Arsene Wenger has moved to praise his attacking players Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud following their win over Southampton last night, before defending his players character following a tough few months.
The Gunners beat the Saints 2-0 yesterday, keeping their hopes of finishing inside the top four of the Premier League alive, as they close the gap between themselves and Liverpool and Man City to four and three respectively, whilst having played a match less than the Reds.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has now moved to talk up Alexis Sanchez, who opened the scoring yesterday.
“That’s Alexis, you know. He’s a player who never gives up, and he’s always tricky to stop. He’s very good in short space, and in the box. Once he has the ball in the box, he’s dangerous,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “Alexis, he always grows during the game. He’s always a bit of a slow starter, and gets stronger and stronger.”
The Gunners boss also moved to praise the performance of Olivier Giroud, who has been amazing considering he has had to spend much of the campaign on the sidelines.
“He has been amazing for us,” Wenger said. “It’s difficult for me at the moment, it’s between Welbeck and Giroud. And both of them have played well, and both of them have a great team spirit as well. So I’m always harsh with the one who doesn’t play.”
Pundits and fans alike have slammed the club in recent months, with some inciting mental weaknesses in the Arsenal players, but Wenger has moved to defend his stars.
“I never questioned the character of my side,” he said. “We went through a bad patch. It’s a good opportunity to show your character, how you come back and how you recover.
“Maybe the City game gave us confidence. Let’s not go too quickly to conclusions, and focus and give everything at Stoke on Saturday.We know we can only win our games, and we had a strong performance on Sunday. A strong performance today. So let’s just continue.”
Can our side push on and put the pressure on our rivals? Does Giroud deserve extra credit for his efforts this term?
Pat J