Tactics? Team selection? Too much time off? Whatever the reason, Arsenal made another slow start in a big game and paid the price.
For Hector Bellerin, the 3-1 defeat at Anfield was all the more frustrating because it again underlined a lack of desire and motivation.
“We’re very frustrated with how the game went,” the Spaniard told Arsenal.com.
“After the tough weeks we’ve had, the team should have gone onto the pitch, motivated and ready from the start.
“In the first half it didn’t feel like we were ready and then we went 2-0 down. We wanted to do everything. We got one goal back and had a chance to make it 2-2, but sometimes it’s too late. We just need to start the games better.
“We need to realise that it’s just not the way to go. We need to push harder, to start the games with a better attitude and just go for it because we showed that when we go for it and want something, we can do it.
“It doesn’t matter about the other team, when we have the ball and push hard, we can score goals. It’s up to us to start the games with that desire, that motivation, and then we can get good results.”
It’s a worrying state of affairs when the players themselves admit their attitude on the pitch is not right. For Petr Cech, the fact that the Gunners lost duels across the pitch in the opening 45 minutes was particularly telling.
“We had a game plan and we had the players to execute the game plan,” the keeper told Arsenal Player.
“We didn’t have a game last week so we had time to prepare. Unfortunately, in the first 45 minutes, we didn’t match their intensity. When you lose the 50:50 duels, you make it harder for yourselves.
Cech added: “Believe it or not, it was the same game plan in the first and second half, we just executed it better after the break. We were more aggressive in the second half, played with more purpose and we started winning the 50:50 battles. That was the biggest difference between the two halves.
“It’s disappointing when you lose a game, but it’s more disappointing when you look at the two goals you conceded and you were not in danger. We had enough players behind the ball but we left the player free and they found the opening.
“If they outplay you in the situation and you can’t do anything about it, then fine, but we were very organised and we conceded which shouldn’t happen. We paid the price for that in the second half because we came back, scored the goal we needed, but unfortunately couldn’t equalise.”
Blogs mentioned in his blog today that he felt sorry for Arsene Wenger. I Agree. I’m not mad, just sad that things have gone so wrong for him. I think he is too stubborn to change. He has a belief and he sticks to it, but it no longer works in the modern game. This once great manager deserves all our respect, but I hope for his own sake that he decides to call it a day at the end of the season. I hope he is successful elsewhere too. But we are in a rut. A long term rut.… Read more »
Yeah terrible rut, top 4 every season, champions league every season, 2 fa cups in the last 3 years. Lucky you don’t support a mid table team huh?
For a club listed as the fifth richest in the world fourth is simply not good enough and the champions league plays out the same humiliating finale every season. This is not good enough – show some ambition..
You got that wrong, pal.
It’s a shame YOU don’t support a mid-table team.
Arsenal shouldn’t be a team that settles for above average.
Gooner Kev – Say your statement with an American accent, from behind the worlds worst mustache, & you sound just like our idiot of a majority shareholder.
He couldn’t care less, & shows no interest, passion or ambition (for ANY of the teams he owns). I’m guessing your the same.
Spot on and I’m afraid that Kroenke is actually a major part of the problem. Just a Google search of him shows an interview with him with the headline ” I didn’t buy Arsenal to win trophies”. That more or less says it all. While most owners will pump money in and make the manager accountable for result, Kroenke is happy to just let the money roll in and sees Arsenal as a pure long term investment and nothing more.
Arsene Wenger has to go. It really is beyond repair now. I fucking love him. He’s given me so much joy over the last 20 years, but its time to draw a close to his Arsenal story. He cannot continue sending us out like that in big away games. The team selection genuinely sucked the life out of me as I read it making my way into the ground. Dropping our best player (who is one of the best players in the League) in one of our biggest games of the season away from home is boarderline moronic. Iwobi needs… Read more »
Sorry that should of been 4411
Can’t reconcile your love for Wenger and wanting him to leave. The new fans are more of the problem with Arsenal. You pummel your team and coach season in, season out all in the name of love and you expect them to win. That happens only in Arsenal. Let’s see next season without Wenger. The tumble is just about to begin. Good luck to real go ones.
We are the 5th richest football club in the world… that alone mean we should be more ambitious.
I know right?? This shitty ungreatful “fans” they have the greatest boss in football and after one loss to Liverpool they talk shit and want him out. Which other team have been this successfull in recent years??we are always in CL amoung the best
Always among the best. Never THE best.
You really think this is about “one loss to Liverpool”…? You know nothing, Jon Snow!
SMDH!
I seriously dont give a damn about any premier league or champions league game.I wasn’t at all upset about Liverpool winning.I kinda Expected it.I will now only watch the FA Cup with interest as its the only realistic chance of a trophy.
I seriously dont know where the club is heading.Some One please enlighten me.
Good thing you mentioned the owner, because he seems to have escaped in all this Wenger criticism. Now I definitely feel Wenger has is part in our recent form but no one is really going on about Kronke and his team. I mean this is a man that has made a lot of money off Arsenal after becoming the largest shareholder. He practically did a leveraged buyout and using Arsenal’s cash to increase his equity value. He also takes money out of the club and rarely invests in the club and doesn’t really care about whether we win or not.… Read more »
Nonsense about the owners. Yeah, they could show ambition in terms of press conferences, or by firing Wenger. But, we spent more than 90 million pounds last summer alone. Nobody was clamoring for signings this winter because the squad actually seems good enough, or it did in January. The bigger issue is that Wenger spent 90 million pounds on three players and I don’t think it improved the team one bit.
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain – AW is the new Dark Knight! He is the hero we deserve but don’t need right now!
Maybe not a coincidence that we play better once our least effective players come off?
True, but rewatch that first goal if you dare. The whole back four is bypassed with the most simple pass. Bellerin included. So basic.
What can be said that hasn’t already be said?
Yeah, totally pi**ed off with players coming out saying “we’re going to go for it”, “we’re capable of winning this one” followed by “we should have been better at start/defensively/competitvely” then “we are capable of putting this right for the next game”.
Arsene moaning that lack of playing games was the cause instead of playing too many games is a first though!
He’s now talking more bollix than Moremoanio.
Have you ever given it a thought that fans are making the team nervous. And the team has gotten a new king in Alexis who is threatening the remaining cohesion in them. Some fans are doing more damage than Wenger, undermining the team and wanting them to succeed. It doesn’t work that way. These fans should get a grip. Never seen a team under so much pressure succeed. It’s not just Wenger, fans are also part of the problem. If Wenger goes, will the fans also go? Give the team breathing space and get behind them.
Yeah, well said! The problem is: we fans would like to see change (change in attitude on the pitch, efficiency etc.). But those changes are connected to the real world, while our complains, outcry and frustrations “exist” only in “reality” of media, blogosphere, cloud and so on. But the difference between the two was clear as noonday a couple of days ago when Chiliean fans were to march in favour of Alexis leaving Arsenal 14000 likes vs. 8 participants 🙂 So maybe the change can starts “here” but until then – thousands of comments or millions of likes could easily… Read more »
Question everything boys. From the ownership to the manager to the players. It’s a big shit sandwich.
I’m sorry Arsene has to put up with shite from the press, the so called experts and the ridiculous goons who think they’re Gooners! Anybody would think we’re 5th from bottom! Get behind him and our team or get in front of true fans who I’m sure would gladly kick your sorry arses.
Totally agree, people just repeat the same drivel that not winning the championship is a failure when it is the most competitive it has ever been and spending money does not guarantee success. I’m guessing most of these fans don’t remember pre-Wenger days of coming 12 in the league.
Sorry but that’s sententious nonsense. Some of us were here long before Wenger and we’ll be here long after he’s gone. I am not interested that we’re better off than Leyton Orient or Sunderland. Believe it or not, we were before the ‘Sainted Mesiah’ arrived. It’s the difference between what we are capable of with our resources and what we are doing, that matters. We should be making a fist of it in the EPL. We are not ; and haven’t been for years. If the CL is so important we should look like winning it once in a while.… Read more »
Trying to figure out the one going backwards between some fans and Arsenal. It’s only at Arsenal that fans choke their team and expect them to succeed. Can’t some people see that this constant pummeling is getting to them? Too much negativity about their team.
People like you are the reason why Arsenal are so poor – always happy to drag out yesteryear to try and argue that we should be “grateful” for what we have. Times have moved on and Arsenal (and you) have not. You are correct in one thing – spending money is not a guarantee of success but neither is repeating the same patterns every year and hoping for a different result as Wenger does. Expecting Arsenal to win everything is unrealistic and unreasonable but to expect them to actually challenge is perfectly reasonable and Arsenal have not challenged – that’s… Read more »
Or alternatively, assemble 6 pm Avenall Road on Tuesday before the Bayern game, and join the march to the Armoury Roundabout, making it plain that Wenger should get no further contract extension.
When is the more important ‘Kroenke-out’ march?
You have a new coach ready or you really don’t give a hoot? Just puss ed off about this kind of talk.
Tube to Euston, train to Manchester, coach to anfield in the pouring rain. 2-0 down at half time after having sung our hearts out. Walk to coach in pouring rain. Coach to Manchester. In crummy hotel by 10.30. Bus to Piccadilly station. Just on tube, almost home now.
I worked harder than any of the players in Arsenal shirts on that pitch yesterday.
Change definitely needed.
You’ll be too busy head butting their stomachs though dawn
You lot support the same piss for the last ten years, and it’s a massive part of the reason we’re in this situation.
if you think only that the only the fans that support wenger to stay right now are true fans you are wrong my friend. i wont support people who booed and cursed wenger but the truth is they are actually right. and the result of every season shows that. we have a squad capable of much better things than top four and elimination round in champions league. a team that has worldclass players like sanchez , ozil , xhaka , mustafi , koscielny , a team that spends 100 million in last transfer alone should be doing much better than… Read more »
I’ve been pro-wenger for this entire decade, but my stance is finally changing. It’s the same old year in year out, again and again. After every horrendous performance, Arsene tells the media we should learn from our mistakes, but it seems like we never learn. 4th/5th place shouldn’t be enough when you spend 90mil on your squad, when a team who spent less than 5th of that won it a season ago.
I wouldn’t label myself as part of the #wengerout brigade, it sounds too crude and I still deeply respect the boss. I’m more of a #farewellwenger man.
Yeah, you tell ’em.
We’re playing great! No, really!
The true fans will kick your asses if you think we can be better!
Surely, that game yesterday was pure perfection, and coming hot on the heels of that spectacular Munich result, really, we’re so spoiled.
Mathematically still in the title race, baby! Woo-hoo!
Well said Dawn.
Unfortunate and disappointing have to be the two most used words in player interviews in the last five years. I’m sick to my hole of it.
No offence to Bellerin personally, but I don’t understand why it’s a revelation that we have to put the effort in to win games. The question is why aren’t we doing it? And as for Cech, what “very organised” defence leaves a man completely unmarked at the back post twice in one half of football? This really is a pitiful state of affairs.
Hear, hear.
And Bellerin should be careful he doesn’t get used as the Denilson/Djourou media stooge to trot out meaningless platitudes after defeats. We could stomach them then but it’s so many years down the line it’s all ringing more than a little hollow.
part that worried me the most is to hear Bellerin say we don’t have to worry about the other teams. That’s Wenger-talk right there. Of course we need to worry more about other teams and try to match some of them tactically. I’m not saying become a tinkerman and change formations all the time, but we need to match up to other teams/strategies at times. Leicester beat liverpool with quick movement through the middle…exactly what Sanchez would have provided. Must be more to this than we’re told…
The Arsenal just need better players.We need midfielders still have not replaced Viera. Mightbe a new manager will sign world class players.
F**k all this game plane rubbish.
We, as paying fans, want the REAL REASON WHY ALEXIS WAS DROPPED!!
I think Alexis has told Wenger he’s a complete idiot (which of course is quite true…) and was benched for disciplinary reasons.
Wenger then made himself look a total arse by having to ask Alexis to bail him and the team out of trouble!
An embarrassing end to Wenger’s career.
Come on, Arsene is not a “complete idiot”. What he’s doing isn’t working, it’s disappointing and it may be time for him to move on, but its a gross exaggeration to suggest he’s an embarassment. After he stuck with us through the lean years, I really hoped he’d be able to enjoy some success using the additional money after the stadium debt reduced. It was only right that he got that chance. But the fact its the fourth season since Ozil joined and the pursestrings were loosened, and we haven’t come close to challenging for the league (always not even… Read more »
I respect your opinion.
But Wenger WAS a good manager….but not any more.
He is a deluded dinosaur that thinks the teams weaknesses and repeated mistakes will just somehow ‘go away’….
I think they are complacent , I never used to moan , but theres no fight in them , gutless, soft and we make every team look like 1970 Brazil
Hard to be a Gunners fan these days. Really tough. Wenger is in his balloon filled with beautiful football with the end results lacking and the players have lost faith in his stubborness not to adapt to the results way of playing football. A little bit boring to watch but with better results at the end of the day. His philosophy has finally gone to shambles and I think it´s down to the players who just dont believe in it longer. He has to swallow his pride, adapt, get results even in ugly ways – or leave. I am afraid… Read more »
Arsenal are in a nasty slump at the moment and due to the fragility of our players confidence its difficult to come out off. I saw nothing wrong with the selection of the players, i would have rather seen alex starting however the plan in using to big men up top seemed like a good idea, we were set up for direct football, counter attacks and crosses to the big men. We actually started brightly, but then liverpool keeper sent a long kick forward and about 4 touches later we were one to nil down, then all crap broke loose… Read more »
It’s pretty gutless in comparison to other top four contenders
Arsene mate – time to fuck off with thanks
Regarding Alexis I think this is one of those situations where we probably aren’t privy to the full story. I love the guy but it looks like he wants to leave. Moreso His body language/petulence has been a disgrace at times- only excused because he is our best player. I suspect the manager was asserting his authority And it may make sense if we knew the background. No player is bigger than the club and I have more affinity to guys who want to play for us. Also this isn’t some blind defence of arsene. It is clearly the end… Read more »
Could not sleep last night. Still cant get that defeat out of my head. The way the players played especially in the first half i do ask myself whether they really care about the club.
There’s nothing to us anymore, I mean I don’t want go on about the Henry days (class) but we could take anyone on? now were crap. I’m shit myself bout Tuesday night I no were out but I’m ARSENAL, we’re turning in to 7/8 place shit
Same manager, same soft players, same tactics or none for that matter, same results. This manager nor the players we have match the hunger and ambition of Alexis.
I with u 100% I’m ARSENAL all the way but same old ! That’s not even a good Liverpool team yet , omg I cloud cry
Omg I can’t even spell ?
Every could has a silver lining. 🙂
Lol Paul just seen ur post!
That’s a sliver lining, by the way.
The squad don’t believe in Wenger anymore.
Alexis loves Arsenal but knows the season is lost, therefore he’s happy with scoring and assisting.
Wenger’s tactics have and will not work anymore.
The talent is here. But we need a new leader in this team.
Thank you AW. You have done good for Arsenal.
But like a book, this is the end.
For all those people who think after wenger the transition will be though….yeah maybe, but 2 Fa cups in 12 years…it really cant get worst
Arsene wenger showed the future of arsenal to the bosses who think their money is sames as it was 5 years ago and reluctant to pay the fair wage to their star men. If they think they can get top class players like sanchez and ozil under 200 k a week, they must’Ve been sleeping. Why any world class players should join arsenal if they could not get hold of whom they have? We saw what Arsenal looks like withought both of them yesterday–a headless chicken dancing in circles.
It’s like they weren’t playing!
Becoming more evident that the players are not playing for the manager. Not too dissimilar to Leicester situation
Yeah but he also leaves them high and dry.
They look lost at times when simple directives from the bench would have suffice to put it right.
We’ve seen how certain teams can change with simple adjustments.
Point in case the recent return to form of Leicester since Ranieri’s sacking. Shakespeare didn’t rewrite the play. He made some simple readjustments (back to basics that worked for them) and they are a different team.
Sorry guys I’m on one now! We have alot of money to spend, not saying that’s the answer, but we r big team! 4 fuck sake that’s our club, we’re Arsenal what’s the fuck going on! Same old shit sticking up for them every Monday morning! Making players like deacon look like maradona FOR FUCK SAKE WHY!!!!!!!
The technical level of the league has changed over the decades. When Wenger first started, he had market knowledge/monopoly on foreign players. In fact that was a bit of a rabid allergy to foreigners as espoused by the press then. Now there are foreign players AND managers right down the ranks. Its become more competitive with the TV money aside from the entrance of two debt financed teams. The edge which Arsene once enjoyed has eroded even if we can afford to spend higher on players these days (thanks to his stadium move) This means a lot more comes down… Read more »
2018 is too long time. Any change has to happen this summer.
Who ever gave me thumbs up I love u! Lol im pissed up gunner wondering why…………..
“We need to realise that it’s just not the way to go. We need to push harder, to start the games with a better attitude and just go for it because we showed that when we go for it and want something, we can do it”
– Dear Hector, it’s not us (the fans) that you need to convince. Also, I’m pretty sure that you (the team) actually know this too. The problem is your not doing this despite week in week out talking about it. THAT’S what causing the fans to worry…
I not a wenger out/in band wagon but I’m a gooner whos had anuff of falling apart every feb/march
Things always get overblown..we badly need some perspective. Defeat was disappointing, position in the league is realistic. We played with hope of getting 2nd spot with a win. We suddenly can’t become sh* by moving down to 5th. I don’t secod guess lineups. This was not about us going forward but our defending midfield down. We simply just can’t close players down. I counted the times Liverpool players managed to turn with the ball with one of us already behind him. That should never happen not at that rate.
I had earlier told Arsenal faithful so that the problem with Arsenal is the manager but his loyalists were telling us what he achieved 2 decades ago . The truth is that Wenger can no longer cope with the tactical ingenuity of the younger coaches and managers.He also does not prepare his team well physically ,tactically and mentally. Arsenal has good players with many internationals and ex-internationals but Wenger does not know how to get the best out of them. People should stop insulting the players,but the Manager. To exemplify, what caliber of players does Watford parade in comparison to… Read more »
Its not the poast achievements which recommend his retention. His consistency finishing at a high MINIMUM level of CL and potentially FA cup for 2 decades sees him as less of a risk than the unknown. It could get even worse if we panic buy the wrong manager and it may set us back another 3 to 4 empty seasons. What’s certain is he is leaving sooner than later but we have to manage the transition lucidly. If there is a better selection 2018 than this summer (bc of WCUP managerial reshuffling) then a transition season as his last season… Read more »
They keep saying the same sweet nothings. We need to learn from our mistakes. Nah. We need to start quicker. Nah. We need to not let the manager down. Nah. It was quite obvious the set up was all wrong (missing Alexis aside). 1) We were defending too narrow affording Liverpool space to overload our fullbacks (for BOTH goals). I mentioned before we needed to tweak our relationship in midfield. Granit should have been sat in an advance tip of a triangle with the Cbacks leaving both fullbacks a bit more space to push wider. 2) Wide men were too… Read more »
Arsene Wengers stats against other top clubs are pretty grim reading, When he was successfull he managed the hands down strongest squad in the league, possibly Europe. People can point the finger at the owner and the board all they want but Wenger is the first man to come to their defence and he wholeheartedly agrees with how the club is run strictly as a business and not as a football club. He agreed to sell our best players to our direct rivals only because they paid a couple mill more than foreign optioms and that is good for business,… Read more »
Bellerin was piss poor on the day.
Cech could have been better.
City, Spurs, Liverpool (even United) are on an upward trajectory.
We are getting left behind by the peloton never mind the leader.
The gaffer is as usual suspect with his tactical options but the players themselves have little excuse.
Hairdryer. Someone buy one.
I read alot of u guys posts, rants texts most are right surely wenger/board investors no!!!? Wtf is going on! I’ve had anuff
It looks evident that the gaffer himself is losing his own fight.
I don’t think he now thinks he can take this ship any further.
Its likely a question of transition sooner than later.
He looks a broken man TBH. Its sad.
We subbed our worst player, Coquelin, off and replaced him with our best player, Sanchez. Simple as that.
Coquelin has been so poor in that new role that would rather see AML or the Jeff get a run in the starting eleven.
My position vs Wenger is clear, it’s time to resign, but I also support Bellerin’s statement that there’s too many players out there who fails miserably when it comes to attitude. Look again at the first half, players who have a clear shot to win duels, but either don’t bother or fake it. Jump with the back first into aerial duels and dont take the defensive runs home. You see the midfielder walking back 15 meters from an unmarked Liverpool player and don’t give a shit. Easy goals are easy goals because somebody don’t do the job. And it’s not… Read more »
What I will say is, was it far easier in the second half to win the fifty/fiftys as Poo had a cigar on?
There is no point in arguing for Wenger to stay.
He will be going within the next two years anyway, so there is no reasoned argument for him not to go at the end of his contract.
What difference will two years make?
Love you Arsene but all things come to an end.
COYG.
I know that Kroenke doesn’t inspire much confidence however we have spent more under him than any previous owner. Wenger has bought each and every player in the team. I realise that it’s harder to find talent on the cheap but other teams have managed it Leicester being a case in point. In terms of tactics I think Conte has shown that you can have a serious plan b and achieve success. So whilst Arsene has been great and deserves his place in Arsenal hall of fame, he is not currently (or for the past decade) been a great manager.… Read more »
I have said it time and time again. We have forgotten how to pass and move.
I’m so gutted we r arsenal…. which I love…. who are slowly becoming fuck all….
OziL. Sanchez. Bellerin. Xhaka. Koscielny. Leave while you can.
What bothers me about wenger is his arrogance he never takes the blame for his lack of tactics and failures. It is always the players,the pitch,the refs,Mr blogs dog etc. Anyone but him.
Cant wait for the team selection Tuesday. We are now the butt of all the jokes.
It would be amusing if it wasnt so fucking sad.
It’s time for an aggressive change of tactics….. Time to close down and press like our lives depended on it and counter attack like jumping from a sinking ship….. As for the 1st half against Liverpool we were far to stand offish and static, you won’t win the ball back playing like that, second half we attempted to close down, so there is no way in a million years we had the same game plan for both halves… If you want a happy Alexis that’s the way to play. You can understand his frustration watching all his team mates apart… Read more »
Hahaha. Now I hear Cech and Bellerin question Arsenal attitude after Liverpool thrashing. I ask: who are these ‘Arsenal’?Me, rats in the bush, or chickens in the poultry? So, now if we remove Bellerin, Cech and the greatest player in the world ever, Sanchez from the team we have 8 half baked incompetent jokers who make up the Arsenal team. Pls let’s get serious.