It is blindingly obvious to everyone that the Arsenal players have lost something in the last couple of months. At the beginning of the season we could all see the desire in their eyes every time they played, but now they don’t even believe they can beat the Hull City or Swansea City reserves at home.
Was the defeat to Barcelona the final straw that put them completely over the edge? Olivier Giroud’s not scored in 10 games and Alexis Sanchez has been even worse. Is it only 2 games out of the last 20 that he has found the net? So what does he think is the reason for Arsenal’s malaise? “We lack self-belief, that we can actually be champions,” he said.
“I think we can win the Premier League with the players we have. That said, we lack a certain hunger. We need to step out onto the pitch as if we’re already 1-0 up.
“I remember a game against Manchester United last year. The lads looked hungry for silverware as we took to the pitch.
“We crushed them in the first 20 minutes and went 3-0 up. We were hungry and brimming with confidence that day.”
So is it the whole team that has gone wrong? Have they lost faith in each other and their own abilities? Or is in individual players that are making the rest look ordinary?
So Sanchez is happy to speak about a team problem the day before our most important game of the season. Well maybe he should tell us what has happened to his hunger, his desire. Last season he galvanized the team into action, now he can’t get past people. His first touch is rubbish, and he can’t hit a barn door. Alexis you are part of the problem, so become part of the solution please…
The whole team is disjointed and no one really looks like they know what they’re doing. I put that mostly down to the loss of Cazorla from the middle. No one else in our team can run the midfield. Ramsey isn’t that type of player I’m afraid, and at the moment, we need that type of player. Hopefully Wilshere can come back in and play that role when he’s fit. He’s played that sort of role for England, albeit against weak opposition. Wilshere is much more similar to Cazorla than Ramsey is though, so here’s to hoping…
The dip in form coincide with the title chase getting hotter and harder with pressure to maintain a lead or stay in touch with the teams leading; sounds familiar?……the motivation and hunger that separates real winners from mere contenders is what we are and have always missed and that is solely down to the manager…if we are good enough to be in touch with the leaders by Jan/Feb and still stand a very good chance of winning it then it seems to me we are not exactly bad personell and quality wise, what we lacked is the ability to be fired up and be in the right state of mind for games that are of importance to our quest…..our mental attitude, belief and motivation is what is really killing us, shame we do not have a manager who can make even the most average of players feel like they are Pele or Maradona, because if Wenger is such a manager, we would have been out of sight of the other by now, and yes,with Flamini and all the other lightweights in the squad in tow
There`s probably more than one reason for players, even high caliber ones, losing their edge. Motivation comes from pride not psyching and motivational films. So the first question is what makes them tick and what upsets them? A good manager knows their emotions and how to use them. No matter how much money they are paid they will not perform unless there is the will to win. Maybe they don`t have the same pride in Arsenal as their supporters do which puts the entire Arsenal system in question. Myself, I think the dressing room is where this negative attitude is birthed. They too have their opinions of each other and they know when the mix is wrong, so they get upset and have lost before putting a foot on the pitch. A champion side trusts each they are a `band of brothers` and play for each other. This is obviously not the case at Arsenal.
How about the fact it’s only the 2nd time he has played full 90min since his 2month injury ? How about the fact he’s been carrying Arsenal for more than a year and is only human ? The solution was simple, get more players that offer his level of quality as well as mentality so he can feel less pressure. Even players like Messi and Ronaldo require world class players around them to be consistent at the top level.
Please we need an article on Joel Campbell….I do not only pity that guy, I cry for him…
If only he can get just a quater of the trust the likes of Walcott and Ramsey gets…and yet they continue to prove how useless they are…
It is very clear there is pure hatred from wenger to Campbell…
Imagine, Wenger coming out and saying..”It is now or never for Campbell”
Can he say that for Wilshere, Ramsey, even the always injured Diaby Wenger will always tell us how good he is as a guy, how quality player he is..Campbell’s game is far more matured than walcott’s Ox’s Ramsey’s game..
He needs to feel wanted just like Wenger made Ozil feel..
Wenger just have to go
we know Alexis and he’d always been Hungry………. Looks Like the others, wenger included aren’t as Hungry as he is
u don’t know what it feels like to be surrounded by comfortable Lads earning 100-160k per week as well as those on 8mil per annum
They Live Large and don’t care bout what they do….the don’t care bout the pressure to justify their pay……as Long as they smile to the bank every week!
Alexis is mentally down, he can’t believe the level of mediocrity in this team
He came to Arsenal as a winner….that what we all should understand
Chelsea and Man U are
struggling. Spurs has
been below us for 20 years
while Leicester is never
above 10th place.
In the last round the top four tallied 1 point between them all !
The league is there for the taking. Is the pressure getting to us?
Perhaps that’s what Wenger meant when referring to the basics?
If so I agree with him. Lets focus on one game at a time.
Do the basics right for 97 minutes and we are home and hosed 🙂
Enough of the doom and gloom.
Arsenal to go on an exhilarating run of 10 victories
totally nuking the opposition on our way to a glorious EPL title 🙂
Again picking on one season to justify AW. ManU and Chelsea during his tenure have had both EPL and ECL success at the highest level. Tottenham are not part of the elite group of European football clubs as we are. I also support Exeter City to a lesser extent than my beloved Arsenal and I can say with my hand on heart that they have never finished above Tottenham.
Easy thing to say but how would you feel if it actually went that way and we had to listen to forever in our shadow st Arsenalthing day. And watch the pile of crap that they had to put up with, fighting Sou Newc Liv Eve for seventh place.
Oh, if it only was that simple, david…
our next 5 matches will result in either draws or losses.
We will only win 4 matches this season.
The akbs will then call wenger their saviour for delivering them the 4th place trophy
Da players have lost faith in AW & u can see that on da pitch…Chelsi did not sign anybody after mrhn left but they are unbten upto now..sims like our lads are borrwing a leaf..if u r fed up wd da mngr & fans dont complen,simply relax on da pitch.
Let’s wait and be patient with Arsenal to see Tottenham Hotspur losing to us in a high profile BPL game at the Lane on Saturday in a early kickoff time game.
I certainly believe the Gunners will unfailingly humbled the Lilly Whites 0-2 @ full-time plus the added time, before the very watching eyes of Daniel Levy and the die-hard Spurs fans to keep our title winning ambition surviving.
That’s the way son
Arsenal all the way 🙂
I know you AW fans don’t want to hear it, but there is a dressing room problem. AW during his great period had great people around him David Dein DB10 and PV4 who help him. I know some of you said one rich owner is like any other, but in Dein’s case that’s not true. He involved himself with transfers, heck he got Wenger to the club. He was a confidant. DB10 and PV4 were and are great coaches. They made AW’s play work on the feild, and were also intelligent enough to mix it up when it went stale as it is now. We don’t have that goal scoring genius at the front that needs no imput to creat as TH14 did.
I don’t mind hearing it, I read Robson say the very same thing. Football as a whole has lost the sort of characters from those days you mention. Society and political correctness etc has depleted the game of those great characters. Not aloud to stand, managers must treat everyone with respect esp the officials. Players like Wrighty you will never see again thanks to the rules and what not.
That’s not to say you are altogether wrong though, too many pampered players wrapped up in themselves and their luxurious lifestyle really. Alexis sparked our players into trying harder last season, they didn’t want to be shown up, but now since he fell out of team and has struggled coming back they don’t even try anymore.
I genuinely believe that we miss leadership at board level. David Dein was such a big influence about our direction as well as our passion. Stan looks at us as part of a franchise, not a football club.
I’m starting to Think there’s a revolution going on in the dressing room
who Leads the Array, i’m not sure!
Elex satchel hunger went after he ran around like mad for 11/2 hrs and see Walcott not even breaking into a sweat and getting the same 140grand a wk.
Elex satcheL………… Okay!
even though he is not performing himself what he is saying is true and is one of the reasons the team is where it is today. opponents have stated to mark him closely especially him and ozil. which is what arsenal fails to do to opponents. its as if Wenger also applies zonal marking in normal play.
one play can not take on the full team by himself. if everyone is doing their bit then some one can come out on top and take the credit but u cannot defend and, create and score on your own. it takes 11.
I like his honesty and I believe he is talking about himself too, I reckon the confidence and belief part is what he is going through. He did also say he thinks they are good enough to win it but are basically not putting everything into it. We cant have just one two three players run themselves ragged every week while others watch. That last match and I think one other game is the only time I seen our players look for or find Alexis in dangerous position, no wonder he’s rusty.
The part about believing we are already winning the game I found interesting, when you have a lead you sit back stay compact focusing on quick breaks. This is when Arsenal are at their best, we know this from winning games with thirty percent possession. Alexis sees we are vulnerable when we overplay and start getting confident from having possession, too many teams are set up to take full advantage.
use arteta as a box to box midlfielder. he knows how to dictate tempo. oh but he hasn’t played for so long…well we are screwed.
I think you are a little unfair questioning Alexis believe and attitude. We all know he is the one player always willing to give 110%.
It seems to me there are few things going on with Alexis. First he is burned out. After a great but physical first season the PL he had virtually no break as a result of the Copa America.
Wenger virtually gave him no break and then ran him into the ground resulting in his injury.
He must have saw the teams results without him and after injuries to Santi and Coquelin he must have been certain Wenger would strengthen the squad over the winter. This did not happen.
I am sure Wenger told him a story about title ambitions and his manager must have told him about all the cash Arsenal have, the season before they had bought Ozil, so it must have made sense to Sanchez that he would join a team on the ascendancy building towards a quality squad that can compete in both Europe and the PL.
Instead he is still stuck with the likes of Giroud and Walcott wasting what little chances and space he creates.
The guy must be getting frustrated.
Wenger tells all of us he is ambitious but to us and players like Sanchez this means something completely different.
Teams can focus on Sanchez there is threat on the other side of the pitch requiring a defense attention. There is little threat in the center from Giroud, you take Sanchez out of the game and you render Arsenal toothless. That’s what they are all doing.
And Sanchez is getting fed up not getting any help from his spineless and average team mates.
that should read : “there is no threat on the other side of the pitch”
Sorry Soapy, only just woke up
Their is nothing wrong with Alexis, for how long can he be at such level in the mix of Players like flamini and those average players couple with the dream of board and the type of manager, Arsenal can not improve the level of any player that has played in such highest level in Barcelona but he can continue giving his best when he sees class of determined and fantastic players around him.
How can players be motivated when they see the idiotic manager picking players out of favouritism instead of on merit ??? Pity campbell
I don’t think Sanchez or anyone else has lost – just lost some touch. And perhaps others have lost some confidence-
Their is so much pressure on these guys, not surprised they buckling a bit. Of course that’s why they paid the big bucks
I hope and pray now that we no longer favourites we can play with more freedom, and date I say it, with more Fun!
There’s less crowd pressure when away from home- which is why we play better.
Still looking or ward to Spurs game. Nothing to lose – let’s play with passion not fear
Sanchez has not loss his touch and hunger. Sanchez is now experiencing the problem with Hazard, the predictablity of their game are now proving to be their downfall. Sanchez and Hazard plays predominantly on the left wing runs wide down the line cuts in towards the penalty box and then shoot with their right feet, this style of play brought them many goal. Most teams now has taken that scoring option away from them, by allowing them to run in these areas of the pitch but not allowing them to shoot by closing them down at the point of shooting. It does not matter how well Sanchez play his just not allowed to score goals in that fashion anymore, I first notice that when he played againt spurs at the Emirates.
Mr Wenger should now transfer Sanchez to the right wing for the entire 90 minutes in all the remaining games of the season and Sanchez now has to find a goal scoring option on the right. I personally believe Sanchez is good enough to make that adjustment but not Hazard. I expect Hazard to take the easy option and run away from the Premier league come end of season.
Why are you trashing Alexis? He didn’t speak yesterday about this, he did it before Swansea’s match. First, he also spoke about his own form, about how much he needed to improve and that he hasn’t been himself lately. Second, if you knew Alexis you should know he isn’t a self-centered guy how to speak about others but not about himself. So please, instead of trashing Alexis you should also trash the other players. I know he hasn’t been at his best, but neither the team have.
Not even a single player is excluded, perhaps, only Cech. But the rest need to step up and motivate themselves to win the league otherwise, this is already a game over.