Arsene Wenger admits Hector Bellerin hasn’t found his best form since returning from injury earlier in the season but insists the Spaniard doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of criticism from frustrated Arsenal fans.
The 22-year-old, who committed himself to the club for another six and a half years in November, bore the brunt of fan anger both during and after last week’s defeat to Crystal Palace and had to be consoled by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at full time.
Reflecting on the situation, Wenger told Arsenal Player that his young charge is doing his best to focus on the simple side of his game by defending better.
“I think it’s unfair because he’s a guy who is genuinely Arsenal and wants to do well,” said Wenger.
“I agree that for a while he was not the Hector Bellerin we had seen at the start of the season. He has not come back to his level since he has been injured.
“Then you get bad habits and you forget that your job first is to defend and win challenges because you protect yourself a little bit.
“I think now he is trying to focus on again what is important, to defend well. After he can give us the extra bit [going forward] that is important as well.”
The boss also took a moment to remind fans that supporting the club and players through this particularly dire run of results is vital.
He added: “The fans want to be behind the team and the way we respond on the football pitch will decide the attitude of the fans.
“The fans love the club. It’s a good period to be united and not divided. Historically Arsenal has been about that. One of our values is to be together. There’s no better period of the season than to show it now.”
Wenger didn’t touch on Hector’s hair, although there are rumours he may make the Spaniard cut off his man bun as part of any agreement to stay on at the club.
Never one to shy away from a problem, Hector himself insists that he and the team will only grow stronger as a result of the criticism.
“In other seasons, we’ve gone through bad patches, but probably not as bad as in this one,” he told Arsenal Player.
“You need to learn to deal with people saying bad things about you and you need to learn to deal with stuff that’s not happened before.
“It will make me stronger, that’s how I see it. Some people can be destroyed or collapse but I think I and everyone at the club needs to look at it positively.
“We just need to do our job on the pitch. We know that fans are angry, we know that people want results because we’re Arsenal and that’s what’s expected from us.
“But it’s been a long time that we went through a patch like this so we need to make sure that we recover from it. Trust me, we’re trying as hard as we can.”
This is a bit disingenuous from Wenger; clearly the criticism was directed at the team as a whole. No surprises that Bellerin is carrying an injury though.
Wenger is being a little sly here. He is using the fans to air out some dirty laundry and motivate players. He knows that Bellerin was not singled out any less than any other player in the squad. This is not the first time he has done this.
It always works though, which is why many of us love him for it–it’s also a measure of managerial nous, how well you can play the crowd.
The fans are just getting tired of bluffed and swung around without any actual cards being put on the table, so now it’s seen as a negative thing, even more so because it works so well.
After the weekends results it’s looking like however we perform to the end of the season it’s not going to matter a toss – barring a total collapse of one of the teams ahead of us we’re out of the top four. However, for the remaining games instead of all the fine fighting words it would be good to see some of the hot air from the manager & players converted into improved performance on the pitch.To be honest most fans don’t give a monkeys what is said, all they want to see is players giving their all on the… Read more »
The more I think about it the more I put the blame on the players rather on Wenger. Show the passion you showed against Chelsea & West Ham and no fan will have a single problem FCOL. All they do is talk. They should be dying on the pitch to support this manager…
Players JUST CANNOT admit that the opponent’s wanted it more right from the beginning. The least expected out of them is to want it more than their opponents.
If the minimum expectation for every team is to ‘want it’ more than their opponents, then at least one team will always fail, every week.
Lol but both teams should be approaching infinity so nobody knows clearly which team wanted it more. Not that one team makes it too easy by being close to zero in desire.
The obvious question to have asked of serial shirker and apprentice Invisible Man Walcott is : “if you realised they wanted it more right from the beginning you had 90 minutes to do something about it. Does the fact that you didn’t indicate that you really couldn’t give a shit, you disingenuous time wasting shirt tail riding halfwit?”
19 goals is hardly shirking…..
19 goals a season should be a bare minimum for Theo
The problem with guys like Walcott, and possibly Giroud and Coquelin is not whether they’re passionate enough, they’re just not good enough technically to impose themselves on tough games. Yet Wenger chose Walcott to captain his side. He then comes out with that absurd statement and the whole team looks bad. That’s on Wenger. The least he could have done to protect Bellerin was make sure we had an adequate replacement (Debuchy signed in 2011 ffs) so he could be eased back from injury but instead he’s yammering on about fans instead of how his squad management has exposed another… Read more »
Exactly, it’s all on the manager. As well as your excellent points, how can you blame the players for playing an open, expansive game that leaves the defence exposed? You can’t expect a team to be defensively solid if they’re not putting the hours in on the training ground, that’s the managers responsibility. Same goes for our central midfield, you can’t just hope it gels, hours of practice has to going into making a partnership work. Again it’s on the manager that any and all the combinations used without Cazorla look like two strangers thrown together. Our bad form all… Read more »
Okay, got that wrong – Debuchy signed in 2014 not 2011.
Sorry but Giroud doesn’t have dribbles but he is very good at other technical aspects : headers, first touch, etc even scorpion kicks.
Wanting to win is the most basic requirement for sports.
Anyway I think we can replace Hector with Arsene and playing with managing and it’d make more sence.
Useless piece of argument… How many players have come to Arsenal and gone but the team performances worsen even further…?
I have belief in this squad. This squad has got potential undoubtedly. I hope Wenger and the lot make them click.
How can any supporter vote this down, all he said essentially is I hope the team will do well. You can want change but still hope for good results!
Why do they allow him air time? Everything he states in any interview can be traced back to 10 years of the same shit. He is dillusional, out of touch with reality and has nothing to the harp on about anymore. Raneiri proved last season wenger is full of shit for using lack offunds as a scapegoat to being unable to compete in the past 12 years. Pochetinno is proving it this season. What is this hoopla about Wenger being the best manager for us? He couldn’t even win the CL with that invincible team! The harsh reality is, hiss… Read more »
Just attack the manager and not the person.
” He couldn’t even win the CL with that invincible team!”
Worst comment on here for a longtime! Imo.
tired of trusting you. Been trusting you and suffering for too long.
Dear Wenger the arsenal fans are together, we all agree that you should pack your bags and leave at the end of the season
Regards
All Arsenal fans.
We aren’t all together at all mate. A few pricks in social media doesn’t, no matter how important they think they are represent all the fans of Arsenal football club. I live in sunny Barnet and most people want a bit of a shake up with players but we want Wenger to stay on. We are actually ashamed of the disrespect shown to Wenger and humiliated by these pathetic protests and banners
Been saying this a while thank fuck somebody has the sense to say it as it is. The team have always finished in the champions league spot and sometimes a run in for the league but fell short, throw in a couple of fa cups and the manager really does look clueless doesn’t he? Wish all the doom mongers would fuck off and give us all a break from the same shit. Maybe a positive attitude towards arsenal football club wouldn’t be a bad thing right now when needed 4-0 tonight for me COYG
Good words. Our fans have been disgraceful haven’t they? I genuinely feel like I’m in the minority now. I want him to leave, but only because by staying, he’s allowing the fans and the media to destroy our club.
This thing where people blame the fans for the poor performances of the team is really irksome.
You have games like against WBA we’re our repeated lack of defensive organisation at set plays get exposed against for the nth time, and even games like Palace with that walrus using a standard blueprint to best is and Theo coming out and saying before the kick off they knew the palace fans wanted it more.
Yet some fans where seem very keen to still blame the fans for all of the above?
The point isn’t really that it’s the fans’ fault. More that the fan’s are quick to blame, rather than accept a shared responsibility. Maybe that’s too much to ask, but surely a successful club is one where all factions are doing their bit. And, as fans, our contribution’s the one thing we can have control over.
And is there no claim that the fans haven’t done their part?
I remember around hear leading up to the second tie against Bayern, there were talks that the fan would make it a toxic atmosphere and how we would lose because of it. Those fans (well paying fans might I add, of which many of their critics don’t actually attend games either) absolutely supported that team till the final whistle. We still lost.
And yet they still got blamed.
I think that the thing is, that the internet vociferous fans believe that they should have a say in the running of the club. Most fans just realise they have no influence and just hope the professional people at the club will get it right. I don’t know where I am going with this but thought it worth saying? COYG!
Well those of us in London covered by the tube system want him gone
Agree with you mate but that’s blatantly a knee-high tackle.
You speak for us all then?
As much as Viva la prof does for the people of Barnet
I don’t claim to represent the people of Barnet, I was simply replying to the guy who claimed to speak for all Arsenal supporters. I work in football, over the entire Northen line infact, not just Barnet. I speak with many other supporters and so it inevitably always comes around to what’s going on at Arsenal. I find almost nobody who supports the “thanks for the memories but fuck off” rhetoric that the always dependable media are peddling, almost all of them are embarrassed by it all. So based on the fact that everyone I personally speak about it with,… Read more »
Thanks for your post and you are spot on, thing is mate keyboard warriors seem to need to be heard and those level headed fans like yourself tend to save their time for better use. We as a fan base have been fuckin horrible spoilt brats in this whole thing. Vote me down because th truth often hurts. Be ashamed very ashamed. Not once have I said change isn’t wanted either
Very well said Sir!
I don’t work in football but have yet to meet in person anyone who thinks Wenger should stay. The only people i meet and discuss Arsenal with are amazed Wenger’s kept his job so long.
Just goes to show we can’t all use our own experiences to form such opinions
All that shows is that you’ve never been to a game.
Who me? Been going to games home and away for 3 decades, you?
The People’s Front of Barnet?
Splitters.
I dont use your precious tube to get to the game
I haven’t been on a tube for years, so there’s nothing precious about it, it was just an arbitrary geographical location to counter Viva le prof’s arbitrary location.
Out of curiosity, and this is a genuine question. Fans who want him to stay, is it that you believe better seasons lie ahead with him in charge or that he has done enough for the club that he gets to decide himself when to move on regardless of results? Or something else?
I get one camp can be loud, I’m not sure I’ve heard all the reasons from this side of the debate.
Fair question. I think if it is simply that he should decide when to go then it is surely damaging to Arsenal Football Club. Sometimes a marriage is unsustainable even if you have been together more than 20 years.
I think this is the first time where there is some proper justification for wanting him to leave. We’ve had relative success up until now. This year the wheels have fallen off a bit, but we were second last year, an defended the fa cup the year before that. We’ve always been exciting and entertaining (less so this year and maybe last year) and he’s given us some amazin times. I think it’s the lack of perspective that really fucks me off to be honest. As for the Adrian Durham, Arsenal TV, piers Morgan etc… People that defend that nonsense… Read more »
I am generally pro-Wenger and think some of the “Wenger out” people have lost all sense of proportion. But, whatever the cause, I do not see how his position is sustainable much longer. I would like to see some orderly transition, for example (and it is only an example), an announcement that Wenger will stay one more season with someone (Veira, Allegri, Howe) named to succeed him and assigned some important role during that interim season.
I think better seasons almost certainly lie ahead! This is his worst season ever while in charge. In that time, ManU has had a few worse seasons, Spurs have been worse every single season, Chelsea has been worse a handful of times and laughably much worse just last season! Liverpool have had 8 or 10 seasons worse than ours has been this year! Wenger has guided Arsenal to the top 4 (and usually beyond) for a long time. And in the most competitive league in football!
The Boss’ longevity makes Arsenal stand out as a club more classy than others, but our fans’ sense of entitlement detracts from that.
None of us think we have a god given right to win we’d just like to lose in a different way thank you.
This is an actual question – would there be a point where results trump the fact that Wenger has been running the whole ship for so long? I understand the idea that we aren’t quick to change like so many other clubs is a great thing – but does that mean that Wenger is still the best man for the job currently and not just a decade ago?
£1000 a year for a season ticket doesn’t give me a sense of entitlement. However watching every home game and seeing the same utter lack of a plan, absence of defensive organisation; seeing the same players indulged for year after year when they would have been culled from other top clubs; hearing the same meaningless platitudes spoken by both manager and players week after week, season after season; all these give me a sense of perspective that it’s time for a change.
Don’t be too sure mate. We still have some pathetic delude idiots who still want him to stay.
Sorry pal, regardless of my views on Arsenal you don’t speak for me.
Good post?
Bit rich for AW to be calling for unity when his “indecision” on his future is the centre of the omni shambles. He’s right about the fans loving the club but it’s hard for any reasonable person not to hate the current state it’s in
The players have nothing to lose now just go out and show the fans what you can do then win all the games now to the end of the season and play well.
Show us that you can do it but I don’t think you can big squad build will be needed but I say keep Bellerin.
Arsene really has lost he plot expecting Arsenal fans to support him and the players when things aren’t going well…Arsenal fans pay more than others for tickets and have had to endure finishing only top 4 for umpteenth years…Arsenal fans don’t deserve this, they deserve championship after championship forever and ever and having bad seasons is just not on mate.
Carry on hating on Hector and others you red & white loyalists..that will really make him want to prove you wrong and turn down Barca when they come calling.
Victoria Concordia Crescit….humbug
You really sum up the mentality of some Arsenal fans. Before some of you interpret this as wanting our manager to stay, I don’t.
It’s like you complain to the waiter because your meal is rank and the head chef comes out and says yes the waiter has been a bit off form lately….
Maybe the food has been getting cold before it gets to the customer
But do you call yourself a customer or a supporter? At a restaurant you’re entitled to expect.
From the perspective of Wenger and the board, we are customers
I just want to see Per again
Bellerins form is the least of our issues. He’s a very young defender, you expect his form to go down every now and then. Luckily, like any normal club, we have a great backup plan: Debuchy, Carl, AMNiles.
Bellerin is awesome, he’ll pull through this. Now let’s sort out the more important problems at this club.
I have full faith that Bellerin will sort out his form with time. As for the Board and manager sorting out their executive problems, yea I think I’ll just leave it there.
The young lad shouldn’t be blamed. Wenger has always made bad judgments. He must change his approach yo modern football. Those lads in Arsenal are good but have no winning mentality. This is the difference between them and Tottenham, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Arsene Wenger is like a grandpa who would spare the rod and spoil the child. Ifvs coach with a tough mentality succeeds Wenger, AFC would be the team to beat.
Had to thumb you down for saying the “T” word. Sorry.
Its not just Hector, believe us. Its every substandard player you have brought in an insisted they were good enough to play for Arsenal. It can only be one of 2 things. They are either not good enough or you no longer have the capacity to blend them into a winning team. One thing is an absolute certainty, the team are soft, spineless and very very easy to play against.
Aren’t the fans a contributing factor in the success of any club? Everyone seems to say it must be the players or it must be the boss. But Arsenal fans aren’t particularly resilient – the atmosphere in the Emirates turns poisonous pretty quickly. Do we need to do our job a bit better too?
Even wenger admits that the fans can only react to what they see on the pitch. They already pay to watch the shit ffs, now they must love it?
Barca has won so many trophies, they are thinking of keeping some in our empty cabinets. Still, their fans always demand more. Its the way it is.
I think so. I can’t help feeling what could have been a couple of weeks blip turned into several months due to the negativity.. don’t get me wrong I’d hope for better from professional footballers, but make no mistake this club has been infected with a poison and that’s why we are where we are.
I would agree with this more if it hadn’t been our away form that was so terrible and our home form more positive. Surely that disproves any theory that the fans are at fault for the teams performances. And if you are going to say that the away fans have an effect, until the game was pretty much lost at palace the team was being well supported, it was only after we had shipped the goals that things turned nasty. Sure maybe the fans could be more supportive but their reactions are a symptom of the malaise and negativity that… Read more »
I completely agree that our traveling support is fantastic. But our home support has never been good at the Emirates. As fans, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t be part of the success, but not the failure. If I were an Arsenal player away at Palace, I would be asking why 60,000 at the Emirates can’t generate so much positivity. Especially, given Palace’s relative lack of success.
I agree that the atmosphere in general could be better at the emirates, although I think at the last two home games it has actually been pretty positive. What I disagree with is that the fans are a cause of the failures of the team because, as i stated previously, its our away form that has been worse than our home form.
Arsenal Fans aren’t resilient?? How many other clubs would have put up with this pish for the length of time Arsenal football fans have… 2 trophies in 10+ years from a club that for at least the last 4 years should have been challenging for the top spot in the league is simply not good enough. I love Wenger, I think he as a manager is good for Arsenal and can deliver success again. (please keep reading) However, I also think that the way the club is setup has left him exposed again and again and the relationship with the… Read more »
Wenger: “Please don’t hector Bellerin”?
I’ll get me coat…
Bellerin and Walcott should not be playing together because they both like running into the same space on the wing. Bellerin should be playing with an inverted winger, the way Monreal does with Alexis. So Bellerin should play with either Lucas or Ozil on his wing.
Coquelin and Bellerin have not been the same players since coming back from injury. Two players that looked top class before getting injured now look very average. Something for the Arsenal medical dept to think about?
But meanwhile for Özil it is “the price to pay”? No, Mesut also deserves respect!
I feel bad for Bellz personally.
Being an attacking fullback and playing for an arsenal team that regularly leaves our defenders and fullbacks exposed is bad enough, then on top Wenger does that thing where rather than take him out of the firing line for a bit, he just overplays him until three things happen; he gains form by force (as has done for some players, he gets completely damaged (as has also happened to past players) or he gets injured or forced to play through injury which makes the injury worse (as almost always happens at Arsenal).
it seems that some modern attacking fullbacks are wingbacks with 3 cb´s behind them and 1 cdm to cover
Perhaps we could try that? Oh no, we don’t change systems at Arsenal…
Thing is, no one is individually castigating Bellerin. Unfortunate that he in particular bore the full frustrations at Palace the other night. Being somewhat younger and inexperienced comparatively, that was never going to be a pleasant experience. Not sure why Wenger has chosen to crucify his defending in public, when it’s been apparent for everyone, their dog, Allardici and co. for quite some time that it is his inherently flawed and outdated system that consistently leaves players like Bellerin exposed. Picking any number of different wingers incapable of defending or tracking back with any real rigour or tactical prowess exacerbates… Read more »
Just more irresponsible behavior. How can a well meaning manager risk the physical and mental well-being of any player (let alone one of Bellerins promise)? The only two backups to his position have been phased out of the first team and no replacement has come in. He has left Bellerin out to dry, continues to field a player who LITTERALLY isn’t fit to wear the shirt and has the gal to say to fans “well it’s not like you’re helping”. He’s essentially trolling people at this point and his actions, results, performances and rhetoric are unbecoming of an Arsenal manager.… Read more »
I wasn’t at the Palace game, so can’t say for sure if anything was directed at Bellerin specifically, however if any one should be getting stick for not wanting to play for the shirt the last player who should be abused is Hector. He’s one of few players who goes to and applauds fans (home and away) after EVERY game for our support, can you say the same of say Alexis or Özil? The kid is one of the few players who clearly cares for the club as opposed to just treating being a footballer as a profession. Targeting a… Read more »
From what I’m told and indeed listening to Alan Davies podcast the boos were not aimed specifically at Bellerin at Palace, it as just that he had the misfortune to approach the crowd to get the ball back and received their ire by way of a proxy for the whole team. Oh and while it is nice that players come over and applaud the crowd, it seems that this tactic can be misused as a personal pr tool used to sway the fans quite easily. Walnutt has done this each game for his entire time with us. Whether or not… Read more »
It’s sad watching some of our young players and others clearly struggling and not been taken out until they are shot to pieces, they suffer physically and mentally as confidence drops. Playing until you either come good or relapse is not helping.
I’m not blaming Bellerin, he’s a symptom, not the cause. He’s being hung out to dry in the same way as Jenko was at Swansea the other year with no cover when he attacks. Bellerin is expected to do it by using his speed, both forward and back – unrealistic. Similarly, I can’t blame Theo as it shouldn’t be down to him to provide that cover – we have 2 DMs who should do that. Also we just should not have both FBs attacking at the same time. I’m afraid that AW is living in a 15 year old bubble… Read more »
The Manager carries the blame on this one no matter how you look at it, same tactic each season each match, no player development to note and injury woes always and all our manager does is complain about referees, match schedules, transfer costs, and transfer windows. With so much expereience we expect better but clearly he is out of ideas and strategies. The present state is fine and am sad but happy if we fall that may be the only way he will leave the squad and allow for fresh management and ideas. I believe our players have lost all… Read more »
I have seen no hatred directed at him. At the most a question mark over his recent form and that is it.
Doesn’t matter what he says about fans wanting to get behind the team. There were 11 cowards on that pitch at Selhurst Park last week and another one sitting in the stands. You want us to get behind the players? Tell them to each grow a spine first.
The fans aren’t the one overplaying a struggling right back or taking him off the firing line. I remember folks being happy on here when a gredy and hapless jenkinson stayed instead of leaving. Our supposed back up is nowhere to be found but it’s cool he has arsenal DNA. #WengerOut !!!!!
I just hate the hair style…nothing more
Why do my comments appear to take hours longer than regular posters to get moderated and appear in comments section? Thought my take on the Bellerin situation was considered and 100% non offensive. If it has been deleted I would like to know why?
Cut that hair.:D
I think we haven’t found balanced threat up top from the right which means Bellerin tends to push up to make the difference. He leaves in turn, Mustafi to cover the space he vacates which can thin out our centre.
Walcott weighs in with the odd goal…is generally better than before protecting the ball but for me, he still doesn’t do enough for us and is too predictable.