Did Sunday’s defeat tee Arsenal up for more misery against City?

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed that Sunday’s cup final defeat was direct reason for our dismal opening interval against Manchester City.

The Gunners succumbed to a distressing 3-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium, while many fans didn’t even make it to the match.

Our side has enjoyed a very impressive season in front of our home crowd, with much of our disappointments coming on the road, but with the adverse weather conditions and warnings, a large number of supporters will not have been able to make the trip, and we therefore ended up playing out the match in front of a minimal size crowd.

Manager Wenger is refusing to blame the support, or lack thereof, and claims that morale could well have played a huge part in the end result.

“I knew the first half could be difficult for us because we come out of Sunday’s game with a low confidence level, they come back with a very positive mind,” Wenger told a news conference. “That’s why they took advantage of every defensive weakness we showed in the first half.

“At the end of the day, I must say we lost against a top-quality team who are at the moment the best team in the country.

“A combination of their quality and the fact that they are high on confidence and we are low in confidence played a big part in the game tonight.

“We focus on performances and when the pressure is on like this you have to show that strong organisation and unite, not divide,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “You have to stay together, focus and work even harder to get the confidence back.”

The Frenchman then moved to rue the missed opportunity to get back into the match-up, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failing to beat Ederson from the penalty spot, and insists the result was destined from then onwards.

“We needed the penalty to get going and gain a bit of momentum,” Wenger said. “That was the killer, basically, of the game, after that.”

The 68 year-old added that the fans were right to feel disgruntled following the painful result, and insists that there should be disappointment.

“Do you want the fans to be happy when you’re 3-0 down? I’m surprised that you’re surprised,” Wenger said about the crowd reaction.

About the low attendance, he added: “It was a combination certainly of the weather conditions and the fact that we had a big disappointment on Sunday. It was a combination of the two things together.”

Is Wenger wrong to defend his players? Did the Frenchman fail to fire up his boys to seek revenge?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Man City Wenger

10 Comments

  1. For all loser wengerites I predicted the future last year . The truth is present state is more horrific than my prediction.
    September 9, 2017 at 5:41 am

    next match Arsenal (Bournemouth) will draw or win. Next 5/6 matches Arsenal will win convincingly. In the meantime utd will win most of them.1st Arsenal disaster time is Decemember 20 to january 1st. Next disaster month is march. In April Arsenal will ne 15 to 20 points far from united.
    Repeat the cycle next year, replace utd with city/chelsea/liverpool.
    Repeat the cycle until Wenger passes away naturally.

  2. No Arsenal has struggled all season.
    Arsenal has lost 9 times
    in the league so far .
    Against the top 5 teams
    Won 1 drawn 3 lost 5 a total of 6 points from a possible 27.
    Losses to smaller clubs Bournemouth, Stoke, Swansea and Watford have hurt.
    Draws at WHam Southampton WBA add to the mediocrity.
    Last minute wins at Burnley, Palace and home to Leicester.
    Arsenal has lost points to 12 PL teams so far, to 5 teams more than once.
    Defeat at Forest in the FA Cup.
    Losses to Red Star, Koln and Oystersunds in the weak Europa.
    So no the City losses are simply a continuation of a season long battle.
    Yet Arsenal could still make the ECL by winning the Europa trophy
    and so join City Utd Liverpool Spurs in the ECL while Chelsea miss out.
    The PL table does not lie but the Europa league
    can make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.
    Arsene remains seated on his throne.
    The reign of King Arsene may yet extend to the 2020’s 🙂

  3. Whatever comes out of Wenger’s mouth now until the day he actually does a Houdini and vanishes it should be taken with a pinch of salt! He talks the same rubbish after every game, he just talks the same rubbish every time he speaks! I’m sick of his excuses and sick of seeing him in that ridiculously long coat playing with his zipper and sitting on his hands while (real managers) are pacing up and down the sidelines giving instructions! Wenger is taking arsenal back to the dark ages and refuses to let another man lead the club forward and because we fans want change we have to listen how he turned every club in the world down to remain arsenal manager and his ardent supporters think he’s done that out of sheer loyalty to the club, no, no no he stayed put because he can do as he damn well pleases with no pressure and get paid handsomely while doing it… The French fraud would of had his a#se booted out the door by any other club and he knows it.. what’s really frightening is that he seems bewildered by the newfound criticism like why am I being criticized I’m Arsene Wenger I’ve been here 22 years I made Arsenal.. Arsenal owe me the world! I’m sorry I thought employees get paid to do a job a surgeon doesn’t go round repeating I saved his life, I saved her life.. that’s they’re job that’s what they get paid to do! Anyone would think Wenger has managed Arsenal for free and held down a paying job on the side! The man has lost the plot and he actually thinks he’s gonna turn this around, if he sincerely believes that he should be in the padded party room not managing a brilliant club like arsenal.

  4. The trap holding Arsenal back from progressing and walking/competing with the big boy clubs is primarily a systemic fault of the Club owners and the Board. Secondary fault is with the fans who continue to fund this mediocrity year in year out moreover as season ticket holders! Arsene or any manager for that matter who is assured of no consequence for consistently poor performances year to year and on a lucrative contract will stay put! It is up to the owners and the Board to sack him and, the fans to stop funding the club in all ways as a means of causing positive change in the club.

  5. We have a manager with this kind of mentality & we expect us to win? Ferguson would not concede defeat that easily. It doesn’t matter the quality of the opposition, you fight with what you got to the end with the right tactics. Mancity players are not gods, they are humans. Grow a pair Arsene!

    1. Fergie would have been raging & throwing whatever he could get his hands on!! But not Arsene, he’s the complete opposite

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors