Arsenal play on a Monday night yet again after watching all our closest rivals gain points over the weekend, so the pressure is on our out of form players to get all three points against Middlesbrough tonight. The Gunners have dropped to 7th in the table, but our games in hand could put us right back in the fight, but of course we have to win them all!
Arsene Wenger and Hector Bellerin are the cheerleaders ahead of the game in calling for the fans to get behind the team, instead of abusing them from the sidelines, like they did with Hector in last weeks defeat at West Brom. “In other seasons, we’ve gone through bad patches, but probably not as bad as in this one,” Bellerin said on Arsenal.com. “You need to learn to deal with people saying bad things about you and you need to learn to deal with stuff that’s not happened before.
“It will make me stronger, that’s how I see it. Some people can be destroyed or collapse but I think I and everyone at the club needs to look at it positively.
“We just need to do our job on the pitch. We know that fans are angry, we know that people want results because we’re Arsenal and that’s what’s expected from us.
“But it’s been a long time that we went through a patch like this so we need to make sure that we recover from it. Trust me, we’re trying as hard as we can.
“Everyone is training hard but sometimes when things don’t go your way, it just doesn’t happen for you. There’s a lot of doubt, we’re not as confident as before but we just need to get ourselves together.
“It’s important that everyone at the club unites – the players, the fans, everyone outside. We have to be as one together because if we’re not, people are trying to divide us and that’s what’s going to make us break.
“We just need to be together and then if we want to push forward, that’s the only way.”
Jeering instead of cheering is hardly going to encourage the team to play better, and Wenger also came to the defender’s defence. He admitted that the young Spaniard had not recovered completely from his injury earlier in the season, but the abuse was uncalled for. “I think it’s unfair because he’s a guy who is genuinely Arsenal and wants to do well,” said Wenger.
“I agree that for a while he was not the Hector Bellerin we had seen at the start of the season. He has not come back to his level since he has been injured.
“Then you get bad habits and you forget that your job first is to defend and win challenges because you protect yourself a little bit. I think now he is trying to focus on again what is important, to defend well. After he can give us the extra bit [going forward] that is important as well.
“The fans want to be behind the team and the way we respond on the football pitch will decide the attitude of the fans. The fans love the club. It’s a good period to be united and not divided. Historically Arsenal has been about that. One of our values is to be together. There’s no better period of the season than to show it now.”
Yes it is true that the fans want to be behind the team, and that we can be the 12th man during important games, but it is very hard to cheer on a team that doesn’t seem to show any passion or fight on the pitch. Get the team playing like they really want to win and the fans will follow…..
Sam P
I was waiting for an article about bellerins interview. Its clear the club is trying to divide the fans” some guys trying to divide us” who was that referring to? Shame on them insteaf of bringing us together they are trying divide and rule!! Fans always back the team and that night vs crystal it was the second goal that burried there support.
Middlesbrough – away
Man City – FA Cup
Leicester – home
Tottenham – away
Man U – home
Southampton – away
Stoke – away
Sunderland – home
Everton – home
Honestly, how many games do you think Arsenal can win?
In our form I would say Sunderland and possibly Middlesbrough with the rest being draws or loses.
7th place, mid table, Wenger out.
One thing I don’t like about Pep is you know if he likes one of our players he’ll speak to them about it. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been speaking with Bellerin and Alexis a while now. Bellerin’s still very young, he had Mert beside him and that would have helped him at times. Mert kept him in check because Mert has no pace, he needed him close. Mustafi is new and that can take time, people forget this, his age and swapping partners. He says he likes playing with Walcott, that is in the attacking sense I’m sure, Walcott is not good for him.
Look, this article is only stating the obvious. Bellerin is 21 years old. Think of the 21 year olds you know, he’s still a kid. If we fans continue to berate him and his teammates – regardless of how justified it feels – his loyalty to the club will naturally suffer and he’ll be more likely to leave. And if that happens we’ll complain about lack of loyalty.
Having said that, completely understand the boos last week and paying fans are free to boo. Just don’t expect it not to have consequences.
it is not the fans that determine performances its the performances that encourage fans to cheer the players. Chelsea, spurs, mancity don’t have more loyal fans than arsenal
In your dreams humble sir…
.
THEY ARE ON THEIR OWN!!!
Wenger’s had his over 1,000 chances….
He’s failed us all…….
.
I’m not giving him anymore benefit of the
doubt!
Its already too late for that, we can’t win 2 matches on a spin as of now…
Deep down I want the team to do well and move forward but it is highly unlikely we will make top4 to be realistic….
There maybe more to all these than we know……….
Kroenke, his board and Wenger divided the fans by their action/inaction.
Arsenal players need a good manager to regain confidence
The 13 years we do cheer and get behind the team and we get no league or champions league trophies. The only constant factor in those years has been one person. I’ll let you think about that. When fans jeer they start crying. Jamie Carragher and Souness are right. They are a team of cowards and son-in-laws that no father would want their daughters to marry.
A huge number of Arsenal fans have had it with Wenger and so – by the recent performances – have the players. It has reached the stage when if we lose it doesn’t matter because it just might persuade the French Dictator to go … or Kroenke to stop keeping him in power.
Players need to earn the respect!!!
Axed 2 or 3 players and the rest will listen and perform…
At the moment, it seems that the players have no interest to play for Wenger and looking for a change just like the fans. Every body is tired of Wenger’s stubbornness.