Gael Clichy blasts Arsenal’s character and gives a classic example why

Arsenal has struggled to win the Premier League since they went through the entire 2003/2004 season unbeaten.

The Gunners have, however, had good seasons and near misses before Arsene Wenger left the club in 2018.

The Frenchman had to consistently build Premier League winning teams since the club moved to the Emirates, but they always fell short somehow and Gael Clichy has used a game to claim that crumbling was just typical of Arsenal.

In the 2010/2011 season, Arsenal was on course to end their Premier League trophy drought as they competed against Manchester United with players like Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere.

They were five points behind the Red Devils as they visited Newcastle with a chance to close the gap to just two points.

The Gunners raced to a four-goal lead, but the Magpies rallied back to draw the game 4-4, it was a shocker from an Arsenal point of view and Clichy has claimed that the game just showed how Arsenal typically fails the stand-up and be counted test when the occasion demands it.

The Frenchman told Premier League Productions: ‘Yeah but this was typical Arsenal. 

‘We could go anywhere and play anyone off the park then all of a sudden we could crumble in just a few minutes. 

‘We were young, we had plenty of talent but people were talking about what we were missing and maybe that was a bit of experience.’

He continued: ‘We had that team but even today’s team they have that quality to score four goals in 10 minutes, 

‘Don’t ask me why Arsenal have always been able to do this but they can also even today concede goals for fun. 

‘That was one of our weaknesses of the time, the long ball, the set pieces and getting physical. 

‘I’m actually shocked nobody reacted [to the Nolan-Szczesny incident]. Okay Kevin did something wrong and someone should have seen it but we should have been there for the goalkeeper. 

‘But that shows you what type of team we were, an amazing team but we lacked character if you want. Even with a lead of three goals, we could feel the fans pushing and the second goal I could feel that it was going to be difficult [to win].’

Tags Gael Clichy

3 Comments

  1. Yep. Well known disease of ours. But our best chance to win the league was the season Leicester won it. A close second was in 2008.
    A few astute signings from Wenger could have got us those trophies but Wenger penny pinched.

    1. Am I missing something here? Was not Clichy part of the defence in those teams he is talking about. What a PRAT.
      Over-rated mediocre LB anyway. Behind Gibbs, Cole, Kolasinac and Tierney in my reckoning.

      1. Phil, I always called him CALAMITY CLICHY and even now think of him as just CALAM, BECAUSE OF HIS MANY MISTAKES. You will remember the 4-4 home to Spuds when we were 4-2 up going into injury time when CALAM on the halfway line in possession and not even being tackled, just fell over- I aways think in fright – leaving Spuds to run unchallenged and score the third goal . I honestly jumped up and shouted “Yes” when I heard City had paid £7 mill for this really unreliable and mistaken ridden player.

        Never liked him as a player at any stage, either when with us or with City. As for ” lacking character”, odd how he excluded himself , since he was the single most characterless defender we had at that time. Not my sort of player or person at all.

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