Arsene Wenger says three games in the space of six days represents a fine opportunity for Arsenal to build momentum as they look to close the gap on the top four.
The Gunners face Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and Southampton in quick succession as the hectic Christmas schedule reaches its peak.
Noting the importance of consistency at this time of year, Wenger also touched on why Boxing Day fixtures make the Premier League so popular around the globe.
“It’s more than the day. It’s the period that is very important. The day has something special because it’s called Boxing Day and it’s famous all over the world.
“Everybody knows that Boxing Day is the only day when only England plays. Overall it maybe contributes to the fact that the Premier League is so famous.
“We played QPR two years ago and they were very difficult games. West Ham at the moment are in very good shape. We go away to Southampton, which is a very difficult schedule as well.
“There are three games in a very short period of time and we can make points. Our opponents will think that as well, but let’s just put the performances in and capitalise on it. The consistency in that period is what will matter.”
Having watched his team drop points against both Liverpool and Stoke on the road during December, Wenger also underlined how important it is that the Gunners get better on the road.
“I feel that we have not been efficient enough away from home. In our last two away games we were not strong enough defensively, not at Stoke and not at Liverpool.
“There’s disappointment [after the result at Anfield] because we conceded a goal in the last minute. You can’t concede goals on corners at any minute in the game and we were caught because we were not organised quickly enough on the corner.
“We will work on it and improve on it. Usually we are not bad on set pieces defensively, we have one of the better records at it in the league. Occasionally it can happen.
“But overall I don’t think the result is a disaster and it’s a fair result considering the run of the game.”
“Usually we are not bad on set pieces defensively, we have one of the better records at it in the league. Occasionally it can happen.”
Ok so the team. I’ve been watching the past few years isn’t Arsenal then. Where the fuck are they?
haha, looks like you beat me to it.
Yeah, that’s not a helpful quote at all, Arsene. We were better last year, but we’ve hardly been stellar for quite a while and (once again) it’s a pronounced problem for us.
Our defensive record this season isn’t bad on corners. Quite a clear quote.
The fact we never look comfortable and we never score from corners at the other end isn’t what he said.
As often happens, Wenger’s quotes aren’t lies but are disingenuous to say the least.
I don’t know about stats but I know when teams take any set piece against us, I’ll feel like a heart attack anytime
He lives in denial ffs. It is just another proof of how badly he needs to resign in May.
Please get behind your club. Season of goodwill and all that?
I am behind the club but not Arsene Wenger. It is two different things. Personally I have no faith in Wenger whatsoever, and I know that more and more arsenal fans feel the same.
I want him out in May, but with all these ‘arsene wenger’ fans it will be tough to get rid off him. It is not supporting the club if you are holding us back.
We will be consistantly shit over the Christmas period. As we have been all season.
Wenger out please.
But we have been consistent. Everything about us IS consistent
lol
“usually we are not bad on set pieces”
I’d like to see the difference between our goals scored from set pieces vs those scored against. It can’t look too good.
3 big matches! 9 points would be great, but I’d settle for 7.
No new injuries please.
There are more chances of us getting 9 points than no injuries.
Shows how little people think objectively. We actually scored from a set-piece in the same match ffs…
I cant listen to him anymore ….
Its a broken record same old shit
Why dont you both fuck off and go support other team. cunts.
When Wenger leaves,will you be fucking of to PSG or whoever?
Will you retire from watching when he retires?
Because that makes the same sense as what you’ve just regurgitated
Arsene is in denial mode, this team has been piss poor when it comes to defending set pieces and crosses.
If the results of the next three games are as predictable as that press conference was we are going to drop a few places in the league.
ha ha ha….
I’m depressed!
We’re as good at defending them as we are at attacking from them Sadly can’t see more than 4 points, 5 at a push. West ham will destroy or defence, carroll v mertesacker will be horrible to watch Southampton can do what Liverpool did to us and shneiderlain will at least show just how good he is and emphasise exactly why we won’t buy him Im seeing the world cup as an excuse, doesn’t seem to be effecting others. And the great one of cl qualifiers! Haha don’t throw away the season again like we did last year and finish… Read more »
Just go out there and give your best. Man for man, we are better than those teams but it is not that simple. We have to go out there and show it on the pitch. 9 points would be good for the team.
Logically, based on what you just said, “man for man, we are better than all these teams.” Why don’t we win then? Red arrow me all you want, but people green arrow your comment but get upset when you blame anything on the manager. WE HAVE BETTER PLAYERS THAN EVERYONE! WE SHOULDN’T STRUGGLE THE WAY WE DO FFS!
Logically, we haven’t played two of those teams yet, so that would explain why we “don’t win then”. We have played Southampton in the League though, and we “did win”.
We aren’t nearly as rubbish as you seem determined to make out.
Crazy how we haven’t had a run of “consistency” this term. Fuck this Shit, i used to watch all matches Live. Well not anymore, But its alright since i’ll just catch Mertesacker ducking the ball when “defending” a lead on the replay.
Yeah, it’s like, we haven’t had a settled team because we’ve had so many injuries, or something.
Its not the record of defending set pieces that bothers me, but the manner in which we concede them.
At least he has stated we’ll be working harder to rectify the lack of organisation.
With Kosh and Ozil due back it surely will establish the confidence and belief to destroy teams in our path!
Forever COYG!!!
I don’t demand a lot from Arsenal (they don’t listen to me anyway), but I would like to see us putting a man on each post when we are defending corners. To my mind that is basic defending for any corner. Watching that goal go in last week was excrutiating because a player on the post would only have had to stand still to block it. We seem to have decided that as we are all so short we must try to crowd the opposition out on the edge of our own 6 yard area, but the truly big forwards… Read more »
P.S. Let’s not forget, its WINS we want, not the consistency of playing well and drawing/losing!
“Consistency” from the officials?
That would be pushing it too far.
They’re consistent already. What we need from them is called impartiality.
Season after season their is an injury crisis.
Stop buying physically weak players and get some strong athletes in the team.Wenger has tried now for atleast 8yrs to play tippy tappy football and it aint working.
Tippy tappy football isn’t the real problem, it’s lack of real leadership and accountability. Saying it’s a do-over after every calamity is like a heroin addict saying, “Really, this is the LAST hit, I fucking swear it!”
Shutup… look at Chelsea they have a good balance…
We have to many of the same type of player the last thing we needed in recent years was more technical players…. We need what Chelsea have in their CDM roles… horrible players who are going to balance the game.. leadership comes from these types of players..
We are weak no fight… you cant win the league with just technical ability you need more than that
You, sir, have a case of penis envy, because Chelsea are a bunch of pricks.
wenger’s press conferences are funny. he’s such a joker.
just read the tactics column. great analysis. kudos to rodgers and liverpool. no one gets out-managed in big games like wenger.
Agreed.
That is because everyone knows how to play us, yet we got no plan B. Which Arsene himself admitted. We need a change at this club. Everyone literally knows how to play us, we even struggled against Man Utd and Sp*rs. His tactics needs tweaking to say the least. But we know the old man is too stubborn to make any drastic changes.
Theres only one way for Arsenal to lose big matches. All the other team has to do is turn up and they’ll watch us crumble in a heap. Simply because we are scared and are not confident enough to suck in pressure instead we will push forward like headless chickens as Chelsea Manu Liverpool etc do us in this other end.
Depressingly spot on. Be interesting to be a fly on the wall in opp managers office when they prepare for arsenal. Rodgers, martinez jose van gaal must all laugh
The analysis was great.
It underlined, amongst a raft of other issues, the problems with positional discipline that many of us have raised. I hope most members read it.
What I can’t understand is if a figure such as Anan can expose these flaws on the Arseblog just what exactly are the highly paid experts at the Emirates and London Colney doing?
We have transparent problems no-one is addressing. It staggers the imagination.
It is so sad that we are talking about closing gap for top 4 spot. What have we become?
Arsene I feel you showed great mental strength and desire in that press conference. Even if it was a little with a handbrake on.
We’re already consistent. Consistently shit.
I can’t see us winning any more than four points over these next three games. We should beat QPR, who I can see going down in May, but West Ham and Southampton away are both toughies. Like I said last week, this team has no backbone, and, coupled with our injury problems, will continue to struggle.
But I’m sure we’ll nick fourth: Luckily for us this league is full of average sides who’ll all take points of each other.
The problem from my perspective (and Andrew’s apparently) is I am not sure we’ll nick fourth.
You don’t need to worry, Arsene will win the 4th place trophy for you this year again. That is something he is good at. Consistently ending 4th without competing for titles.
Ah yes, the classic this year: ignoring that we won a cup this very spring.
Cant resist it – Does wenger have a no-compete clause in his contract? 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-udi0htRI0
Gary neville proving why flamini doesnt have a clue… we have really gone to the dogs
this is a bit off topic, but i have been looking at arsenal’s record under Wenger, and I realise we don’t usually have two consecutively good seasons. if we are good in this, we are either close to rubissh or we are actually rubbish. After the 98/99 season, we were rubish for two seasons, we win in 01/02 and we can’t defend it the next season. we win it in 03/04 and we fall short next season. We get to CL final in 05/06 and we struggle to make it the following season. 07/08 Brilliant, 08/09 Rubbish. 09/10 fair 10/11… Read more »
I don’t know what “bloggs” thinks but I think you sound like a spoilt brat with entitlement problems.