A great game was played yesterday although the result was not in Arsenal’s favour, and the most annoying thing was that the Arsenal defence allowed Andy Carroll to be completely dominant in our penalty area. Arsene Wenger does not think that we were just unlucky that Carroll was on top form, but rather that our defence has been weak at dealing with these situations all season.
Wenger said about Carroll after the game: “First of all because he is good in the air. We lost a bit of urgency when we were 2-0 up after 43 minutes. We had a good game today but a bad result. We played with a weakness that is redundant in the season. If you look at the goals we have conceded since the start of the season, [most of them] are headers in our box. That happened today.”
Wenger feels that Carroll should have had a second yellow before scoring his third, but doesn’t think that excuses our defence. “Yes, of course. [I felt] he is lucky to finish the game. Yes. But that does not mean we have to concede headers if he stays on the pitch. We have to look at ourselves and we cannot influence the decision of the referee.”
Many fans also thought that perhaps Petr Cech would have been the better choice to deal with the crosses, but Wenger thinks that it would have made no difference. “The thinking [behind choosing Ospina] was that he has had some outstanding performances. With Petr Cech or David Ospina, we have exactly the same problem in the air. We didn’t concede in the last two games. Since the beginning of the season, we have had exactly the same problem, no matter who plays.”
So is Wenger saying the real reason we have lost out on the title this season is simply because the Arsenal defence can’t deal with headers in the box?
Just seen on Twitter:
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How can Leicester go from 20th to 1st in just a season but Arsenal have struggled to move from 4th to 3rd in 12years?Manager maybe?
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I’d add unambitious board and ineffective (or offiscated) staff but on the whole this sums it all up for me.
Perhaps now that another season is over with Tottenham or Leicester likely to win the league/finish above us and not even the FA cup as a consolation prize, people will wake and speak up?!
For year we have struggled defensively. The problem lies mostly in our manager failing to make the midfielders put pressure on the opponents. The first west ham goal yesterday was a prime example. This is a general problem which time and time again makes it relatively easy for even mediocre opponents to play and score against us. Better defensive players can’t solve it. It ctical problem.
I agree. My point was is that a better manager (footballing wise and especially defensively speaking) would have drilled and created a better defensive unit that was more watertight (as did graham).
The inability to fix our problems is solely the fault of Wenger and his appointed staff.
No two ways about it.
Arsenal has not been Arsenal for many years. Sentiments aside…We need an overhaul.
3 BPL titles in 20 is not a pass mark.
1 UCL final appearance in our history is not good enough.
For a while now, we get plummeted at least once every year.
All this rubbish has to stop.
I’m soooooo angry, disappointed, and disgusted at Wenger, the board and some players.
If he knew we were leaking headed goals all season why didn’t he do something about it ffs!? Like train them, drill them or sack them and get someone in who bloody well can defend.
Like Graham who drilled his defenders like crazy and helped forge the back line that Wenger adopted and which was the foundation of much of our success.
1 nil to the Arsenal!
Its about a manager who has had a 20 year experience with more resources than most clubs and yet chooses to fail.
And he shamelessly and confidently declares himself as our manager for next season
And he will because fans are so coward to do something about it. I’ve always said stop going to the stadium for 2 or 3 games and the board will start listen. But will the fans do that?
I bet you and your mates haven’t ben to a game all season. Has that made much difference?
If you actually paid and bought a season ticket would you really just leave the ticket at home to make a stupid point?
it didin’t because of fans like you. An owner who said in front of cameras that he’s not about winning trophies and you’re saying stupid point. What’s wrong with fans like you. You want change but coward to do something about it and think it will happen maggically. Continue to go even for the next season and they’ll continue to take you for granted.
No to the articles question. The defensive duties of the mid field plus the poor scoring duties of the strikers and p*** poor shooting by the whole attacking persona.
Got mugged once again by a tactically clever younger manager and a mediocre lampost player. No point analysing the defeat…nothing will change at Arsenal, accept the our shortcomings and move on.
come on nothing like the other team was more tactical better than us,we always make teams luk gud just like yesterday.conceding all 3 goals the same way then we don’t blame the manager…what the hell is he doin even an amateur like me could hve changed it at 2-2 ,its now time for us fans to save our beloved club we r regressing while all other teams r growing .
the board saw man u spending ,man city spending and felt oh no need to spend we sure epl is out of our hands and mugged us little did they know this was a season that there lies and schemes will be out.its now clear arsenal is not a super club anymore we neeed to fight for our clubbbb .we bneed more banners ,we need more riots lets save our first love
That’s easy to say when you live thousands of miles away. f you want banners and rioting come over here and do it yourself!
The problem at our beloved Arsenal club has appeared to be a complex problem that will require a complex solution to solve the problem which has been hindering our Arsenal FC from re- winning the BPL tittle and to capture the Ucl trophy for the 1st time.
Insufficient money had been one of the main problems tha hadt hindered Arsenal FC from winning the title and the Ucl on many occasions. But save the FA Cup, we’ve not won any major title for the last 12 years.
Since the lack of insufficient money has ease off after paying the Ems project cost, jhe Boss has not been able to put together a title and Ucl winning squad since Arsenal last won it in 2004 and reached the Ucl final in 2006.
Inadequate players squad has been our major problem which has been mitigating against Arsenal title & Ucl challenge over the past 12 years.
Arsenal defending was porous against West Ham as there was not a Gunner defender that has the capacity size to handle Andy Carroll’s size advantage that dwarf Monreal and others.
Arsenal could have won the game before halftime, i thought we got too greedy and should have settle for counter attacking with a two – nil lead.
Very disappointed with Sanchez seem to have lost that defensive spirit and commitment he use to have, when you playing against big strikers the job is to stop crosses from entering your 18 yard box, which arsenal allowed on regular intervals and therefore suffered the consequences, Sanchez and I think Awobi were too offensive minded in the last minutes of the first half and did not offer the defenders defensive support.
I although i agree with Kos that they did not get sufficient support from players in the wide position, the defenders must be held accountable, as a defender you have to black the path which the attacker wants to run into and also have to attack the ball, which was being done earlier, but the defenders brain seem to shut down in the last 10 minutes of the first half
The problem is that the majority of the team has a WEAK MENTALITY!!! That’s been the case for years! That’s why players/teams like Drogba/Carroll, Chelsea/Stoke etc tend to have a field day against us!!! That’s why the defence has cost us and also the forwards have cost us! This weak mentality is another reason why we lack leaders!
– Cech: can’t do it all on his own
– BFG: soft, to friendly
– Boss: to quit
– Gab: to rash
– Coq: inexperienced, hot head?
– Rambo: selfish? Undisciplined (this season)
– Jack: injured
– Mozart: injured
– Arteta: injured, passed it
– Flame: passed it, hot head
– Theo: lol 10 years at the club he should be running the show Terry/Gerrard style
– Alexis: injured for large part of season and can’t do it all on his own either
– Giroud: soft? Inconsistent
– Wenger: isn’t a Fergie, Simeone type of guy, leads with calmness but for this approach he needs a strong no:2 to play good cop, bad cop with
– Bould: come on man step up!! What’s he doing? Sorted the defence a bit but I personally expect more! Maybe I just expect to much?
Quite*