Why I blame the Arsenal players NOT Wenger

Monaco game not Wenger’s fault by Sam P

Arsenal have just suffered a massive and disappointing blow and there is little chance that Arsene Wenger is going to take a massive chunk of the flak. While I agree with the general priciple that the man in charge is essentially responsible, I think that this would let the players off the hook too easily.

Somebody said after the match that if you picked the best 11 players on the pitch they woulkd all be Monaco players and they were right. How on earth can players like Ozil, Cazorla, Giroud, Welbeck, Rosicky and Chamberlain fail to create chances or even frighten a club like MOnaco into their own half?

Wenger said after ythe match that he could not explain what happened and I understand why he was so confused. You send out the team that has been turning opposing teams inside out and they just don’t do it. I’m not having a go at Alexis but even he was doing some strange things that just encouraged Monaco.

The players have to step up or ship out. It sems like every time Wenger wants an extra effort, like his 10o0th game at Chelsea last year, and every Champions League first leg, they let him down. They nearly messed up the FA cup last yea FFS.

We can dissect this game at length, and we will, but for me it boils down to individual players and the whole team not playing well. Why?

50 Comments

  1. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown on BBC Radio 5 live: “The team is not professional enough. They get too caught up in the moment, and they cannot afford to react like that. They need to be professional and to step away from the emotion of it all.
    “Wenger is on it. He is in touch 100% with his team and how they emotionally collapsed in the game. They were unprofessional in their youthful exuberance, and they lost it.
    “It’s one thing to identify the problems but it’s another thing to make the necessary changes. Big decisions have got to be made, but he loves every player and treats every player like his son. He’s got to be ruthless for the benefit of the team.”

    What is it with ex professionals when it comes to criticism ?

    Wenger is on it Keown claims yet this type of performance in big games have become the norm.

    The issue is not the players nor is the solution to spend lots of money on new ones.

    The problem lies with the manager and I am afraid he has had enough time to sort things out.

    Arsenal deserve better than what Wenger can offer.

    Time to go Mr Wenger…

    1. How can anyone thumbs down this comment.

      it is 100 per cent correct.

      If the responsibility doesn’t fall at the managers feet then Arsenal are doomed to slip into mediocrity as they allow someone who is incompetent to continue in post.

      Its the managers responsibility to MANAGE – if he cannot then he should go.

      Arsenal fans are a spineless lot – keeping the status quo requires less courage than pushing for change.

      He is been in post nearly twenty years – Arsenal DESPERATELY need change. They are stale and predictable.

      Don’t confuse wins over Palace and Boro as progress because it is not – the yard stick to measure our progress was last night and in games against big clubs and as we saw last night it was RUBBISH.

      Wenger has to go – he is clearly not going to lead Arsenal anyway.

      Now begins the fight for fourth so we can repeat the performance next season.

      Arsenal are going nowhere…

      1. ha ha ha ha

        Replying to yourself to ask how anyone could possibly disagree with you?

        I think you need to come down off of your high horse, son. You clearly think far far too much of yourself and your opinions.

      2. You are now admitting that Monaco is a big team? If we had lost this game you would have brushed it aside as a weaker opponent!

    2. 1000% BLAME IS ON WENGER.
      Y BBRING IN MEDIOCRITY REJECTED BY MANURE YET WE ALREADY HAD MEDIOCRITY HERE?
      WHEN HAS WELBECK EVER BEEN A WINGER?
      Y DOES WENGER SIT ON THE BENCH IF HE CAN’T EVEN EFFECT THE GAME FROM THERE?
      WENGER MUST GO OR ELSE WE ARE 2WITNESS MORE MEDIOCRITY….
      MANY ON HERE USED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OZILL NOT DEFENDING, I THINK THEY ENJOY IT WHEN THE OZILLS, ROSICKY, CARZOLA, SANCHEZ ARE DEEP IN OUR OWN HALF DEFENDING.
      I HEAR WELBECK SHOULD PLAY A HEAD OF WALCOT BECAUSE HE DEFENDS…I GUESS THAT’S WHY WE DON’T CONCEDE NOWADAYS

      1. What was that, ArnSam? I don’t think we heard you. A chance to voice discontent, is it. Sod what happens in the 2nd leg. CHANGE MUST HAPPEN TODAY

      2. Arnsam, 100% right. WhyTF have people thumbed you down. Welbeck isnt cutting it-check. Wenger doesnt do sh*t-check. Despite the stats, Ozil is garbage-check. Having our attacking players defending and tiring themselves out early is NOT GOOD-check. These people are idiots.

    3. Why haven’t you quoted what was actually said
      ‘This won’t be addressed until tomorrow, there’s nothing that can be gained going in that dressing room. You can only destroy players after a game.

      ‘He will re-balance and come back but he might not sleep too well tonight.’

  2. It’s fine to acknowledge a players role in odd poor results etc but it’s a managerial issue when the bad results are as frequent and repetitive as they are with us.

    You can say Giroud ot whomever else was awful yday etc etc. But Arsenal fail to get results vs good teams again and again. As you point out, we have incredible talent at our disposal. The inability to utilise that talent falls at the feet of Wenger…

    1. @Champagne Charlie

      Completely agree with you about the frequency and repetitiveness of the results and performances. It just proves that Wenger never learns from his mistakes.

      The writer blames the players and not the manager, and whilst I agree that the players were awful, you cannot escape the fact that Wenger is the one that signs players, picks the team, and never seems to have any tactics. So many fans complain about Wilshere, Giroud, Ozil, Flamini, Arteta, Mertesacker, Szczesny, etc, not being good enough…well guess who signed them!

      At least we’re consistent in Europe. We always throw away the tie in the first leg, and last night we kept that run going. Back of the net!

      1. It’s a sad truth mate. Never nice to watch a true great lose grip like this, but this Arsene Wenger is not the pioneer who served us so well for a decade. I don’t agree with some that he’s in danger of tainting his legacy, but he’s certainly become replaceable.

        1. And he will be. In the meantime, I’m going to hope for the one thing that I’m still excited for. To get to this season’s UCL quarterfinals and beyond. Yep, it’s still possible.

  3. Many of our players are simply not good enough. They are simply average players picking up world class salaries.
    Wenger also made a big mistake with his substitutions. Coqueliin should never have been subbed. It was supposed to be oxlade or rosicsky for ozil who seems to be seriously weighed down by his price tag/expectations / ability ratio.

    1. you forgeot to add average players bought by and put in to a team by the highest paid manager in the EPL and one of the highest paid managers on the planet…..this guy makes the head of RBS look like a saint!!!!….the wenger-arsenal relationship has become a football laughing stock…whats wrong with this club….next thing we know he`ll be putting forward his daughter forward to replace him…this is how kleptocratic third world governments behave

    2. BS. Coq should absolutely have been subbed because he was on an early yellow and was on the verge of picking up his second. Tell me we don’t need him in the second leg. I’ll disagree with you. Because we do. Regardless of how poor his and the team’s overall performance was yesterday. I agree that Ozil went missing. But, I also don’t think he was the only one. No one was driving forward and attacking their defense, which we knew going in was the strongest component of their side. Not until Ox and Theo came on, at least. Problem after that was that the entire defense kept pushing hard, too. I do think that Coq’s yellow card changed the type of subs that would otherwise have been made.

  4. A teams performance on the pitch demonstrates the exact mentality of the managers nature.

    – Mou is arrogant, checky, bullish, slick, and can do anything to win including cheating = his teams performance on the pitch

    – Kloop is crazy, fast, heavy metal, brutal, total action, rock star = 2011/2012 Dortmund team, one of the most entertaining full blooded football av ever seen, no tiki taka boring football

    – Wenger 2003/2004 was intelligent, innovative, revolutionary, passionate, motivating, a winner = the best team weve had in our history (subject to debate)

    – Wenger 2015 is stubborn, disinterested, old fashioned, clueless, no energy, no game plan, nothing to prove, COMFORTABLE = good/average players but the worst Arsenal performances av seen in a very long time

  5. Wenger is incharge of the players, training, coaching, team selection, tactics transfers and is paid Β£8m a year but nooo lets friggin blame it on players for upteempth time!!!

    Fourth place and perhaps a domestic trophy once in a while is our level with the players Wenger has assembled.

  6. Wenger has been so long at arsenal and this team is exactly a reflection of himself just as Chelsea are a reflection of MO.

    we could all see in the first half that there was too much space between the defence and attack. le cock was just winging it playing out of position. Mert looked like a social league defender. i’m not saying those were the only problems. the whole team was shiit except mayb ospina n the boss

    where did wenger go on the touch line to try and sort things out. he was just seating waiting for majic.

  7. First, it was not our night, Welbeck hitting the ball against Walcotts foot from 6 yards out summed it up. The opening goal, a massive deflection, changed the game. However, we were brittle and panicked. Losing 1-0 or 2-1 was not a disaster but not ideal. 3-1 is game over despite what anyone wants to tell you. A top manager would have calmed us down but with Wenger a nervous wreck on the bench he only amplifies this to the players.

    I do blame Wenger for the same cracks to keep resurfacing, the first is Giroud, he is a flat track bully and lets face it he failed to cope mentally last night. But his style does not suit our quick interchange play if anything he gets in the way. He has no pace to cause defenders any concern about pushing up. Nor does his movement allow us to play into the channels on a counter attack. Welbeck is the more mobile forward he brings Sanchez into the game but his finishing is hit and miss. BTW notice Alexis scoring record with Giroud is awful, with Welbeck a goal a game??? Let’s also be candid Welbeck is not a winger.

    The next major concern is Mertesacker involved in all three of their goals. His lack of pace with our style of play is suicidal. The second goal for him to be in the right midfield position and getting beaten is very poor defending. The third goal he had 20 meters on Carruzo yet could not get across to cover the shot. He can not sweep behind Koscielny and if Kos steps up we are in trouble if he does not win the ball.

    I am sure everyone will jump on Ozil but if you are a playmaker you need an outlet or runner. All he has is Giroud standing still, Welbeck running into the same space leaving only Sanchez who was tightly marked. I guess he regrets he could not have Ronaldo, Benzema or Bale as an outlet.

    Time to focus on finishing on 4th as per every season.

  8. i am soooo sad πŸ™ πŸ™ πŸ™
    And i blame wenger πŸ™
    We need a new coach, any coach..even a lame, blind, retired cricket coach will take us further than wenger πŸ™

  9. My little innocent heart cant bear it, i feel like crying πŸ™ πŸ˜₯ πŸ˜₯
    no champions league 4us nxt season πŸ™ πŸ™

    1. I don’t agree with you on many topics in football but after last nights performance, I agree with you we do not deserve to play CL next season.

      Long ball united under reconstruction and a fearless Southampton side have more balls than us.

      Credit to Monaco though, they had a perfect game plan. Reviewed our past performances and turned our weaknesses into their opportunities which we never do!

      No heart in that game at all. Players turned up in the 85th minute though forgot all the basics of football and left the route to goal wide open. Wenger and his “assistants” sat on the bench while seeing this and never thought of screaming out instructions to the players (its freestyle football at Arsenal).

      The football world laughs at us

      1. It’s the first real nail in Wengers coffin I believe (in respect to the board) ..The rain before the sun.

        Loss of UCL, terrible performances in Europe last night will i suspect have a knock on effect.

        Things will get worse, before they get better,but hopefully this will inspire some sort of big revision by the board of the way things are done at AFC including a management change.

        Guardiola please!

  10. Wenger: “We are very guilty. At 2-1 how can we, with one minute to go, leave open the whole half?”

    This is not the first time this kind of thing happened at Arsenal.Last season, 6-0 against Chelsea, 6-3 against City, 5-1 against Liverpool and 3-0 against Everton. All down to the defensive problem of Arsenal.This season, 2-0 against Dortmund, 3-3 against Andrelechet, 2-1 against United.He act like as if this happened for the first time at Arsenal and it is beyond his believe that the defense is so poor.

    Whose responsibility is this to organize the defense?The Coaches.Whose responsibility it is to give instruction from the side line?To tell your players to calm down? How can you not blame a Manager who let this happen over and over again?Whose responsibility it is to change Ozil, instead of letting him play the whole 90 min?

    The manager, the players and the fans become over confident over nothing.lets look at the last five games
    2-1 against Spurs, Tottneham defeat Arsenal convincingly.And ended the crazy dream of the Manager, the players and the fans of winning the epl title.
    2-1 against Lec, leicester dominated Arsenal at Emirates, Arsenal was lucky to win that game.
    2-0 against Boro, Arsenal defeated Boro at Emirates and the fans, the players and the manager become over confident.
    2-1 against Crystal Palace, and again Arsenal dominated by Crystal Palace and were lucky to win that game.
    After crystal palace game, the players , the managers and the fans become to overconfident and cocky.To the point that Arsenal can win the CL. Welbeck said how it has become a headache for Wenger to choose between the players, because there are a lot of options.
    Giroud came out and said, he is a little behind Aguero and Costa. Wenger start saying stuff like how Giroud is world Class.The fans celebrate when Arsenal draw Monaco and start saying stuff like how Arsenal is going to humiliate Monaco.There were prediction like 5-0, 4-0.
    And Arsenal.com (Bob), posted an article that said”Arsenal form and Monaco injuries suggest GUNNERS GOALS!!”. Even The Official Twitter account banter with Monaco was humiliating.

    Every time after three or four straight wins, everybody over hype the team.The players and the fans become overconfident to the point they become arrogant.This kind of situation happens all the time.And now you will see interview from one or two Arsenal players, on how they will bounce back against Everton.They will against Everton, everybody will forget everything and start saying how the team were has these world class players .

    And the funny thing is when the second leg match comes, they manager, the players and the fans will say how they got experience and they can score 3 goals against Monaco and qualify for the next round.

    1. The status quo continues..

      We may still be ‘lucky’ enough to scrape 4th do we can do this all again next year!

      See you all there!

  11. Pointless blaming wenger because it’s like water off a ducks back,we make the same mistakes year after year,yes the players need to take some of the blame but if they are not doing what they are told sub them !

  12. I used to have many complaints about Ozil. But thankfully Ozil fans have made me realize that I was wrong. I will point out the misconceptions I had about Ozil and how Ozil fans have cleared all those misconceptions from my mind.

    Ozil doesn’t dribble. Ozil isn’t the type of player who dribbles.
    Ozil doesn’t score. Ozil isn’t the type of player who scores.
    Ozil doesn’t control the match. Ozil isn’t the type of player who controls a match.
    Ozil doesn’t assist. Ozil isn’t the type of player who assists to Giroud.
    Ozil stops running. Ozil isn’t the type of player that can last a whole match.
    Ozil doesn’t press the opposition. Ozil isn’t the type of player who defends.
    Ozil does nothing after losing the ball. Ozil isn’t the type of player who try to win back a lost ball.
    Ozil loses possession easily. Ozil isn’t the type of player who keeps possession.
    Ozil plays in a slow tempo. Ozil isn’t the type of player who plays at a high tempo.
    Ozil disappears in tough matches. Ozil isn’t the type of a player who influences tough matches.
    Ozil plays like he doesn’t care. Ozil isn’t the type of player who plays like he cares.

    Thank you Ozil fans.

    1. Do you forgot to ask ‘what does Ozil do?’ Consistently…

      Sell him in summer, by the kongokid who bullied us to submission last night and scneiderlein or put some of the sale money towards a new WC striker..

      Oh and kindly ask AW to step down.

  13. Facts of life over the last 8 or so years…like it or not!

    While City, Man U and Chelsea on average spend Β£80m Arsenal spent only around Β£20m. It was clear we were to fall from the top of the tree…but to fall only as low as forth in that list is an incredible achievement. For that reason Wenger must be given credit.

    While over them years we lost Fabgregas, song, Nasri, RVP, hleb… Wenger had to address these areas but with limited finance to compete against teams who could spend Β£30m on a player. It’s not a focus on attack but the requirement to have the players when we loss them previously.

    Friends moan to me Wenger could of addresses the CDM but no one can say he hasn’t tried…Bender, Gustavo, Schneiderlin, Ginter all bids rejected or player chose otherwise.

    In the last 24 months we have money, and it’s not magic that we win a trophy in the FA cup. Our cup run was special last year, Ramsay was immense but running out of steam they lost pace but had enough to over come Liverpool, spurs, Everton and being 2-0 down in the final to hull.

    Now, within the last 24months of freedom of purchasing power we have built a squad only shy of 4 key players rather then the 10 or so 4 years ago.

    Wenger has got us to this point through a tuff period in our history, he has taken abuse from all angles and yet he keeps us near the top until we are ready to compete. With the players available yesterday was a step too far and a reminder what is still needed. It’s not that Wenger doesn’t want the players we cry for, it’s he has tried and hasn’t got and doesn’t want another round of deadwood quick purchases required at a time of financial limitations.

    There is no question I have less tolerance for Wenger now then before, but I also understand we must assess our ability as a club against other clubs. And I can Now see our resources are up there like the best in Europe…finance, stadium, facilities.

    My words might be lost or create abuse in my direction. But if some can look at it as assessing the club and not a manager, or a player then you will get the real big picture.

    1. Nothing wrong with the player quality yesterday! Look at Monaco, they beat us with mostly unknowns not a WC Barcelona team!!

      Coaching, management, tactical awareness all at fault. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, our coach is no longer able to deliver the top prizes so he should be thanked for his past achievements and maintaining a financial stability and asked to move on.

      AFC needs a new figurehead who is not engrained into and comfortable with a fabric he has himself constructed to bring new ideas, a will to win all, and a determination to make it happen at all costs.

      Football is a competitive game right, especially when mixed with BIG business.
      Then surely we should be judged on results. And the true yard stick measurement of results for a club like AFC is winning the BIG Prizes!

      1. @arseovertit
        If football is as competitive as you say, then that surely means the players must be as competitive as well as the manager/board…

          1. @arseovertit
            Thats a weak argument. Because when they play good, no one says it’s due to Aw’s management…

            1. Mate… Think what you want.

              When we win or loose I still criticise players and coach where I think it is necessary. HOWEVER, logic dictates the buck has to stop with the manager. It has always been and always will be this way..

              At least I don’t have a ‘weak’ spine!

              1. If you live on a street in a three bed house like everyone else, and suddenly someone comes along and builds a five bed but you can’t what do you do? Wait till your mortgage is paid off and then extend right? Logic which you refer to seems to say you pay your debts before building.

                Isn’t that what Arsenal have done in the last couple of years. Respect the Barron times like the successful ones for what they are. At the same account respect the work that has been done and needs to be done.

                I am as sick as the next about the lack of success. But this is a new dawn which is only 2 yrs old and in that time a trophy has come along. Based on that, should Wenger be sacked? No.
                Should he be sacked for the previous 8 years because he won nothing with less money than others? No.

                I don’t mean to be condescending, but That’s logic to me

                1. I may move to another area where I can afford a 3 bed if that’s what I need.

                  Anyhow, I didn’t say we should have spent beyond our means now did I?

                  Re: building with financial might in the last two years: Mourinho won on his first two seasons with Real Madrid the copa del rey and la liga.
                  Fantastic team adopted, true. But must have done something right in those first two years..

                  Now even if you consider we were under final restriction (still richer than many European clubs) I think 8 years without a trophy not acceptable for AFC. I know other clubs and national teams have achieved more with less resources (Klopp @ BVB and Greece National squad). We are talking a functioning and dynamic unit here that has a way/s of playing.

                  So I dont buy the whole we were begging on the streets for players rhetoric. If AW (le prof) was as great at cultivating/buying young and cheap talent and constructing a winning team then we would have been better of.

                  BTW No offence taken

    2. Oh leave off!!! “Fantastic achievement this fantastic achievement that”
      Yes to a point you may be right, but we are now (apparently) out of the financial retraint period and according to Chips Keswick last summer we had Β£100’000000 to spend, unyet what is fantastic is that Wenger was not too interested in buying the World class defensive midfielder we desperately needed in the summer, nor has he addressed the defensive shortfalls, during the summer transfer he was in Italy on the day we bought Welbeck, and during the most recent transfer window he spend three out of the four weeks messing around buying some apparent wonderkid who we wont see on the pitch for around 18 months. Giroud WAS unlucky last night but do you think Aquero would be that unlucky with that many chances? Per was absolutely rubbish and needs to be binned immediately, Coq was ineffective last night and needs more experience, Ozil was on the missing list for the best part of the game, Welbeck is useless and wont ever be any type of effective player. need I go on?? Wenger was a nervous wreck and really doesn’t know how to change a plan mid game or to motivate from the bench he plays players who do not compliment each other and has a mediocre squad in general. For all the good things he has done previously he is undoing them all now its ridiculous and we are as a club a laughing stockist time it was brought to an end, we will NEVER win the champions League while the board are happy with mediocrity and wenger is comfortable in this situation, TIME FOR A BIG CHANGE. don’t sit here defending this abhorrent situation because there is no ddefence at all!!!!! a bit like us at HOME last night

      1. as an addendum to my previous comment I’m not a wnger Hater I fully appreciate his magnificent acheivments over the years BUt it has to change as the results are really the only yard stick by which we as fans can measure things and they are just NOT there last nights performance has sickend me and while the players are very much at fault the buck ultimately must stop with wenger and after him the board.

        1. With all due respect, you, and many others, sound just like the nervous wreck that you’re accusing Wenger of being. I think Bould looked more nervous, honestly. But that’s because his defense was a shambles. 1st goal came with some luck. The last two were defensive mistakes. Either way, why react like a nervous wreck, too? I think we’ve got good players who can do decently with a bit of good fortune (much like Chelsea’s good fortune the year they won the UCL). We could do well with a couple of signings to complete the squad’s depth. Other than that, all we can really hope to see is us bounce back from that game. Positivity will bring positive results. That’s what this team lacks at its core. A true level of inner positivity. Alexis is bringing some of that. Let’s hope it catches on properly.

  14. putting it bluntly there are managers that can get 100% out of decent players and there are managers that can get maximum 50% out of good players and we all know which type wenger is.
    If you add the fact that his transfers since the departure of david dein are mostly a waste of money and when he does bring in a talent he experiments positions and just ruins the player completely.
    All you ned to do is look at the manager sitting on the bench to realise whether he has got it together or not.
    Wenger is done. no ambition, no game plan, no ideas.

  15. Having read through all the comments here my analysis is this: everybody here makes a valid point. Wenger AND the players are to blame. I do not think it was a case of Wenger not motivating his players enough before the game. We all saw the desire and intensity in the first five minutes. Had they kept it up, we probably would have scored first. The players must follow instructions given to them and take responsibility or their individual performances. We may not have a WC squad, but the current squad has the required quality to beat Monaco. They just didn’t turn up on the day. Per had no business being that far up the pitch when Monaco scored the second. (players at fault)

    Having said that, in football, things don’t always turn out as initially planned. It is the manager’s duty to rectify any failings during the game. Knowing how mentally fragile his players are, Wenger should have been on the touch line barking instructions. He instead stayed in his seat looking dejected. Subs should have been made at half time. There is no rule that says Centre halfs cannot be substituted. Wenger never makes CB subs unless it’s due to injury. Per should clearly have been subbed for a more mobile CB (gabriel) who can recover fast considering we had to push forward to score since we were two goals down. (manager’s fault)

    Bottom line is both the manager and his players should take the blame. But I guess as the boss and the face of the club, the manager would naturally take more of the responsibility, even when he shouldn’t. Wenger won’t be sacked at the end of the season so there’s no point wishing it. But for as long as he remains manager, he should grow some balls and drop those players like Per who fail him time and time again.

    1. But maybe a suffecient growth of pressure may help him reconsider what is best for AFC?

      I for one hope so!

      1. we should play Per when we are sitting back at away games. when we’re home and pushing upfield, we dont want Per.

  16. As soon as we lose one game, everyone wants Wenger out. The fans need to get behind Wenger and the players and support them. Last night was a terrible performance iknow! But we cant just keep saying wenger out when we lose. The Emirates stadium is too quite compared to other top teams!

    I’d also like to see Per dropped and play Gabriel! Walcott in for Welbeck… he lacks a footballers brain!

  17. Wenger has to take more than some BLAME. Any other manager yesterday would have changed the tactics yesterday. Every tom dick and harry saw yesterday we were not playing well. Yet wenger kept doing the same thing for 90 freaking minutes. Conceding goals in most stupid way were joke. Thinking giroud can be like Theiry henry is a joke, playing ozil and carazola was a joke.

    Yes players need to man up , Gary neville was spot on when he said ozil need to buck up and not be so lazy. But for me wenger needs to take the most of the blame

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