Can Arsenal use siege mentality to thrive in adversity?

I was quite surprised that Arsene Wenger did not make more of the decisions that went against Arsenal in the midweek defeat to Swansea City. The boss did speak about the clear foul on Ozil in the build up to the first Swansea goal but he did not even mention the fact that Ashley Williams was offside when the free kick that he scored their second off was taken.

Perhaps the Frenchman realised that talking about these incidents would just make people say he was passing the buck and blaming everyone but himself and the Arsenal players for our recent struggles and he would have been right. But he might also have become so used to decisions going against us that he no longer sees it as worth a mention.

I really hope it is the former because I think the players need to feel that everything is against them. This is not an excuse for their failings on the pitch but it might just give us that extra bit of attitude that could help to spark us into some decent form.

That ‘us against the world’ mentality has often been used by teams, armies, businesses or anyone to overcome adversity and it would not be hard for Wenger to point to a number of decisions or things written or said by the football media this year to show that we really are up against it.

So is it time for the boss to instill a bit of that siege mentality into the Arsenal squad and see if it helps?

Tags tottenham Wenger

6 Comments

  1. We will win this one. I have every confidence the boys will come in ready for a fight and they will deliver.
    We aren’t going there for a draw, while the Spuds may think it’s good enough for them to get a point. Spuds supporters will be demanding they attack and an open game suits us perfectly.
    So instead of hitting the woodwork 3 times, it’s going to be the back of the net we rip thrice!

    Arsenal, we’re on your side
    Our love we can not hide
    Our hearts are open wide
    For nobody else but you

    Spuds 0-3 Arsenal

    COYG!

  2. if we were to win PL one year, it would have to be despite these truths:

    * some refs are completely against us,
    * 33% of our squad will be injured , some for 50%-80% of the season,
    * players of other teams like to rough it on us,

    to counteract these, you have to have 33 good players. 11 will be injured at any given time. of the remaining 22, 11 will be needed on the weekends to play PL and the other 11 , who have to be good too, will play in CL or FA etc. but instead of getting worldclass strikers, wenger chooses to protect the careers of his favorite giroud by not buying (actually, i also think he wants to buy but he has self-defeating behaviours such as cheapness, stubborness and slowness).

    he, in effect, does the exact opposite of what would be needed for AFC to go from top4 to top1.

    and, by not retiring at the end of this year, he cost AFC the chance to get guardiola. wenger is now no longer good for arsenal football club.

  3. Arsenal don’t have the players to adopt a siege mentality and Wenger has lost the ability to instil one in the dressing room

  4. Isnt good to be out of top four or championship for a session nd come back stronger d nxt session? Wenger, d genesis of all problem Arsenal fc is facing. My cadid advise for him is to resign honorarily & thereby pave way for a young, dynamic, energetic, visionary & ambitious coach to take over nd pillot d affair for atleast a positive change. @Arsene, we believe U will, for U too so love ds club dt U wld sacrifice as such

  5. I think it would be within our normal pattern to all of a sudden play a great game against Spurs after losing 3 and after being written of by a lot of the football world.

    I would not be surprised by any result, be it a big win for the Arsenal, a big loss for the Arsenal or anything in between. You can expect anything from Wenger’s teams. (Except consistency and predictablitly.)

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