Friday, March 29, 2024

Wenger says defenders had United game on their minds

Arsenal endured another poor start to a game when they conceded in the third minute and allowed Southampton a number of good early chances in the 1-1 draw on Sunday.

It followed from last week’s disastrous start against Man Utd, and not only were lessons not learned from that, but Arsene Wenger believes it was a contributory factor to the shaky beginning.

Speaking after the game, the manager seemed keen to play it down, but admitted his defenders had last week in mind when they took to the field at St Mary’s.

“I felt that the Manchester United game played a bit of a part in the head of our defenders,” he said.

“It was a bit in their head and they were a bit apprehensive to start well again and that’s why it is sometimes not good to talk about the problem because you create a bigger one.”

There were moments when we might have been exposed on the break too, with Laurent Koscielny struggling and Per Mertesacker taken off to shift to a back four and get an extra attacker on.

Wenger also spoke about his team’s inability to create chances despite all the possession they enjoyed.

“I felt at first that we rushed our game in the final 15 minutes of the first half and started to lose balls in the middle of their goal,” he continued.

“We needed to play the way we wanted to play, defend quicker when we lose the ball and to put the ball under much more pressure.

“In the second half I felt it was one-way traffic, it was very difficult to create clear-cut chances.”

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SB Still

Maybe coaching them in the art of defense will help!

James

Next week.

Wenger: Defenders had Southampton game on their mind.

Next next week:

Ad infinitum…

ronaldo

maybe get good defenders, even

Nketibag

If they really had that game on their minds, they wouldn’t have made any stupid mistakes in the first 10 minutes.

Pedant

Back to a 4 at the back?

Mpls

Dunno – will that make Xhaka and Monreal mark their runners?

Kwame Ampadu Down

No, it won’t…but at this stage it’s obvious the 3/5 at the back has solved nothing so why not go a back 4 when it’s obvious that’s what the manager believes in ? With Rambo out (presumably) go with Coquelin & Jack – what have we got to lose ? Just as long as we tell Coq to go back to doing what he’s good at & stop letting him think he’s a box to box player.

BromleyGooner

I think its harsh to blame Monreal for the first. He jumped for the header. Kolasinac should have followed him instead.

Mpls

But he jumped against the man that then ran in and scored the goal. Point is, three men there and not one of them thought in time to shut that run down. It’s their #1 target man.

BromleyGooner

I think Monreal tried to get there but didnt manage in time because he had ground to make up being out of position having lost the header. Kolasinic was in front of the Southampton player and could have easily got there first. He just didn’t sniff the danger and realise Monreal was out of position and didn’t follow the run

Santori

Some people are willing to always forgive certain players and scapegoat others.

Monreal was also culpable for 2 of the goals against United

ronaldo

3 or 4, it doesn,t matter we have a shit defence

Kwame Ampadu Down

I’m really confused Arsene. This squad has the greatest mental strength of any squad you’ve had at Arsenal (you keep telling us) & yet they were apprehensive because they had a poor game last week?

Greg

Your cheating now! You can’t use his other recent comments together as they highlight just how ridiculous his comments are in general

3 years ago he guaranteed we would win the league by now

Ozil and Sanchez contract situations ideal

Ox is the future of this football club

Greg

Why in the press room doesn’t one just one reporter ask that question? Gunnerblog please

Donald\'s Trump

Duhhhhh, the handbrake was on that’s why.

Trez

No we need a new CB. Kos is getting on with age. Oh yeah and let Bould do his job with the defence or maybe Get Adams or Keown in there.

Vonnie

Don’t want Adams or Keown anywhere near the club, Adams is a fucking nutcase and the things Keown said recently he can also fuck off. Bould doesn’t seem to do anything but chew gum, nothing will change until the manager leaves.

Santori

Agree.

IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE AN EX PLAYER

Keon has gone soft with punditry. Adams is a limited manager at best. bound is a yes man afraid to call the emperor’s new clothes.

Trez

Keown has worked with Wenger before. Why did he leave after working with the defence during the ucl run?? I think Bould can do a job, but it looks like Wenger isn’t letting him do anything

southpaw74

Just bring in Adams to sort the defence out and toughen the fairy’s up, he wont take no shit,, thats why wenger don’t want him there,, wont take no shit off him either

Greg

Adams and keown have strong opinions and wouldn’t back down. Arsene only wants yes men

Mpls

Yes, because conflicts in the management is exactly what the club needs. Oh, and contrary on pitch strategies as well. Those ought to fix it all right up.

Kwame Ampadu Down

Mpls, in 40 years watching Arsenal I have never seen a team more argumentative than the Invincibles.

Mpls

Players on the pitch getting on each other to do their job is one thing. Management is another. If the management is arguing and disagreeing and giving conflicting orders the players will be even more lost than they are now at times. I’d love to see more direction barked at players on the pitch.

Santori

Agree.

Regardless of tactics we will need a new CBack.

Koscielny is showing wear and tear. Monreal is also culpable and not getting younger. Per is only here for extreme back up and in all honesty should have left at the height following FA cup.

We need to keep Mustafi’s, further groom Chambers and Holding, Koscilny for one more season and Monreal.

But we will need a new CBack in addition as a first choice option in the summer.

Why we let an improving Gabriel leave, almost sell Mustafi and instead relied on a half baked Holding is anyone’s guess.

Santori

It doesn’t matter 4 or 3 or 5 at the back. We have not had the united game in our mind. 1)we have a midfield with flaws. Neither of Ramsey or Granit can receive the ball with back to opponents. Both have the turning circle of a London bus in an alley way. we have players like Iwobi or Jack who can turn and face the opponent quicker but one is relatively less experience Ina deeper role the other is still not entirely up to speed against Premiership opposition. meanwhile we continue to do the same thing at United and… Read more »

GraeB

Southampton had 10 at the back but still looked more likely to score than us. They got the ball, made simple pass to one of their own outside of the area and then wide to hit our known weak point at full back.

Once again a team of low priced players, but organised, made our pricey lot look like mugs. Once again I felt sorry for Ozil who must be more convinced each game that he doesn’t want a new contract, whatever the pay.

Why oh why didn’t we get Pep in when he was becoming available?

adgonner

Kos looks jaded. Xhaka has got no identity. Bellerin seems to have lost his..

Mesut O\'Neill

It’s time to drop Sanchez. Obviously Wenger doesn’t want to upset his star player while negotiating a new contract, but it’s pretty obvious he won’t be signing.

Grumbleduke

If Steve Bould is really able to train the defenders without interference from wenger then it shows he is inept at his duties as this has been going on for too long the same mistakes.
If Wenger won’t let him have a serious input then Bould is sitting there purely to pick up his wages. Surely pride would mean you would find another club.

Chuffy

Coach them then you blind idiot. Play a system that doesn’t expose them if they’re apprehensive. Shit, does he even talk to players or listen to their fears and anxieties? I’m hearing now Ramsey has done his hamstring. Perfect for Jack, but I bet Wenger brings in Coquelin. Maybe he thinks 2 lefties would struggle. It’s time for 4-4-1-1: Cech, RBDebuchy, DCKoscielny, DCMustafi, LBMonreal, RWOzil, MCWilshire, MCCoquelin, LWWelbeck, FCLacazette, SCGiroud. No Bellerin, out of form, no Kolasinac, looks tired/injured, no Xhaka, can’t play in 2 man midfield, no Alexis, needs to be sold so we can plan for life without… Read more »

Greg

Be coq elneny at least before Jack going by our great dictator

Santori

Welbeck is ineffective.

Jack is good against Bate but this is a different level still.

No Ozil and Alexis and we look s

Santori

Nobody’s going to shed light on fundamental issues other than pointing fingers at this or that player.

The issue on hand is tactical and the inability/refusal to tune quickly when things don’t work

No amount of new players will entirely change this

Mpls

The issue is defenders switching off and giving the ball away or not marking their runners.

GraeB

Giving an early goal away just gives your opponents opportunity to shut the penalty area down instead of attacking. Far easier to defend when you’re winning (and ref doesn’t award penalty when exactly the same late tackle after playing the ball outside the area was a free kick!).

Stuck+on+repeat...

Completely agree Santori. The issue at hand is tatical (or lack of tactics), the inability or reluctance to change formations against different opponents, no dedicated DM, insistance on playing out under pressure from the back despite having no real player with the skills to do so against high pressing teams, oh & having defensively tasked midfield players that believe they can defend when they play half the game actually ahead of & infront of our dedicated striker.

Change has to come from the top.

Merteslacker

I don’t think it’s tactical – this team was rocking against United and yet the same team/formation just a week later (fully rested) turn up an abysmal performance against Soton. Nor can you accuse Wenger of not tuning in quickly (at least not this time) – he put out all 3 attacking subs by 70th minute when that’s the time normally when he introduced his first sub. The underlying problem here is the team’s mental strength. Why is there such as chasm between our home & away games? Same manager, same players, same formation. Its the fragility of the squad… Read more »

Tas Gunner

Ffs

Alexstratz

Sometimes you shouldn’t mention the problems and sometimes you should. I feel we do too much of the former.

Nick

Seen this game over and over again these last year’s! Loads of possession but no meaningful atracks just tip tap back and forth across the opposition box and painfully slow build up with defenders positioning bloody awful ! Way too slow to change the system and personel it was obvious from the moment we conceded through lack of focus that we were not going to score unless changes were made ! Poor team performance and poor manage!

Alexisshorts

And when we finally scored it wasn’t through tippy tippy trying to walk the ball into the net but from an incisive cross leading to a header. We are generally so predictable in front of goal, giving almost every keeper time to anticipate the shot and make him look like a world beater.

Big Dave

I wouldn’t be thinking about the past if I was on £250k a week.

Caj

Jesus Jones !!! That’s a new spin on an old excuse, I’m bored of my beloved club because of this once great manager. Taxi for Wenger.

butters

Cant afford.

Get him a ricksaw.

Glocken

This is a terrible admission on his behalf. He can’t motivate the team or correct the errors. This doesn’t relate to this season, it’s been a problem for years.

To have had a week with the first team & without a a game and produce that performance is awful.

The fact that the players were still worried after United says a lot about our vented ‘mental strength’.

We need a new manager & a set of coaches as soon as possible.

He\'s+got+no+hair+but+we+don\'t+care...

Oh shut up.

Chidi

Arsene would never run out of excuses for his players. When will these players begin to take responsibility for their failures on the pitch?
There’s always a narrative from wenger following every defeat.. Always!
Bellerin was piss poor, same with kola, kos, mert, Sanchez, oh goodness sanchez, even Mr consistent dropped levels a notch for the first time since I can remember.
Arsene’s team on the day should be sweeping this game under the carpet, even his substitutions given the scoreline and the way the match was going leaves little room for argument. Yet it’s always always the manager’s fault.

Santori

Mollycoddlying.

But the problem is also he is at fault for poor tactical acumen.

Above that the inability/stubbornessnot to change things around quickly when we are caught out.

Stuck+on+repeat...

Excuses…Excuses… I can understand having a defensively shocking game against say Southampton…then when going up against a decent attacking team this season in the next game like Man U having an effect on the defense players minds. But the other way around? Seriously? Think we’re just to easy to plan against. You don’t even now need to be a top class manager. Just pick & watch any 2 games we’ve played, realise we will play exactly the same way against any opponent, & then plan a single way of dealing with this. Doesn’t matter how good or bad you are,… Read more »

Far+East+Stand

“…it is sometimes not good to talk about the problem because you create a bigger one.”

Spoken like a true dictator.

Lula

I doubt this but perhaps Wenger knows better. Seems to me that if you are that psychologically frail then you shouldn’t be playing at this level. And Wenger will be the first to say they are not frail. Also Mertesacker didn’t play last week so I don’t get it. Perhaps I’m a footballing philistine but the players that are psychologically struggling from losing to Man U last week need to grow a pair. But lets face it. It has nothing to do with United; it is an excuse. Mistakes happen. But when they happen over and over and over, maybe… Read more »

6gunner

Here is the problem: Wenger likes for the centerbacks to start our possession by either playing passes to the midfielders who are pushed up to the halfway line, kicking it out to our wingers who are also pushed up toward the halfway line, or bypassing the midfield directly to our forwards. However, our centerbacks are the most, and even wingers, are not the most technically skilled or swiftest players on the pitch and this strategy leaves them very exposed. Therefore, early in the game, when the opposing team is fresh and full of piss and vinegar, their press can/does force… Read more »

pajanee

Against west ham i’ll like to see::Cech…hector calum holding monreal…elneny wilshire iwobi….lacaz giroud ozil…it can’t get worst.

No One

When Per starts for you in a tricky away game, and still you blame defenders who you picked. You should have picked the Europa League players then. Are you f****** kidding me !!!!

George

Well that’s not fucking good enough now is it?

Someone needs to sort this shit out. Excuse making mental midgets.

gooner+44

b#ll#cks, b#ll#cks and more BOLLOX.
Excuses, excuses and more EXCUSES.
When’s he gunner get a new script writer.
It’s ALWAYS the same ” SH♊te”.

Caviar not sausage

Well, I have heard Wenger use some ridiculous statements to justify a piss poor performance but this one is a bag of bollocks to say the least!!

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