Stan Collymore has claimed that Arsene Wenger will never supply his Arsenal team with the grit and bottle that the Premier League demands.
The Gunners have gone from Premier League challengers year-in year-out, to ‘Invincibles’, but more recently have fallen to be known as the ‘fourth best’ team in the division, and are currently at risk of missing out on the top four of the Premier League in consecutive seasons.
Our club has moved to bring in some new faces in the latest transfer window, with the experienced and talented duo of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining our ranks, but former professional Stan Collymore insists that the changes to the squad will not change the dynamic of the team.
“Arsenal have some new faces, but still have the same old problems,” the former Liverpool striker said.
“They will continue to win well, but also to lose to teams they are not expected to.
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the real deal and will score a goal every other game.
“But so have many players such as Alexis Sanchez and Robin van Persie.
“Nobody ever said Arsenal don’t have talent. Just that they don’t have bottle. Aubameyang will not give them that.
“They need a return to when their team was a combination of luxury players, old pros and youngsters.
“But Arsene Wenger believes in lovely young boys who play fancy five-a-side on an 11-a-side pitch. And that will continue as long as he is in charge.
“He won’t mix talent with the graft, bottle and dirty work that the Premier League demands.
“That is bizarre as his most famous team – The Invincibles – had that in abundance.”
The likes of Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac could definitely add some grit to our starting XI, but Wenger already seems to be happy to demote the Bosnian in favour of youth product Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Our new additions certainly look to have brought improvement to our team, and will hopefully be the impetus for a strong ending to the campaign, but does our team still lack the ‘bottle and dirty work’ that the division demands?
Pat J
I don’t like everything Collymore says but these comments of his sum it up correctly. Spot on in fact. Wenger is at his happiest when developing youngsters who then view him, in awe, as a father figure. Not many have really made it though. Some established stars have gone backwards due to him. Arshavin, Reyes, Wiltord, Sanchez. Meanwhile the balance of his teams has been all wrong for the last decade. So has his starry eyed game plan. Sadly, Kroenke would not know a foot ball from a foot brake.
Tired of the unappreciative arsenal fans being negative about wenger here we have a club legend one that your luckily alive to witness in your lifetime and man who actually loves the club with heart on sleeve remember the growth the consistency the beauty in our football style and being awed at by clubs around the about the joy of watching an arsenal wenger side play yea soon enough he will be gone hes 68 and uh oh there gos the guy who constantly over the years beat spurs made champions league the invincibles put your belief in the team and him relish what we have and in his tenure we get to be one of the few who get to worry oh maybe we wont finish this year but wait will be top five and probably win a cup or make to or near the final for 21 22 years straight phew wow that could be of been worse had me there for a moment thats all i had to worry about as a fan glad im witnessing a club legend real cub passion not a paid fake smile who will go to another club maybe a rival jose mourinho so stop being a silly nanny negative easy to be worse and it will be after he leaves will go up and down for a bit
I can’t understand, what crime has kolasinac committed? Xaka has done worse things, has cost us 2 to 3 matches due to his wrong passes. In fact against Swansea, apart from Peter Czech Xaka was another problem on the field. Yet he is still in starting eleven . can somebody tell me what’s going with kolasinac. We were all happy when this guy started his arsenal career.
Xhaka cost 35 millions, Kolasinac was free.
Wenger needs to prove everyone Xhaka is not a flop, hence he is played all the time.
Wish Lacazette received the same level of trust.
Kolasinac probably thinks for himself or did something else wrong in training. He was breath of fresh air when he started to play for us and for strange reasons he is now out of favor.
Xhaka is like Ramsey, in Wenger’s eyes he can do no wrong. Most agreed Jack was our best player when he came back but as soon as Ramsey returned Jack is benched. Wenger has his favorites and they are not his best players always.
Absolutely spot on!!
Collymore is a big mouth has been.
Do I also need to mention dogging and beating up women?
Well said. I couldn’t give an eff what this tool says to be honest.
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Stan-you have stated what the majority have been saying for years.Wenger will NEVER change his philosophy of how HE wants to play the game.
His refusal to even address the CDM position is negligence of the highest order.He is a very intelligent man,very elequent and very polite.Thats his trouble.He is stubborn and refuses to answer to anyone.
He would get more respect if he said he made a mistake with Zhaka and got him out the door even at a loss but he refuses to admit when ne is wrong.
The day he goes can’t come soon enough
Wenger is the most stubborn and set in his ways type manager ever. He seems to be looking for more attacking midfielders than a defensive one. He even said attacking is “in our DNA”. Nope. It’s in his DNA. We had legendary defense in late 90s early 20s and Viera. If we focused more on defense then Cech would look better.
At the end of the day I lay more blame on the board for putting up with this ? innit
If Sven can find the right DM and then CB…
Ball playing tough players do cost money and with the new transfer team…
Wenger isn’t against playing def good players, he wants technically good players and so the tough tackler needs to be a good footballer as well, not just a tough tackler.
That was Coquelins issue.
Get a good young technical tough tackling high stamina tidy CM and the manager after Wenger would still need him so to ensure the player fits the next managers plans, get quality.
finally someone can see it…
Wenger is very picky on technical skills of a player….
Lets leave it to Mislintat to scout on the DM and CMs….
A manager always relies on the scouts recommendation and intels on player and not on media or youtube videos
Cheers John.
Mavrop done well in the u23 again, good bargain from Sven.
Auba and Mkhi had a great reunion game, nice one Sven 🙂
Wenger has played it off as he always wanted them but in reality he wanted Lemar and he tried to push for Lemar by publicly saying we would still go back in for him.
I’ve wanted Gazidis to get some top guys in to advise him and to also reduce the influence Wenger has by being the main guy, I did fear we would sack Wenger and get a Moyes in, with CEO who was pretty clueless leading the ship.
With Raul Sanllehi and Sven along with contract dude Huss…
I feel hopeful again.
Ramsey and xhaka are as a technical as a burnt carrot … And he plays them endlessly
When it comes to centre backs and defensive midfielder Wenger is really clueless.He sold his best centre back to Valencia at a loss yet paid that club a fortune for centre back who is at best average.Someone referred to Mustafi as a World Cup winning centre back.The same could be said of Mert,but the fact is they are no longer current internationals and Mustafi is highly unlikely to make the German squad for the World Cup unless they have a string of injuries at centre back.As for Xhaka, I can only echo the sentiments of most Arsenal fans who cannot understand why he is a first team pick.
Your’e right he inherited the best defence in the country and has lost his way since.
That may be true but the invincibles defense was all brought in by Wenger which you seem to forget. Not sticking up for Wenger but pointing out facts you seem to have “Forgotten”
It is apparent that David Dein was instrumental in signing Viera, Gilberto and the back four of “the Invincibles”. Arsene Wenger lost his way once Dein was forced out.
Nothing will change while AW rules and he is going nowhere unless the board grows a pair. Ancelotti, who is currently a free agent, would be a perfect fit for us. He believes in a strong defence AND attacking football.
We now have the best attacking force since the Invincibles let’s not waste it.
Why would anyone give this Spurs supporting, Arsenal hating, women beating dickhead the time of day? Oh yeah, that’s right, Arsenal “fans” that latch on to literally anything negative about Arsenal.
What iq does somone have who diembodies club success sorry we havent won the ppremier league 22 years straight weve done alot though going global doubling our stadium winning trophies and the board putting up with those power hungry vultures trying edge out his success are lucky to have their postions hes done mughty well for them thank can thank him for their handsome bonuses they just now hes down to his last 5 -8 years and are trying positon themselves powerfully wenger has real club soul passion hes one of us a faithful a true fan in good and bad