Is Wenger leaving ‘unfixable’ Arsenal defenders lost and confused?

Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon has claimed that Arsene Wenger is unable to fix the problems at the club, stating that he has created a defence without a clue.

Dixon worked under the French boss between 1996 and 2002, although he was expected to be offloaded shortly after Wenger’s arrival, but he earned the right to be in his plans.

The ex right-back has now turned on his former coach, claiming he has left his defence without any idea on their roles.

“I honestly think they’re unfixable under Arsene,” Dixon said.

“What he’s got there is he’s created an environment which the players don’t really know what they’re doing without the ball.

“It’s quite simple – when I watch them I think ‘they could beat anyone on their day going forward, but they could lose to anyone defensively’. That summed it up at the weekend against City.

“The [Alexandre] Lacazette thing is another issue, as to why he’s not playing, but you play [Alexis] Sanchez up front, who is a chaser of the ball; if he loses the ball then he’ll chase to win it back.

“If you’ve got that, as a manager, you have to have the players to go and back that up, and he didn’t have that. He hasn’t got that because they don’t know how to do that on a regular basis – they are not a pressing side.

 

“They do it now and again – they did it against Chelsea, they got it right against Chelsea in the cup final and in the league, and you think ‘wow, they’re back’. And then the fall again like they did against Watford, and then you see them trying to press Man City, one of the best passing sides in the league. How is that allowed to happen?

“If you’re not a pressing side, then you have to press for months and years at a time in order to get it right, it’s really difficult. It’s not just a case of ‘you all just rush to the ball’.

“They have to be triggers, and you need to know when to press – which is just as hard as knowing when not to press if you’re a pressing side, because sometimes you have to unpress, if you like, and just sit where you are. Just running willy-nilly at the ball is a disaster, especially against City.”

Has Wenger lost the ability to organise a solid defence? Has the manager gone past the point of no return with his squad?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Dixon Wenger

14 Comments

  1. The team honestly, can’t defend. We lacked leaders in that department. Gone are the great warriors like Adams and Vieira.

    I heard our chief scout is leaving. Certain transfer-in players in recent years are seriously lacking in the traits of winners. Skills wise, some of them are ok.

  2. Monreal basicly a fb, become cb
    Kolasinak basicly a fb, became wing back
    Xhaka basicly a cm, became deep lying playmaker
    Elneny basicly a cm, became dm, or cb
    Oziel basicly a am, became winger
    Sanchez basicly a winger, became stiker sometime
    Coqelin basicly a dm, never use him, last time hes playing, he became cb
    Nelson basicly a winger, became a wingback
    What else…
    Welbeck, sometime a winger, in other day is astriker
    Ramsey, well, he running all the field like a bambi
    Walcott, who already give up to be striker, mybe he also give up as footballer.

  3. Arsenal reminds me of the Led Zeppelin classic “Dazed and Confused”.
    It’s really sad. The past 4 years Wenger could have built one hell of a team. We had Koscielny, Alexis, Ozil, Bellerin, Monreal, Cazorla. All Wenger needed to do was get a Top defensive midfielder, Top striker and we would have won the Premier League 2 seasons ago instead of Leicester.
    But Wenger is stubborn and the Board’s faith in him has strengthened that stubbornness.

    Wenger has completely forgotten how he won the premier league. It wasn’t just our attack that won it. It was our midfield and defense.
    VIERA. We never replaced him in over a decade. Xhaka, Coquelin and Eleny aren’t good enough. Ramsey and Xhaka aren’t on Cazorla’s level either.
    Robin Van Persie left in 2012 and we get Lacazette in 2017. He kept faith in Bendtner, Giroud and Welbeck who are good but to win the premier league you need someone like lacazette. Wenger takes ages to do the right thing!
    Now Ozil and Alexis going and Wenger’s lazy incomplete summer transfers means we need the following: (MINIMUM)
    1. Top CAM
    2. Alexis replacement
    3. Defensive midfielder
    4. Central midfielder to replace Cazorla
    5. Top Centre back
    Do you really think he will get all those next summer. If you do then you must be as delusional as Wenger.
    Kopp, Mourinho, Conte, Guardiola and even Pochettino knows how to build a proper team more than Wenger does. Before we see any light at the end of the tunnel WENGER HAS TO GO!

    1. We already have top cam, its oziel. But wenger dont use cam in his formation
      We already have dm, its coqelin, but wenger dont use dm in his formation
      We already have top cm, its xhaka, but wenger use him as deep lying playmaker and dm at same time.
      We already have top cb, its boss, mustafi, holding, and another one i forget his name, but wenger use monreal as cb, even elneny.

  4. Arsenal is a top 4 franchise and is
    currently bang on the top 4 bubble.
    This season Gabriel gone, Mertz
    winding down Koz playing on one leg
    Chambers injured Mustafi is not rated and wants out.
    Problems with Sanchez and Ozil contracts.
    Wenger has shown surprising flexibility in team selection
    eg by playing playing Elneny and Coquelin at CB.
    Wilshere and Debuchy are playng regularly for the first time in years.
    The easier Europa league affords resting league starters
    and playing youngsters more often.
    Over all right on target for a top 4 from the league
    good cup runs with Arsene getting a year extension.

  5. We need couple of center backs badly. Kos is almost 33 and mertesacker is playing his final season as a player. Monreal is 31 so all of them are not getting any younger and they are on the wrong side of 30. Rob holding will take some time and Mustafi did not live upto the expectations. We should go for Kostas Manolas as i think he is a world class CB and we should also sign one more decent CB.

    1. As Dixon says, the problem isn’t the players. It is their organization and before that is corrected, it really doesn’t matter much, who we buy and sell. We won’t get the results.

  6. Accusing Lee Dixon of “turning on” Arsene Wenger is over the top and unfair to Lee Dixon. He is only stating what anyone who follows the Arsenal knows for themselves.

  7. Merse being passionate about the problems at Arsenal is one thing as soon as Lee Dixon says something like that it’s time to listen, he isn’t known for his anti Wenger views and has always praised him as a person. The tide is now really starting to turn.

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