Despite Arsenal’s usual blistering start to the season, we have dropped away in the title race through our lack of goals, and us fans have (obviously) blamed our strikers like Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott for not putting away the chances created, especially by our assist king Mesut Ozil.
Arsene Wenger has admitted that we have created even more chances than we did in last years campaign, but it wasn’t our strikers fault that they were not converted. “We had a big differential this season between the number of chances we created at home and the number of goals we scored, which was not the case last year,” he said. “We created two expected goals per game last year at home. This year, we’ve created 2.5 expected goals per game.
“Last season we scored 114 per cent of our expected goals, this year we’ve scored 50 per cent, or 55 per cent.
“As long as the team comes to you, sits back and waits for you to come out, if you do not score, they never come out. After, if they score with their first chance, you make it more difficult.
“The defensive quality of the teams has become much more efficient. If you look at Manchester City, they take the game to their opponent. Chelsea take the game to their opponent. We’ve all dropped points by doing that.
“We are an attacking side. I don’t think you can pretend to be a big club and say you only want to defend.
“We have that responsibility and we have to stand up for that and continue to develop the quality of our game. It doesn’t mean that we have to change our style, it means we have to be better with the style we play.”
Well Wenger has all the statistics at his fingertips so he knows the facts. So if the defenders in the Premiership are getting more efficient, maybe Arsenal should buy a more efficient striker to break them down? Just a thought….
SMH
I blame Wenger. No-one else from a football perspective..
How could I, he runs the show at AFC!
No matter how much more ‘efficient’ last year we were we still didn’t win the league and still got kicked out of the champions league as always.
Measuring failure against failure, how brilliant.
The 114% conversion rate that he talks about, he lost me there. Giroud missed a lot of sitters, Walcott was still Walcott, were those not expected goal? And we even exceeded the perfect target by 14%
Giroud is a sorry excuse for a striker.
Show me one goal that
1 he has scored from outside the box
2 dribbled past 2 players
3 outpaced 1 defender
4 turn a player inside out to score
On and on.
He only ever scores tap -in.
If scoring 12 tap-in a season is all it takes to be a striker at arsenal, then I like many others are in the wrong job.
I fancy myself scoring 12.
I’ve heard some excuses for our forwards being crap but yours has come straight out of the Arsene Wenger manual.
You obviously don’t bother to read the article then. It came straight out of Wenger’s mouth!
Wenger has said a few daft things over the last month r so! I think its time he and stan kronke are forced out of the club because one or the other will not step aside or down. Banners are needed at the stadium whatever way you get them in to show Wenger and Board fans have had enough. Walk out on the 10th for a protest for 10mins as thats how long we have had this BS under Wenger&Stan. Its on TV it will go worldwide…
10years we have had mediocre manager, players and owner
At the end, when everything has been said and one day Wenger would undoubtedly look back to reflect on what he has really achieved… he will certainly accept the fact that for his misfortune Leicester came to prove him wrong. I wish he would have learned from his junior Simone at Atletico Madrid and so changed his philosophy and vision of the game. I think the players he has got now are good enough to win the EPL (maybe not the champions league) and I think it is a the Wenger complex (wanting to playing like the Barca) which is stopping the english players (and maybe others) to evolve properly otherwise how would you explain all the failures: Walcott, Wilshere, Gibbs…etc…Finally it is needless to say that even if we do not finish in the top 4 this will have no impact on the Board: Arsenal stays 🙂
Wenger now poking his long nose into Brexit debate….needs to shut up and concentrate on buying some class players or better still, retire!
Arsenal will win the EPL title
because Spurs and Leicester
will collapse under pressure.
Our defense is very strong
while our attack is lethal.
Hello fellas, yes we are out of the race. priority number one is: TOP SPUDS simple as that. this should be our main AIM for this lacklustre season. we missed the chance of a life time but hey we have to move on. starting with? change at the top no matter what the consequences are ( if we do not win it for few years ) we have not won it for 12 so we would understand the transition. Get a top WC ST ( Lacazzete, ABU ) , WC DM ( carvalho, Xhaka, lars Bedner or the portuguese new star Renato Sanchez, WC CB ( hummels ) just to mention some names as our PRIMARK SCOUTING IS A SHAME..always bringing cheap ligue 1 or unknown players, we need someone 25 plus goals a season like AGUERO ( we missed ) or a PAYET. Anyway, must be DONE. Arsenal has to be where it belongs and it is the TOP.
I grew up adoring Wenger. He helped us get trophies, Invincibles, CL Final
BUT in the last 12 years he has gone to the dark side.
He has his own philosophy which is being encouraged by Kronke
Wenger thinks he is the Emperor of Arsenal and can do anything he wants
If Wenger had got a DM (like Krychowiak) and Top striker we would be Champions (it didn’t even need to be a WC striker. Lacazette, Ighalo, Lukaku, Jackson Martinez would have done)
Instead he relied on Flamini and Coquelin not getting injured and Walcott, Giroud. Stupid gamble not getting a single outfielder last summer
Wenger is the problem
Arsenal Girl you are SPOT ON and many of US know all the things DONE by Wenger But Time for Change. This site seems PRO WENGER NO MATTER WHAT? but As every site should welcome people who has a POINT even If it is not of your like. We THE FANS wants the best for our club and 12 years plus counting without EPL is ENOUGH. Accept other views as we accept yours. 12 years in need of WC ST, WC DM and WC CB ( 3 players ) not a full squad asked for. Never find the special ones who can bring more to the team than the ones we already have ( every single window excuse ) then every end of season blaming injuries or lack of consistency bla bla..and WE ” THE FANS” let down year by year plus hurting our pride too.forget about how much money City, Chelsea or UTD have spent ( 500 or 700 millions in transfers and failed )..they bought 5 players at least per season . we just need 3 players ( 100 millions minimum spent one window) enough for the next 2 or 3 years . it is called LACK OF AMBITION from top to OUR COACH.
Spot on mate, why is it always so hard for Wenger to buy quality players while the other teams just do that in 2 heartbeats? Always having excuses why we missed so and so, while we clearly see it’s his fault adding £1 and so on. He never fills all the gaps in team, always 1 or 2 players short, always
My guess is that some of those players have clauses guaranteeing them a certain no of games per season or arsenal cough off a premium if they so not get played.
How else does Joel Campbell not get played ahead of at least 3 dross( ox, Ramsey,Theo) . After ozil and sanchez, he is a out the only player who can get the basics pin point right ( throughball, crosses, free kicks, long balls etc.