Arsenal star reveals reason for growing confidence in title bid

We are always hearing a lot about character in the football world, but too often in the past it has been the lack of character in the Arsenal team that has been the subject of discussion for the football media. Last season, for instance, Arsene Wenger kept insisting that his players had the right character but there was not a lot of evidence to back him up as we slipped from top spot at Christmas to hand Leicester City the title.

It is still very early days in the new season but there are signs that this year might be different. Even though Arsenal have not been at our fluent best, we have shown signs of that mental strength we are always hearing about champions needing. And the old adage of grinding out results even when you are not playing well has certainly been true of the Gunners so far.

That ability to fight back or the resilience to stop another team fighting back is definitely helping with the confidence levels in the dressing room, as Francis Coquelin reveals in a Sky Sports report. With that confidence, as long as it continues to build, will come a real belief in the players that this might just be our year.

Coquelin said, “It was a good three points. It was a difficult game.

“Obviously the red card made it a bit easier for us, but it was a tough match so it was really pleasing to get the win.

“It could have been nervy, but I think in the last few weeks we have shown our character.

“In the last two games we were behind and came back into it. Today we showed that, even when a team comes back at us, we have the character to finish it off.

“So that’s good for the future and now we can concentrate on the next games coming up.”

Tags Coquelin Wenger

8 Comments

  1. My lineup against Chelsea

    _______Sanchez Walcott
    Iwobi Xhaka Coquelin Cazorla
    Monreal Koscielny Mustafi Bellerin
    ___________Cech

    Keep it tight and disciplined!

        1. Twig mate. While armchair managing is all fun and good…
          Why on earth would you want us to play a new system for a game this big!?!?
          I get fans fondness for the 4-4-2 while seeing the very entertaining football teams like Leicester and Atletico play with scything counter attacks…
          But this is Arsenal playing Chelsea at home after they’ve had a couple of disappointing results. I say stick to our strengths. And a big, big strength we have is a world-class #10.

  2. Football Super agent MIno Raiola says Donyell Malen is the player to watch. he also says unfortunately the player is already at a big club and that is Arsenal. I have never heard of him. Went to watch some videos our academy is wow.

    I respect Wenger even more cause the next manager will be stock with so many young talented players.

    1. There’s a lot of talent that’s for sure…
      Interestingly though, your comment prompted me to check out the youth highlights from this season that I hadn’t looked at so far. Both the u21’s and u18’s seem to be starting with two strikers in their first XI. Akpom and Mavididi for u21’s and Nketiah and Malen for the u18’s.
      Though Malen seems a top drawer prospect, Raiola does represent him which I wasn’t aware of. We did pry him from the Ajax academy which is first-class and supposedly beat off Chelsea as they weren’t happy with his contract demands. If we did negotiate with Raiola this is interesting indeed. Jonker is dutch same as Malen, he must have seen something incredible in the kid to force us into negotiations with Raiola which we seem to avoid at all costs…
      If you hadn’t seen Malen check out Nketiah as well. The kid knows how to finish and looks like he has ice running through his veins when he gets an opportunity

  3. I love what wenger is doing with xhaka and perez, am excited like most to see them start matches and get more minutes but what he’s doing is gradually phasing them in an managing/limiting fans expectations of them at the same time.. we’ve a strong midfield and lots of options in the forward line which affords him the luxury of doing so, mustafi is a different case though due to the defensive crisis we’re having with koscielny the only experience cb fit to play so it was a no brainer to throw him in from the start.

    1. Yep. The world is now on United’s big money signings shoulders with Pogba drawing his fair share of critics.
      Can’t help but laugh at Mourinho though… For all his wind-bagging about playing attacking football, winning football and playing players in position. He’s playing the safe options and it’s blowing up in his face!! For all the momentum they had earlier in the season he’s continually persisting with Fellaini and Rooney in midfield, whilst Carrick, Schweini, Schneiderlin, and Herrera are left on the bench! Fellaini is a mid-table player where the only class attribute he has is dominance in the air and flailing elbows that he continually gets away with. The others actually play proper football. The momentum they had has literally turned to depression in a week!!
      Truth is, our squad is better than a lot of fans gave it credit for. There were groans about the team selection on the weekend, but that team is putting up results. Iwobi, Theo and Coquelin seem to be gaining some form in supporting our stars. Happy days!

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