A tired Arsenal beat a very mediocre Sunderland side yesterday, but it seemed to take the Gunners forever to break down the Black Cats defence, especially with Jason Pickford’s heroics in goal. We finally got the breakthrough after an hour of probing and then it was mostly plain sailing, but Wenger believes that the recent fixture congestion caused the team to be more careful and had to show patience to get past our opponents.
Wenger said after the game: “It was a game we had absolutely to win. We did it, we have 72 points now and we have to focus to get 75. That was not likely to happen three or four weeks ago but we need to patient a bit because we played Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, with two difficult away games. It took us a while to get into our rhythm. In the second half, in the last 25 or 30 minutes, it happened.”
Arsenal are finishing the season with a flourish, with 7 wins in our last 8 games, so is he happy that his side are performing at the right time: “We won more games than last year, because we already have one point more than last year.” he said. “We have gone through a difficult period away from home. At home, if you look at our record, it’s quite good. We have lost three away games recently that we should not have lost, at West Brom just before the international break, and after at Crystal Palace. Overall I’d say it’s away from home that we have lost our chances to win the championship. At home, our record is decent.”
Arsenal were up with the leaders before Xmas, but then we lost two away games in quick succession to two top six rivals. Wenger thinks this was the beginining of their downfall. “I would say yes because in the two games we were leading 1-0 and we got caught in the second half. I think especially at Everton, we were really unlucky because some decisions were really bad on the night. After, we had to go straight to Man City and it didn’t help. We can talk and talk, but at the end let’s make 75 points. If you look at the number of points we can make, it’s one of the best in the last 10 years.”
There you have it. We finished second last year, and we already have more points than that so it is not a complete disaster of a year. But I’m not sure if it was those two that were our downfall, it was the small things like losing five away games in row that may have caused us to lose the title, and that was long after the Everton and City games!
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It has not been a good season.
unless 4th is your goal.
Beaten at home in the ELC quarters.
First decent team in the ECL and boom 2-10 on aggregate.
Very lucky draw in the FA cup playing nobody till the semis.
Held together by Cech Koz Mustafi Ozil and Sanchez
with Sanchez himself saving the team many times.
Now as usual scraping top 4.
Kroenke and Wenger control the club
every one else is just a well paid lackey.
13 years. 91 million for Wenger.
Heartache for the real fans.
No argument to any points but did you just call Bayern “decent”? haha
If he thinks that this season is one of the best in 10 years then he should pack his bags and f#%k off.
Please can someone help me define what a good season is…..
Lol.
Exactly.
I’ll have a go at it.
Teams like Utd Chelsea and City
its winning the league and
making the last 8 of the ECL
Teams like Liverpool Arsenal and Spurs
its making top 4 and making last 16 ECL.
Everton Stoke WBA its making top 10
and 3 games in the FA Cup or FLC..
Bottom ten= avoiding relegation.
Depends what the word good means to some people. Like if someone said to me ..have a good day, that doesn’t mean have the best one possible. If we got into the CL and won the FA cup, compared to everyone besides Chelsea that would be a good season, it’d be great for some of them. It would be a good season if it happened, it just wouldn’t be the best or greatest one.
Not sure why Wenger is so keen to play the numbers game. If Chelsea win their last game which they probably will, they will finish with 93 points. We will be atleast 18 points behind them by then and possibly 21 points should we lose vs Everton who already beat us once this season. Now last season we finished 10 points behind the league winners Leicester.Additionally we finished 2nd and are now set to finish 5th. So how have we improved exactly? We have simply drifted around and stagnated at the same points from 71 points last season to 72 points this season possibly reaching 75 points. This is not progress this is rubbish. Wenger is deluded is all I can say.
How can you call this a good season? The Europa league is not good. Being 15 points off the champions is not good. Nothing, quite literally nothing about this season is good. The only good thing will be if Wenger leaves.
Wenger is clueless
If we get 4th he will celebrate
4th is all Wenger wants
Even if he doesnt get 4th he will be happy
The board has created a very arrogant, stubborn and clueless manager
Let’s be honest, even seen through the eyes of the highly ambitious Wenger who’s goal is to finish in the top 4, can a season in which you did not reach your goal be called a good season?
Farce-nal football club
We never had a hold on it to lose it in the first place. Lost us the title, I’d say CL place looks like the cost. Even if we won three of those away games from the five, and drew and lost the other two, it’s still not enough. Arsene should not try and spit polish our efforts this season. We need changes made to the team.
He must know this himself by now. Walcott is on 19 goals, but because of defensive frailties he has to move Oxlade back out there, he even knew this seasons ago as he done the same with Ramsey. Why keep him if he’s a liability, he can’t play in the wing-back system neither. Giroud, when we face an aerial threat team. Giroud gets the nod thanks to his aerial prowess, this should ask a few questions also. Or when we need to counter but Giroud slows the game, he put Alexis up there so he knows all this already. Keeps bemoaning the Cazorla injury, knows his importance, but hasn’t got anyone else who can dribble, retain possession, and pass like the man. Maybe he thought Xhaka, I don’t know. But it worries me when he comes out and tells us he sees Xhaka as a box to box, but then later he contradicts himself completely, and rightly so. Wilshere, not sure if he himself wanted a loan or if we sent him, but he’s been a large part of our team for years, and he was hardly pulling up trees at Bournemouth. Questions need to be asked, like how badly do you want us to win, because it seems that there’s always another who wants it a whole lot more.
a good season ?, for what , the bank balances of the board of arsenal , and leave it alone to le prof-its salary . another eight million richer , little effort on his part . and the promise of those wonderful dividends when he decides to hang up his bench jacket.good season , yeah right.
Wenger likes talking rubbish……….he is an average coach…..at a club with lots of resources…….and an average result so far……..he is not going to leave…..unless forced out……..he enjoys the huge pay……..and fame…..from a huge club….Arsenal……to walk……..especially since the owners like him……….fans are pretty much powerless…….but…..he will maintain his goodwill if he leaves on his own…..