Wenger criticizes the defence at last!
Arsenal fans are used to Arsene Wenger defending his players in public no matter how bad they play, but after seeing his team throw away the lead at Blackburn he has finally admitted that the defence must start to accept a bit of the responsibility for the lack of cohesion in front of goal.
“I believe there is a little question of time and timing,” he said.
“Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker are new, but they were not especially guilty on the goals. But maybe as a unit we need more time to work.
“A lack of concentration, a lack of communication, a lack of coordination and individual urgency is behind the goals we have conceded.
“When you score an own goal, you have to look at yourself. It is never completely out of your reach where you have no chance at all. All the rest, you have to look at yourself.”
Does this mark a sea-change in the way that Wenger discusses the team post-match? It is often remarked that Wenger says absolutely nothing to the players after a particularly bad performance, but it seems he now realises that that tactic doesn’t work.
The defence could certainly do with a big kick up their collective arses!
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Aside from Djourou and Squillaci, I think we have good defenders, we just need some guidance. A new defensive coach is in order. We threw away the game on saturday and its just not acceptable. The way we defend just doesnt work when we play an all out attacking game. If you look at the games we defended well, they were low scoring games where we didnt play the free flowing arsenal game that we all love to watch. We have become too predictable where teams arnt afraid to attack on us anymore. I heard a rumore that Martin Keown is beging considered as a defensive coach…I hope this is true, cause we need BALLS in that back line. I know we are only 1 point above bottom 3 but we are only 1 game away from top 5, so we need to win next few to get back on track. Please lets gain some confidence and get to winning ways quick.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Shit! Are we talking about million dollar signings or under 10 schoolboys. I agree with Frank McLintock, Wenger is too soft, Fergie would throw house bricks at them.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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We told you so, Wenger with 443 system he uphold dearly are to soft a person to implement the effect of the system. All of this are his own fault WHY?? 4-5 years ago he take kids (till now)to implement the system without guidance as a proper coach. He need to be the first person to scream and shout at those kids so they understand the important of it and to show he is a strict dicipline person.You are architect of the team and therefore need to be fierce. Do you thinks Sir Alex would allowed lack of concentration,co-ordination, urgency ,determination in his team.That is why young MU player are more success in replacing their older pier. Time do change… Wenger early days (1997-2004) he has an older squad with quality caliber players with tonne of experieces so he can be more relax in his method. Current squads although they are mostly MAN but he still need to show he mean business follow my way or hiway. The more strict and fierce he must be now when he take less known star player. At-least they will show you a gutsy, will to fight,determine player.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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“But maybe as a unit we need more time to work.”
this is why we wanted signings BEFORE the season started come on wenger this is basic stuff right?
on a better note i just bought my first ticket to the emirates for this saturdays game you dont need a membership to buy so theres no excuse
BUY A TICKET!
SUPPORT THE TEAM YOU LOVE!
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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oh god..it’s take how long to make u mr wenger to realise our defensive problems?? do you think djouru and squilaci got a ‘QUALITY’ enough to support our defensive woes? for me i’m better see the real talents of miquel and kyle bartly as a supportive role for tv5, maters and kosci.. why don’t you give them more opportunity than djouru? i’m fed up waiting for djouru improvement..how many more times that fellows need to show his quality? 2 or 3 seasons?? c’mon mr wenger.. i’m worried those two promising youngsters will move on to others club because of less chances to get into the 1st team.. in arsene we trust!!!
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Welcome to 2011 Mr Wenger. Anyone who remotely knows anything about football could have told you this 3 years ago
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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am i only one who realize it or maybe anyone else.. our team is not good enough on attacking but worstly on defensive..for me even a striker must have a role on defensive part..this is used on our weakness point that is on set piece! on blackburn game, you can see that RVP and arshavin was horrible on defensive time during opponent free kick and corner kick..look at drogba for example..
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All i want 2 say on this issue is that wenger have alot of works to do when transfer window re-open in january.
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all arsenal need is some bit of luck and defensive organization which should start from the midfield. Pls wenger revert to your 442 system
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Dear Mr. wenger. Pliz remove djorou from first team and replace him with miguel or bartley. that boy is sh****t. i don’t want to see him in the squard
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Yes … well the defence was rubbish but what can you expect if buying newcomers when the season had already started. As George Graham says … there has been no time to drill them as a defensive unit (that’s if you do drill them as a defensive unit ? There is no evidence that Arsenal know how to coach defending any more .. we certainly have not developed good young defenders of our own … since A. Cole … and he was a converted winger.)
We knew we needed better defenders so why not buy them earlier in the summer ? To save a few bob ?? And was that the Board or the Manager ??????
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We may read that Martin Keown is touted as defensive coach but I will believe it when I see it. Both he and Tony Adams know (and have said) it would be a waste of time without being allowed to make essential changes (which would cut across Wenger’s whole attacking philosophy.) Wenger has never let go of the reins before and continues to bring up youngsters with :
” The best form of defence is attack ” (!!!)
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I am fed up with Arsen Wenger keep making excuses for his failurses and stubbornness. He criticises his players which is bad for morale. He is responsible for the players who come and go. He is responsible for the buying and selling of players. He is responsible for picking the team. He is responsible for the results. He is responsible for the demise and success of the club. He is totally responsible.
Wake up Arsen.
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Its not just the defence! Good teams defend from the front and we need the team to defend as a unit! Get behind the ball and close the other team as soon as they come to with 10 yards of our half! Its about work rate and short interval running! We allow the other team to much time to build on an attack! I’m going to make a prediction now and that’s that this January transfer window will be our most important for years! Next year we might not be playing CL football so we need to recruit asap!!
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“Good teams defend from the front and we need the team to defend as a unit”. So true.
The whole team is at fault. If you know your defence is shaky, you have to close down the opposition much more to stop them advancing into your half, which they should be doing anyway. I watch the opposition travel from their own half with the ball and no one closes them down, makes it difficult or make them have to pass the ball.
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On another subject, it is time AW starts being more passionate, the players need to be told off when they make mistakes, a training session on the mistakes from the last game should be done. AW does not seem to give any motivation to the players, it’s as if they are put on the field and left to their own devices. The weak points of the opposition needs to be shown to the players, i have never seen AW at a match of his next opposition, i know they are video tapes, but he needs to get the overall atmosphere of the opposition in order to be able to plan his strategy in how to defeat them.
This is why i think we need a COACH that deals with the game plans, AW can go upstairs please if he cannot do that.
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use 5 back instead of 4………..
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For those who actually watch the ENTIRE 90 mins of arsenal’s games, you have to admit that koscienly is in the same league as djourou and squallacci – absolutely rubbish center back.
He has played in every one of the opening 5 league games where we have shipped in 14 goals!! He already has a year of premiership experience unlike Santos and Per so there is no more excuses for him.
The way I see it, he will never improve. That is exactly why he is not a french international and he is part of the reason why we didn’t win the carling cup last year.
AW and Pat Rice out!
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All I know is ALL our suggestns above CANOT BE BETTER DAN A PAIR OF TESTED DEFENSIVE COACHES working 2gether on ds boys, frm de Strikers To Defenders(Keown & Adams)The whole Teams defends ie they make sure dey retrieve de ball immediately a player looses it(Total Football).IT IS FAST BECOMN DE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE,Barca is a gud example.So I say Mr Wenger stop being STUBBON & GET DS 2 TOGETHER,And for de greedy morones at de BOARD I say 2 new addition to ur staff WONT KILL U![GFL-Always]
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What wrong with you people… the defence will gel in the next set of games… and we will get back to our winning ways. being a good defender in the past does not make a good defensive coach for goodness sake. as mention the team as a unit have to defend and attack.. all you fans (you know who … love arsenal in the good times hate arsenal when we suffer a blip) we have time to come good keep the faith for EFF sake… Aint that the TROOF
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ok ive heard that Pat rice Used to go into the Players room at Half Time and act like a Loon and then Wenger would come in like the iceburg that he is and it would be good cop bad cop?
Well its time to bring in a well respected Hard man ?
Wenger isnt capable of pulling in outside help as his ego would be wounded and heaven forbid that that should happen!
So bring in a Hard Man that is well respected and has pedigree in the Arsenal history books ?
Steve Bould isnt my first choice but if he will stop treating these guys like hollywood stars and start a new approach an old school approach,players love to tweet well lets give them something they understand its time for some In your Face book time!! Get up in there faces make them feel uncomfortable let them know there are consiquences to failing even if its just running till they puke they will understand and respect it if it comes along with some installation of a steeley resolve and an whatever it takes attitude that can be seen every day by looking back at Adams Bould Keowne Winterburn or Dixon
Well Bould is already in place Wenger can save face and still call on someone thats been there done it and warn the frickin Tee shirt!!!
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It is actually almost pointless to get a defensive coach under the current system. Wenger makes the wrong choices for his tactics and his system is suicidal.
On top of which he uses clowns like Song, Djorou and Kos as part of the defensive unit. And to top it all off he can’t even say his team is an attacking team anymore.
He has a bunch of midtable (at best) players playing like they are the best team ever. No wonder it all explodes in his face over and over again.
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Wenger is a joke,pls dont mention a.Song on these matters again,if you dont know he is one of the best DM in the EPL forget that own goal i value him more than your m’villa…He is strong and chases the ball when he loses it unlike some Dm’s who behave relunctantly.Peace out!
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Come on may is high we give wenger marching order.it seems he has over stayed his time in arsenal.we can’t cope with these performance anymore.
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Sorry Wenger, you are in no position to criticize the defense. You have the defense that you have invested in. Fans were screaming for a good defence two seasons ago. You let go, Gallas, Toure, and brought in: Squillaci and Kocelny who are hardly good replacements. What did you expect?
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wenger must goo!!!!!!!!
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get former manager of lavente….luis garcia.
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wenger should piss off and stop complaining about d defense. what u sow is what u reap.It’s all his fault, his erroneous decisions over d past few years is d reason why our defense is in tatters.And his organizational ability and tactics is inept.Arsene should learn from Ferguson and Pep Guardiola hw to play attacking football and still be very strong defensively. Personally, I ve said this and will still say it, for as long as Arsene remain in charge, we WILL not win any trophy. his tactics has remain static and regimented, thus arsenal ve become very predictable and then couple this with a very incompetent, greedy and unambitious board and tell me hw we re going to win a trophy. This club has been mismanaged over the past few years into what it is now
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Responding to Funkiest124′s Comment about a New Defensive Coach being placed in order.LETS GET TONY ADAMS LOL!!!
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Wel,i tink n believe arsenal will bounce back n be among d epl title challengers. Our mistakes hav bin identified n we can only get better!Move on boys!!
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We are losing 1-0 to Shrewsbury 16mins into the game.
WHAT??? Have we completely lost the plot?
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AW is starting to feel that the end is near now.
How else can anyone explain him having a go at his players!?
This is unheard of from Wenger so it boils down to him having to start putting the blame on others to keep himself out of a job.
There is no turning back now for the team because they are utterly demolarised change begins with changing the manager and the rest of the back room staff after him.
It just needs to be done quickly so that we can have the time to start the mending process.
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reddb10 you hit the nail on the head!
As a an arenal supporter since 1971, i’ve been through thick & thin, we’ve had good times & bad, but more good.
We had the best defensive unit in the modern history of english football, & the pinnacle was the invincibles.
For 10 years we were there, us & united battling it out.
Arsenal fans have been quietly confident that although at the bottom end of the top four, we would always give our all & if that wasnt enough, we would fail heroically.
Anyway Arsene you have this season to restore some of our faith in going forward & finish in the top four at least.
& in the CL let us lose again to the best in the world.
Barcelona.
Nuff Said, Respect, Peace..out!
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