Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal face a major challenge overcoming the recent disappointment of defeats in three separate competitions, but stressed that his squad have no option but to stand firm in the face of mounting pressure.
Speaking somewhat dismissively of his side’s chances of overturning the 3-1 deficit against Bayern Munich, the boss reiterated that his priority for the rest of the season is securing Champions League qualification for next year.
“Of course, you are not feeling great if you can’t win, but we can stay solid or crack under the pressure,” Wenger told Eurosport.
“If you want to know, I am still solid but I can’t tell you that I feel great right now because my job is about winning games and when you lose you will not find a single coach in this world who feels good.”
Obviously concerned about the mental fragility which has rocked his players at crucial moments in the season, the boss appeared to hint that the trip to Germany could do further damage even though qualification is a long-shot.
“I am not worried about us potentially coming back against Bayern, I am more worried about consequences that could manifest in the heads of our players.
“You will never know how they can absorb those blows and how the team responds to disappointment. This is the most worrying aspect for me.
“But from the experience of how to handle the end of the season, we know how to deal with that. We have had lots of experience.
“We are in a situation right now where our objective is just to qualify for the Champions League – so we can’t drop points any more.
“Contrary to our two cup defeats we are on a good run in the Premier League actually – with the two big blows in just three days in the cups. We need to recover, and that will define the rest of our season.”
“..we are on a good run in the Premier League…”
I’m sorry Arsene, there is no universe in which an Arsenal “good run” can contain a loss to fucking Sp*rs.
We might have been on a good run before that and we may even go on one after that, but right now we’re not on one.
I’m not entirely sure the interview wasn’t conducted before Sunday…
Arseblog news breaking news when it happens,maybe.
Shouda made that clear then thanks….
Yeah arseblog hound, and also thanks for your entertaining and informative multiple daily articles.
Thanks are due for this one too. That makes it triple thanks I guess then thanks…
http://www.youtube.com/user/INTER?v=3A-JagqtgmI
Guys, Next gen game against Inter live on youtube.
good win for the boys in terrible conditions!
Just fuck off Arsene
i am worried abt my mental strength, if we finish behind sp*ds n cnt qualify for ucl…
I’m worried about mine.
I am worried about the team run by a man with (two top top top quaity players in each position) Arsene’s mental state.
Arsene IS the problem.
7.5 million a year, wouldnt you hang on like a tick
Arsene leaves. Another man comes in. Finds that the previous spending was already at the limit of our abilities.
Also find that we’ve lost someone who had genuinely good instincts of what makes a good player (people will bring up the duds, but there were far more success stories than duds) and someone who knew how to make the best of our limited resources.
If you’re the kind who expects we be challenging petrodollars every year with impatience, then if Arsene leaves, you’d better be prepared for 5-10 years of the same or even worse performances. Hope you’re not fickle.
Thing is though, bard, there’s a difference between being left behind as we can’t afford the top talent and a continual weakness pervading our entire squad for the last 4 or 5 years (I disregard the first 3/4 years of *transition*). I’m not certain we could find someone better than Wenger but we’re not going to get anywhere with the team having the mental strength of a depressed slug, along with a propensity for throwing goals at the opposition (I suspect they may be linked though) so I reckon it’s getting closer to the time whereby the impetus of a… Read more »
@Bard. I agree with everything you say, changing manager is always a gamble, and after all Arsene has done and the happy memories he has given us are not forgotten, it will be a sad end to an happy era when he does. But hold on, it the same mistakes over and over we are paying for. Its gone too far now. Change might not be a bad thing. I disagree with Dick Swiveller, I think we have a great squad, two top class players short of PL winning potential. We need a manager who will come in with some… Read more »
And apology to DickSwiveller, I agree with everything you say too
I think this is the closest hell ever vome to just conceding were fucked
lol
i love it when he openly talks about negative impact. Keep it zipped. deal with it internally. I can’t help but feel a few of the players will take this as a an excuse. You built this team – its been tough i know – but get on with it. win the next game. Stay positive. I don;t like airing laundry in public.
Don’t fans always complain that he never tells the truth or that he never says what is actually going on in the squad/club. So when he finally does, fans moan that he shouldn’t be.
He just can’t win, can he (and I don’t mean a trophy)
Do you think that is the truth????? The truth is he has passed it and washed up has been manager, the modern game passed him by since 2005. He is yesterday man living in his own top top top quality 7.5 million a year life. If you think this man can take us to the top again after all the evidence of the last 8 years, I will start worrying about your mental state too. Support The Arsenal NOT the man who has been talking rubbish and insulting our intelligence for the last 3/4 years while the team go into… Read more »
It’s the ‘we’ll be very busy in January’ type of lies we don’t like. In this case I’d rather he didn’t make his worries publicly known
Agreed Rectum. Arsene is a terrible Amateur psychologist. From telling his team that 4th is an achievement and the FA cup isn’t important, to giving his players excuses by blaming tiredness or poor refereeing decisions. He needs to tell his players to man up, grow some balls and fight for every point. If they aren’t capable of doing this then tell them to fuck off to another team with lower expectations.
Why is our defence so shit?
Why don’t we have a replacement for Song?
Why don’t we have a good keeper?
Why is Vermaelen captain?
Why are we doing this again?
Why do we play without tactics? Why do we just show up and “play our game” according to Wenger? More questions
Simple,
because he stuck in the past and refused to move on with time. The results, states and league standing is WRONG, he is the only one right for the last 8 years.
League standings have looked consistent to our financial capabilities for the last decade or so and he’s never disagreed with that.
Didn’t Annie Lennox sing that Cele?
Bravo Midfield! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7I4oniOyA Seriously though, I don’t mean my comments to be taken away by the anti-Wenger brigade. I’d only seen a handful of games before he came in in 96. I really can’t imagine the club without him. But as much as I love his stubbornness it’s going on too many times. I still genuinely see us going on a big run and Spurs faltering. We’ll be in the top four but this shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be the issue we find ourselves in at the start of every January and on til the last weeks of… Read more »
Even if we were on a good run, our form has been awful. We beat Aston VIlla at home, but not exactly in the most convincing way. Now I’m all for unconvincing wins as long as we win, but long term it’s neither sustainable to be playing terribly and win, nor it is good enough for a Club that wants to be a top one. By the way Spurs will drop points, not one not two, you can be sure of that, the issue is that we don’t look like a team that is going to capitalise on that, and… Read more »
Time for a change in the summer. New manager with fresh ideas is needed. Even if there is a reported 70mill to spend I wouldn’t trust wenger with it
We should perhaps bring in roy, He needs to spends that whole £70m on Andy Carroll.
Wasn’t it Dalgliesh that wasted all that money on Carroll?
Was thinking more along the lines of moyes,laudrup, klopp or mourinho rather than woy!
Mourinho?? Are you nuts?
An Arsenal manager giving blowjobs to Taggart like Mourinho was last night will just about finish me off.
Mourinho will never be welcome in Arsenal becourse he never like us and his past relationship with us as never gone well. Moreover,mourinhno never build a team but he always buy one. We will end up having no money in the bank.
If Wenger leaves, I’d love Laudrup or Klupp, but I’m not sure what would convince either of them to join.
Moyes: overrated shit, proved nothing at all. (Except that he can’t win a trophy.)
Laudrup: Flavour of the month. Check his career before Swansea.
Mourinho: Just fuck off.
Klopp: I don’t rate him that highly as others but it’s obviously a good shout. My question: why the hell would he come here from BvB? Exactly.
I can think of between 7 and 10 million reasons (depending on the news reports you read)
Plus, Arsene has shown that the board have unlimited patience when it comes to underachieving while trying to keep the account in the black
If that figure is anywhere near what Arsene has to spend, don’t you think he deserves a summer to use it? I think in the past we’ve had to balance the books. Now is the first time we’ve got cash monies available, and I think Wenger – and more importantly the board – know we need to use it. I still believe Wenger knows how to put a team together and knows who out there is decent, and he hasn’t been shy in talking about our weaknesses.
Gervinho….Squillaci…..Arshavin. He paid what 30 odd million for the three of them,between them they probably earn a million a month.
Maybe someone else should look after buying players?
Exactly. Wenger gets the blame but rarely the credit these days.
It’s easy for most fans to point out his weaknesses, which as a human, he’s bound to have.
But every few appreciate his skills.
The problem I have with the “Wenger out” crowd is that they’re trying to replace him to get rid of his flaws, but don’t think enough about replacing the skills he actually has in abundance.
How can you say now is the first time we’ve got money to spend? If that’s the case then why has Gazidis been saying that we have money and its up to the manager to spend it? He’s been saying that the last couple of seasons at least. So, me thinks, if we have ‘money’ and its up the manager to spend it, then why isn’t he? So if this the ‘first’ time we’ve got money available, then Gazidis has been blatantly lying all that time.
Maybe Dein needs to return. Regardless of what you might think of him, my purchases were much, much better when Dein was still there as an ally. You could argue that Dein acted as the main talent scout while I assembled the winning teams.
Please tell me who do we go for
Wenger should start using coquelin, Rosicky, and Podolski more in the starting X1.
Coqueling still injured right? Still agree though, the players cannot ever hold the idea that their place is safe. Complacency pretty much guarantees downfall.
*Coquelin. My bad.
Coquelin is back He played against blackburn
even when we are not complacent we still fall. the team is a mess.
Thanks for clearing up. Coquelin impressed me as of late. Would like to see him more often.
I don’t know if any of you guys are into gaming that much but I found your mistake to write Coqueling quite hilarious. I’m hinting at Starcraft of course.
Correct. The obvious solution to (and I can’t believe I am even writing this) footballers “mental fragility” is to drop the player in question. Boo fucking hoo. Man the fuck up. If Vermaelen is feeling a little ‘fragile’, get in Kos. Likewise Giroud, Gervinho and anyone else feeling a little bit ‘delicate’ because other teams won’t let them play. In short, tough titties ladies. Time these fuckers realised that an Arsenal shirt must be EARNED. Anyone suffering from “mental fragility”, go home. You are in the wrong place. Fucking “mental fragility”. Boo hoo. Try not being able to pay your… Read more »
Most sensible comment I’ve read. We need a HUGE clearout this suimmer, we all know who, probably at least 8 players. Let’s assume we get £40m in transfer fees and a reduction in the wage bill of £400k per week. Need a geniine world class striker, ditto midfiled enforcer, central defender and goalie as absolute minimum. With the money above and what’s in the bank should have about £100 m so we can afford it. If we pay these new guys £150k per week each most of that is funded by clearing the crap out. Would leave us with a… Read more »
How about…
“Here’s our club sports psychologist, Dr Martin Keown, who will BREAK YOUR FUCKING FACE RIGHT OFF at the first mention of mental fragility….”
Spot on Dave, thank fuck you got that off your chest
People are fed up with the mediocre shit Wenger bought then suggest to buy other mediocre guys like Ashley Williams or J Cesar (yes, I watched him a lot, not just against us, so I saw his incredible blunders as well.)
“We obviously have the quality” um shut the fuck up arsene, that much we know. It’s about your coaching and your players playing like second rate clowns when a bunch of proffesionals is what they really are. Sort that bit out.
Same story every year… For some reason the mental spirit has been a nightmare year on end! Do you remember how our seasons have collapsed from good positions every year with something that tends to happen in February? Last year was an exception to the rule! Year before was losing the carling cup final, year before was Rambos leg break… Year before I believe we were just shit, year before that I think it was eduardos leg break… Players have changed but why the hell has the mental strength been so pathetic?
These piecemeal offerings that are trundled out after each loss are starting to really frustrate me. We’ve had several over the season as a whole, coming from Vermaelen, Walcott, Jenkinson, Wenger etc. but at no stage have we ever looked like actually trying to effect a concerted change upon the way we play. What has really shocked me about this season is the homogeneity of our failures- the lack of an ability to learn from prior mistakes and eliminate the carelessness that has defined our play thus far. It’s all very well waxing lyrical about mental toughness or lack of… Read more »
We get these piecemeal offerings, then get a half decent result in the next game, then the players come out with how they’ve learnt from their mistakes, then we play shit again then more piecemeal offerings, it’s at that point I put the double barrel shotgun in my mouth.
Surely,what we fucking have is the experience to handle the end of the season which is finishing 4th. Ridiculous!!
I don’t know about anyone else but watching Rvp getting knocked out by Madrid last night made me feel better it don’t matter about bayern munich that game was already won at the emirates.
It’s sad that the highlight of our season is watching an ex player at a rival club getting knocked out of the cup. That’s mentality is what we laughed at Spurs for.
Exactly corp. for years they lived like vultures, living off other People’s misery, the only happiness they got was when we got knocked out of this or that cup or Chelsea failed to win something.
Personally I don’t give a toss what rvp does or doesn’t do. I don’t want to end up like them.
Yeah, the class he exudes whenever he plays is still fricking annoying though. Would it be too much to ask for him to get shit when he leaves? Even Nasri had the common courtesy to do that.
Seeing Utd on the wrong end of a dodgy reffing decision amuses me far more though tbh.
Fuck RVP, Fuck Utd, lets go to Munich and try to at least get a good result to build a bit of confidence for the rest of the season
Would be nice Eric – but it would be just like Wonga to ‘rest’ some of the better players for the final assault on his 4th place trophy. The team will leave the dressing room at Bayern having had no preparation, no instructions, and no tactics given them; and they’ll turn around as they walk out of the tunnel to see Wonga standing there, the epitamy of mental strength, with fingers crossed on both hands.
The irony in that headline fucking priceless. Next he will be telling us the squad isn’t good enough.
I’m the real Wenger I was switched with this one 7 years ago. You’ll be pleased to know that in my parallel universe we won the league at white hart lane last Sunday and we are 5 up against Bayern for the next leg
did we win the capital one cup?
Win? What is a win?
I want one of those.
“You will never know how they can absorb those blows and how the team responds to disappointment. This is the most worrying aspect for me.
“But from the experience of how to handle the end of the season, we know how to deal with that. We have had lots of experience.
Well if the manner in which we ended the last 2 seasons is anything to go by we should be very afraid
Know how to deal with the end of the season? What’s he talking about? Last season, Arsenal only won 1 of the last 5 games, despite Spurs being on our backs. The season before Arsenal only won 1 of the last 7.
Again, these are just empty, meaningless words. I have little confidence that Wenger knows what he’s doing or can salvage anything. He’s finished as a top level coach and the quicker we realise that the better.
Dident know that stat, that is fucking frightening
For years people have been banging on about how we don’t have a plan B. Listening to Wenger lately sounds like we don’t have a plan A either! It was all well and good when we had players like Campbell, Viera, Henry, Adams etc who could dominate games from the first whistle. We don’t have that now nor will we. We don’t set out a game plan based on the opposition which is why we struggle not only with the top teams, but the ones at the bottom and several divisions below!! A few new players in the summer ain’t… Read more »
It’s worrying that he’s talking about the mental state of his players as if its out of his control. A manager has to instill belief and confidence. If the players don’t have it it falls on the manager. Why does this brilliant man (I don’ mean that sarcastically) not acknowledge this?
http://www.youtube.com/user/INTER?v=3A-JagqtgmI
Guys, Next gen game against Inter live on youtube.
What would have Tony Adams/Patrick Vierra/Tommy Docherty/Don Howe have said to the mollycoddled players we now seem to have. “MAN UP” , be professional and when your not playing well play the percentages and if you can’t play them then don’t play. If you don’t want to play a mans game then what about netball. One other point relating to Walcott, how many runs did he go on when the ball didn’t go forwards but was the Arsenal way of either sideways or back. Man Up AW as well and don’t rotate the team tell them their dropped for not… Read more »
Regarding Theo’s runs against Spurs. Watch Gary Neville’s analysis on MNF. Twice he freezes to show the Spurs backline. Both times Theo was in the box and on the LEFT of Giroud and running towards the left flag, while there were hectares of empty space on the right wing. Wasn’t Theo meant to be the right winger? Wasn’t he meant to attack down the right and try and stretch out their backline/LB? Then why was he hovering so far inside the box even before a move had been initiated? Also, if he is so far inside the box, how can… Read more »
Spot on. Walcott left Jenkinson on his own the whole game. We looked like a useless 4-4-2 because fucking Theo has decided he’s the next Henry an refuses to be a winger. That’s something any other top coach just wouldn’t put up with. It pains me to say this, but Arsene has no control over his players anymore and for me, that makes him not a top manager.
I think there’d give them a good fucking kicking
I’m paranoid about our schizophrenia
i’m in two minds about that myself
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-schizophrenia-and-multiple-personality-disorder.htm
Interesting responses
AW says our squad has “mental strength” – internet melts as people scream about how the squad is utterly brittle and the manager is deluded
vs
AW questions the mental strength of the squad – internet melts as people criticise statement of the obvious and worry about the affect this will have on the squad
If you’re genuinely undecided as to what you think about the Arsenal manager here is an interesting perspective http://www.racingpost.com/news/sport/wenger-critics-need-to-look-at-bigger-picture/1208091/top/
For the rest of you, here is father ted explaining what perspective means http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh5kZ4uIUC0
Sam, I think a large part of the problem is the mis information that we constantly get from within the club, the board saying before almost every transfer window that we have funds available. Sometimes saying substantial funds. That’s going back to eldelmans days before a player has even been sold, only to have arsene then say that he expects this player or that player to stay only to be sold a week or so later. And then we make a profit on player sales having been told before any of this happens that the money is there to spend… Read more »
I can understand why people would say some if the negative things they say from a short sighted and perhaps in informed point of view. But that’s exactly what it is, short sighted and uninformed. To think that some other manager would come in and some how ‘bully’ the board (who quite clearly have a clear and certain vision for the club) in to spending 50-60 mil every year is ludicrous. Wenger would have known what the plan was, was also probably part of making that plan and has done unbelievably well given the financial restrictions this plan entails. My… Read more »
I’m sure the AKB brigade were saying the same thing 3 years ago…
there are people who genuinely seem to think that wenger is out to harm the club by stockpiling cash. which is pretty weird, but then again the internet is full of tinfoil hat wearing nutters.
Don’t knock the tinfoil hat Sam, ‘They’ can look into your mind through your computer and control your thoughts. Got to go…. They’re watching me now…..
Winners? Do we have many/any in our squad, that have won the championship in a major league, the CL or even Europa League, a European or World Cup (and playing a decent role, not just a sub)?
It would be interesting to see and compare against ManU, Real, Chelsea, Barca etc.
I’m not aware of any. If we haven’t many then it shows why we are mentally weak – the players are paid huge amounts but have never gone that extra mile to success, so are struggling under pressure.
Fuck u
A 3-0 win in Munich should sort out these mental issues. I’d certainly go fuckinv mental if that happens!
I wouldn’t trust Wenger to splash the cash, here’s why:
Mertesacker – £10M
Santos – £6.2M
Park – £3M
Gervinho – £10.6M
Giroud – £12M
Podolski – £10.9M
That’s £52.7 MILLION plus further millions in wages wasted on underperforming and/or shit players in the LAST 2 SEASONS alone! I certainly don’t want this clown in charge of spending the last bit of money we have.
Just to clarify I don’t think Podolski is shit, just that he has been underperforming and not putting in enough effort all season.
Hard to perform well when your sat on the bench.
This is the problem with this squad. Wenger talks as if they are a bunch of under-12’s in the Selkent League. This is why these guys are not mentally strong, they are molly-cuddledlike babies. If he cannot be sure about their mental state when they get back from Bayern, then he might as well not take them there. Play the reserves then, the result will still be the same, a defeat. And the first team can at least deceive themselves into the mental comfort that they weren’t beaten by Bayern. And then go and lose to Swansea.
I think Bould needs to be heard more on that training ground. Who would you rather be late to training and pay a fine to? bit of good cop bad cop wouldn’t go amiss.Things have been just too cosy.
I wish I had as much job security as wenger at my place of work. I will go to work only once a month.
First all you have to do is spend eight years making your company better than it’s ever been before. Then get back to us.
this is all down to him being a stubborn twat and i think he just doesn’t have the fight left in him.
Just knocked out inter milan (holders) In the next gen under 21 series. Great news.
Shame about the seniors.
Everyone has stopped worrying about the team and managers mental state …..no one gives a shit anymore. Hollow words we’ve heard a thousand times over the last few seasons.
And the moaners go marching in! How i wish it will affect Arsenal in anyway. Keep on moaning, Wenger anytime,ARSENAL Forever.
Fans are entitled to have a moan. Are we just expected to pay our money like good boys and have no opinion? All the while watching the same mistakes repeated year in year out?
I want to hear that you are working on it with top world profesionals who deal with mental stuff.
I dont want to hear that you are worried ! And im sure players dont need to hear that either ..
Well then… GTFO ARSENE!
This is down to the finacial situation at the club if the team dont finish 4th it wont be just down to this season but 5 years of our squad slowly deteriorating through lack of investment and sales of our best players.
This team needs investment.
What this club needs is a new Manager / coach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKm85q3t6bQ
Gary Neville Arsenal vs Spuds analysis.
Very interesting
Quite worrying just how poor at defending we were went analysed like that.
Blogs, how come my previous comment is awaiting moderation? I know you said yesterday that certain words set off a code red alert at Arseblog Towers but all those words are inoffensive. I’m now going to do a test using a string of foul language to see if any of these cause ghis post to require moderation.
Shit twat cunt nazi bomb plane communist sheringham pussywhipped labia girth cock wank jiz itv sport anal beads snatch jimmy hill.
It must be jimmy hill as my third post also included it and required moderation. I assume this one will too now.
I knew it.
He has to go! What is he going to blame next?
Wenger is deluded and in complete denial. Whilst earning his outrageous salary unchallenged he can trot this crap out endlessly. He makes Eric Cantona philosophical musings appear crystal clear. I truly despair.
They’re coming to take me away ha ha he he! LOL
For me, it’s just so sad that it has come to this. Ten years ago, Arsene Wenger was probably the greatest club manager in the world. Now he is just a sad old man who, like Cygan’s Left Foot says, is well past it. All this nonsense talk about “mental strength” and “focus” is simply the illogical ramblings of a man who is lost and can’t understand where he is going wrong. We are failing for the practical reasons which I and many others on this website have repeatedly pointed out. The failure to properly organise our defence; the selling… Read more »
Sorry but what acheivements has David Moyes won at Everton that in any way shows him to be a better manager than Wenger??
At least he knows how to organise a defence.
With no money to spend he has produced very decent teams. With a wage bill of 150 million+ he would win trophies.
Are per chance the Highbury Spy?
He’s a fat doucher too
*’@Fatgooner’
Never a truer word Fats.
Probably a more worrying aspect is the number of AKB’s on this blogsite who thumb down posts like yours.
@Bard, what a load of shit. So you tell me what skills wanker bringsto the table then? Also reel of his successes and I will reel off his failures. Lets see how good he really is eh
We are fucked plain and simple!!!
If the boss is concerned then what about us simple supporters. If hole sale changes are not made then I will start to eat my own young.
Again
With coleslaw
And a fried egg
Maybe some toast
Try a cheese crust yum yum
Hey at least with have Diaby coming back……
I’ve already left!
worried about an end of season collapse? you mean like every fucking year since 2005 when our annual end of season collapse happens?
Your only worried about this trend now? WOW.
Why can’t people accept this is as far as arsenal could go with the weight of a new stadium. Not bad going. Shame sp*rs spend less money but do better than us. Hey ho.
“I am not worried about us potentially coming back against Bayern, I am more worried about consequences that could manifest in the heads of our players”
You’ve no reason to be worried aboout a comeback against Bayern – one should never worry about something that will never happen.
Honestly, this man has completely lost the plot.