Arsene Wenger says training ground practice persuaded him that Danny Welbeck was the right man to top Arsenal’s penalty taker list ahead of last night’s game with AC Milan.
Having taken a tumble in the box in controversial circumstances, the England international, much to the surprise of the majority inside the Emirates, stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick, his first for the Gunners, and netted to level the scores on 39 minutes.
The striker rounded off a good day at the office – he’d earlier earned a recall to Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad – by converting a second with his head to seal a 3-1 win.
After the game, Wenger was quizzed on how Welbeck had earned the right to take the penalty.
“Yes it was his first penalty but we worked on it in training a lot,” he told Arsenal Player.
“He took many penalties and he convinced me that he can be a good penalty-taker.
“Every game he plays makes him stronger and that is very good for Danny, for his confidence, for the fact that he did fight very hard.
“He scored a penalty that was a vital one, an important one, and he had the mental strength to have a clean finish.”
Welbeck’s successful spot-kick was his first goal in Europe for Arsenal since September 2014. Here’s hoping the brace restores further confidence and that he can avoid injury during the Interlull, he could well have an important role to play in the rest of our Europa League run.
Mental strenght is back !
Also we had ze quality!
The cohesion is also up on it’s way.
And ze team spirit
We played with a little bit the handbrake off!
It was a penalty, soft but a penalty. By lifting his arm the defender blocks (briefly but still blocks) Welbz run.
ummm so cylcops…lets say if that happened to us and Dele Alli was Welbeck…?
It was soft as a pensioners turd and a dive all day long. Can’t go around complaining about other teams when we do shit like that. Diving is diving. I felt ashamed by that goal
Not a penalty, but not sure it was a dive. Danny has been known to fall over, hasn’t he?
???
I’m absolutely sure it was a dive. Lame.
The “Everyone else cheats so lets do it too…” mentality is why there are so many problems in this world
Total dive, but he took the penalty really well!
Does UEFA ban players after the game for diving? Hope Welbeck will not je prevented from playing the quaterfinals.
But welbeck where really good yesterday. He has all the attributes to be so good, im wondering if he is just a tad bit to nice?
Welbz doesnt have the composure in front of goal ro make those calm placed finishes like we see from auba/ thierry.
He has movement, but ive observed them and it’s not the best, and he does run into channels, but often it’s not the right ones.
He can improve by learning from auba and laca.
@robin. wrong! Composure is exactly what Welbz did show when taking his penalty.
Composure when game is at standstill is different than when everyone is running at you. Am not saying that one is difficult than other, just that those 2 are different beasts to master.
Composure is when they’ve just scored the first goal and threaten to turn the game. Then stepping up to take the penalty seconds later!
People going on about Welbz getting on the shooting practice – here’s some proof it’s actually happening!
No doubt confidence is just as important for strikers to start netting more frequently.
Well done Danny! Let’s see you step up a gear now!
What the Hell? Training helps players get better? (R)evolution at Arsenal.
Fair play to Danny.
A lot of pressure on that pen as well, especially with the form he’s been in recently and all the subsequent criticism.
But besides the goals last night I think he’s been quality in both games against Milan, superb work rate and really puts pressure on defenders.
While he’s obviously not going to score loads of goals I think some of the criticism of his all round play has been well over the top. He’s not technically inept as some would have it, he’s been out of form coming back from injury.
True, but his vision is lacking. Choice of which channels to run into is not something confidence controls. Also everytime he is supposed to run he is a second behind. I always feel whenever the pass comes he is on his heels than on his toes. Making him split second late for most through balls.
After watching it a few times I think he’s kicked his own heel and honestly thinks the defender hit him. If so what a Welbeckian way to win a penalty.
I thought I saw a heel clip in one replay, but couldn’t find it again. I think he just fell.
The picture of Monreal behind.. hahahaha.
Another note, I know people picked up on it last week, but Elneny played 3 or 4 really good passes through the lines yesterday. Would really like to see him get 10 games or so on the bounce – really valuable player.
Welbeck plays like a teenager that hasn’t adjust to a recent growth spurt. Seldom hits the ball with his laces, kicking the ground when he shoots, passing the ball slightly behind the man, over jumping headers. Just wish he could find a way to be comfortable on the ball and improve his technique where it counts. Two goals in the bag today, hopefully he can push on.
Even the third goal against AC Milan which Ramsey attempted first, you can see Welbeck jumping in to tap in behind Ramsey. And it feels from his jump timing and positioning that ball will hit is shin rather his foot. Good chance to send it over the goal.
Welbeck’s first European goals since Oct 2014 not September – Galatasaray hattrick?
It was good to see Danny really sprinting on a couple of occasions, like he had confidence in his body again. I really hope the injuries are behind him now.
Welbeck is tied on European goals with Messi since Monday.
Imagine the poor goalie facing a Welbz peno………impossible to know which part of Danny’s anatomy the ball will tangent off into the net!!
Joking apart, fair play to him……played well last night and he gives the 100% every game he plays.
Ps: i’d love Elneny to be turned into a Edgar Davids type of a player – he defenitely has sth in him !
Shitting bricks when I saw him step up to take it. BUT he dispatched it really well. And then grew on into the game more, the dink back to Mhki for the header later on goal, and then the second goal. Hopefully its done him good with Kane getting mucked and him kicking on with goals for us. I’ve said it before, he needs to play to his strength which is his power but he needed to work on first touch. I think the other issue with Welbz is he still does not anticipate the ball fully. He reacts only… Read more »
This actually was a poor penalty. Nowhere near the post. He was lucky that Donnarumma guessed wrong.
When I saw the title of this piece….I really thought about the so-called “soft penalty” given to us…and I mind went wild. For that moment, that few seconds /minutes….I thought Wenger was refering to Welbz training on how to get penalty…not how to take one!!