Wojciech Szczesny says keeping a clean sheet after Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool represents a positive on a frustrating night at the Emirates but admits Arsenal are disappointed not to have secured three points against Manchester United.
The Gunners had the best of the play for much of the second half of the 0-0 draw but couldn’t find a goal as David Moyes’ side stubbornly clung on to a point.
“I thought we tried our best,” Szczesny told BT Sport after the game.
“It was a very similar game to what we’ve been doing at home and just today we didn’t take our chances. We’re disappointed but in the end it’s a point against a very good side.
“We recovered from conceding five goals to keeping a clean sheet, so that’s a positive, but obviously disappointed at not winning the game.”
“Overall we could have won it, but they had a good chance at the end. Our defensive focus was extreme today, after conceding so many on Saturday.”
With eight clean sheets in his last ten home games, Szczesny again cut a confident figure between the sticks and no more so when he tipped Robin van Persie’s late header onto the bar and away to safety. Reflecting on his acrobatics, the Pole noted:
“I just tried to react. Robin hasn’t scored a lot of headers at the Emirates so I wanted to make sure he didn’t score the first one.”
Looking ahead to the final third of the season, he also accepted that having dropped points in the last two games it’s going to be a very tense push for the title for all the clubs involved.
“It’s going to be tight. You’ve got a lot of teams close to each other, we’ll see what happens. We’ve dropped points in the last two games, but going into the last 12 games of the season we have to show our character. We have to really give it a go now.”
Fuck it.
I tell you what, arsenal are seriously unlucky, check this out. We played a man city side with both aguero and fenerdinho fit, I mean we played a complete man city team on the other hand, chelsea played a city team deprived of aguero,nasri and fenerdinho and then kompany(in the first leg), we played a united team with rvp,rooney and mata while chelsea played a united team without Rvp and rooney even mata too, we played a SAS liverpool, chelsea played a liverpool with only suarez, And we didi all this without many key players in some of the games,… Read more »
only and arsenal fan can dig deep to bring such …..can’t begrudge you but for me the important thing is we are just a point off the leaders and still in it.
If most people are honest… nobody thought we would be here at the beginning of the season. I will rather we fall behind and rally late to get the final say and win it at the end than be there only to slip up in the end.
That’s an astonishing analysis. It’s not something I’d want to use as an excuse for not winning a game we should have won, but it certainly explains why Chelski seems to have had an easier time with the other top seven teams than we have.
Wow dude, either we’re massively unlucky or Chelsea is massively lucky. Would a journalist please point that out to Mourinho during the next press conference? Would love to see the Devil’s response to that.
On a different note, what does the ‘A’ in ‘SAS’ stand for anyways… ‘Anfield’?
All we wanted was being back up there competing for a trophy, and we’re doing that.
Thanks for that save Sczesny!
Giroud was Uniteds best defender, it has to be said.
Keep telling me girouds hold up play is second to none, are we the only team who plays a big striker upfront just to hold up play? And since when did arsenal start playing strikers because they have good hold up plays? This is shit, wenger played giroud until he became reasonable in leading the line, why not give poldi same chance? What is going on between those two? Everyone is calling out for ramsey, mind the sort of pressure you put on him he is out injured. Wenger is a good coach and a good manager but will never… Read more »
I must be losing it… because I tried to press BOTH a ‘thumbs up’ and ‘thumbs down’ to this comment…
To be honest I think we’ve actually been looking to utilize target-man-hold-up-play strikers for quiet a while, since Titi left and RvP first started to show he’s made of glass. Adebayor, Bendtner, Chamakh and now Giroud are all big strong tall players who *can be* physically imposing and formidable in the air. Besides, playing this type of striker is not inherently detrimental to the attack. Bayern have led with Gomez and then Mandzukic the past few seasons, Italy won the World Cup with Luca Toni, Klose has been deadly as a hold-up forward for years now. We have suffered much… Read more »
Well done shessny. Best goal keeper in the EPL would be amused if he doesn’t make the team of the year
That’s Szczesny’s 12th clean sheet of the season. The most in the league. That was our 11th clean sheet in all competitions in our last 12 games at the Emirates.
If only we can sort out our attacking now. God I miss Ramsey and Theo.
5 points dropped in 3 days. This has to be the most disappointing week. Hopefully we can’t start turning things around against Liverpool on Sunday. Correct things from where it started
I could never be a fan of giroud as simple as that, the guy is alright when he is on form he plays good fighting all over the pitch and sometimes he scores, but this is arsenal and I’m an arsenal fan for 17 years, an arsenal known for world class forwards starting with wright, bergkamp , henry, even the dutch skunk, it was a joy to watch those players scoring for fun scoring beautiful goals and you known when it’s a matchady you are so exited to see a beautiful goals henry will score or bergkamp, and now with… Read more »
The best arsenal in recent years played the worst Manchester united in over a decade and could only take a single point from an available 6? This is something else when you realise westbrom, everton and newcastle are all on course for doing the double over united and then to the small matter of spuds who have taken maximum points from their last two visits to old traford
Infact spuds have not lost in their last 4 matches against manchester united. W2 D2
So I’m guessing the point you’re trying to make is that Arsenal are worse than West Brom, Everton, Newcastle, and Spurms? Last time I looked we were above all of them in the table. Not sure I follow your logic.
Yes Arsepedant! Go on, put it how you want it to sound and make me look bitter, but let me clear the dark here, all I’m trying to point out is that the man united of this season is poor to the extent that all the teams which normally gets it tough against them are making good use of their oppurtunity against this dreadful united side, so why not us? And I realy don’t want to point out that all of chelsea,liverpool and man city have beaten united at home(4-1 manc,3-1chelshit,1-0 pool) I hate man utd but i hate it… Read more »
Szczesny was the only bright spot today. Magnificent in goal again
At least that’s one positive thing to be happy about.
But wengers still a muppet for not bringing on podolski for that useless giroud.
Well you would say that Lukas
My comment above:
Hopefully we CAN start turning things around against Liverpool on Sunday.
Great save from Sczesney, hate to say it but look at the difference when RVP picked up that ball and drove at the defence with pace, passed off the ball and got the header on target. We NEED a forward like that again, somebody who can score the goals AND hold the ball up for the midfield to play off shouldn’t be too much to ask. Giroud looks exhausted and just isn’t quite good enough in decisive moments (city away he missed two easy chances too), he will be perfect coming off the bench in games next season though.
I felt bacary and gibbs were good tonight. There something not quite ticking in the middle right. I felt özil had a much better game tonight after a shocker against liverpool, but he needs runners, it is frustrating with girouds lack of pace and his strength does help us but we need some pace. Unusually rosicky was also poor tonight. i think we can come out of this once ramsey is back, we need a spark. Wilshere needs to fucking play it simple as well he gets on my tits when he overdoes it. Shit week but we will respond.… Read more »
That was the save of the season.
On a side note, we really should be beating these Mid-table teams if we are to win the league.
BAYERN should make it quick and painless. If we didn’t beat Manu today questions must be asked if we ever will….in the near future atleast…
You know theres something wrong when we look like we needed bendtner.Even he looked like the better option than giroud now.Wenger you stubborn french man.We needed a striker.and u buy kim kallstrom.kim for fk sake kallstrom.
Imho,Arsenal will hardly make a dent on BM. As said many times,the gunners attack is predictable and ponderous. It’s always looking for the perfect pass.At this rate don’t be surprised the gunners finish 5th. Then it’s time called on the fm. It has showed his tactics and management aint working.Of course this is not cut in stone. The problem is he thinks he knows all and has nothing to learn from others.If Arsenal lose to Liverpool ,and there is no guarantee they wont,calls for his head will grow louder. If Arsenal do need another guy,make sure it’s chosen by the… Read more »
Well that was painful! I love Giroud’s work load, but unfortunately he’s really lacking in quality. First touch is not good enough, and he doesn’t create a threat in or around the box. I just don’t understand the thinking behind leaving Poldi on the bench for the whole game???? 0-0 15mins to go really need a goal, (looks at bench) hmmmm one of the all time leading scorers for Germany, has a nack of scoring late goals, not to mention a hammer of a left foot. Naaaa that would be foolish.
Settle down, giroud is the best option we have, better than bendtner, he is just not the answer LONG TERM. What we have, we hold. Thought Ozil was excellent tonight.
I don’t remember seeing previgo around when we were doing well…
Moyes likes a 0-0 draw at the Emirates, doesn’t he?
Same here!
Meant to be a reply to ghanagunner’s comment.
Lets be honest here Lads Arsenal have played crap since december just been Lucky to get results against crap teams , Hope you win the title but cant really see it with strikers like Geroud and Bendtner to choose from!