whole “funny” thing that was missing this time.
We all know Mounrinho and John Terry are to blame for everything
And Ryan bloody Shawcross.
Blame Dan Smith and Martin Taylor
I agree with alexstratz about playing the b team against Barcelona, if we don’t I suspect we will lack the energy to beat Everton!!! The latter is by far and away the more important game!!! So lets at least not expend too much energy against Barcelona lol Theo should be first on the team sheet
We should be careful or else it can end up embarrassing like 8-2! We don’t need such on our cv.
Let’s show a bit more faith in our B team. Surely they are better than some obscure eastern European team who can still hold Barcelona on their own.
Other teams can be tactical and send their B teams around the world. We shall send our best team against Spain’s best, and do our very best.
We are the Arsenal.
COYG
Le Prof is absolutely right. The clubs (strictly speaking, the Premier League) sold their soul to the TV stations with the latest deal. I’ve said this before.
We saw that when they rescheduled the Leicester match so near the event — not even a safeguard clause in the deal to limit the time when they can do that to something reasonable.
No one to blame but ourselves.
And no one more so than Wenger who has always been the biggest beneficiary and insisted on being the highest paid member of staff. Which by the way isn’t a criticism as i actually believe thats the right thing.
Can’t afford to take Watford lightly by any measure so the strongest squad necessary. I think many people confuse the frustration of us not acheiving what we should with the achievements that Wenger has made. Aside from the 3 titles and FA cups (PLus the one glorious unbeatable season), he has brought us from a small club in financial terms to a power house and through the constraints of that process he has still ensured a minimum finish of 4th and CL. This is put into better perspective when you consider the footy landscape in England changed significantly during the… Read more »
Arsenal have never been a small club financially, and Arsenal’s growth has been driven by television money not the manager, this is confirmed by the fact that 15 of the 30 most valuable clubs in the world play in the premier league.
Many people like to mouth off about how Wenger likes to make excuses.
NO excuses made here.:)