Wenger: Arsenal just want to score goals but it’s difficult when opponents just defend!

Arsenal became the first Top 7 team to concede 20 goals this season against Southampton on Sunday, and in fact they would just make the top 10 if we were judged on the amount of goals you let in, but obviously an attacking team like Wenger’s Arsenal always work on the premise that they will score more than their opponents.

But it is not quite as easy as it used to be, if modern teams just go out to frustrate the Gunners and just want to fight for a draw. Wenger was asked today about our lack of solidity at the back, which has been highlighted by our recent games against Man United and Southampton when we conceded early goals and then tried to come back.

When Wenger was asked about our defensive record today, he said: “Yes, of course but we are as well an attacking side so it depends as well how many goals you score,”

“Overall, we want to improve our defensive record of course but we just come back from Southampton where you’ve seen just how difficult it is.

“We had 70% possession. The team stayed at the back and tried to get you on the counter and refuse to play. If you accept the gamble to play you have to be very cautious to defend very quickly if you lose the play.

“Football has changed a little bit because the teams are physically better prepared. Accept to defend only. That was not the case 10 years ago. You could say the same about West Ham. They just lost to Man City. Southampton just lost to City in the last minute. It is difficult for everybody.”

The fact is that Arsenal should be scoring more goals, we have had 44 attempts on goal in our last two games and have only scored twice. That is an awful conversion rate statistic. We really need to stop conceding silly goals if our opponents are going to be solid against us. How can we improve that?

Darren N

23 Comments

  1. Wenger is the longest serving manager in Premier League history and he still cannot adapt to the change, he is really clueless. Managing the same team for more than twenty years, he is supposed to set a better foundation for the team.

    His system was a revolution thirteen years ago, but now most teams know it well. If he can only complain on how today’s teams play, he had better let someone younger replace him to make Arsenal adapt.

    1. We dont mix it up when it comes to the tactical side of the game, a good example is we hardly if ever take shots from outside the box, so the opposition know that we like to “pass it in the net” teams dont find it as difficult to defend against us anymore.

      1. Seems like us Arsenal fans are not the only ones living in the past (10 years ago), since Wenger is living there too.

        10 millions a year and he can’t figure out how to win against teams that park the bus? Every other manager who won the title figured.

        Incompetence. Plain and simple.

  2. y change to 343 for more better defend, but y complaint if other team do better defend.
    Mybe wenger should ask other teams dont put gk under the crossbar.

  3. Arsenal-75% possession
    Opposing team-25% possession.
    Arsenal-700 passes
    Opposing team-140 passes.
    At the end of the match,Arsenal got beaten.
    This shows Arsenal’s lack of consistency.
    TERRIBLE.

  4. If he can’t find solution why he is managing the team.. Just quit from our beloved club. Look at Burnley’s manager the way he organizes the team.It’s really shame still the so called AKB’s support Wenger.

    1. I reckon our conversion rate has ALWAYS been shocking…

      It’s always because the opposition goalkeeper was “world class”

  5. Wenger has never adapted to modern football, where the whole team is organized in defending, and he has never understood the value of organized pressing.
    This gives us the following problems:
    – Opponents get too easily through our midfield and put pressure on our defence, creating chances and scoring goals
    – This also has the effect, that eventually as good as all our defenders and goalkeepers over the years, have ended up looking bad and loosing skills and confidence
    – With no organized pressing, we win to few balls near the opponents goals, and we get too few “easy” goals. Just look the recent game against Man U. They pressed us really well and got 2 easy goals, an dour defenders can’t handle pressing, because it is not practised on the training ground.
    Everything is connected, and it leads back to Wenger. There is our problem.

  6. When you rely on possession, like City, you have to hope that it wears out the opposing team that is parking the bus. This means you hope to score late in games as the other team gets tired. In most games, Wenger takes our best finisher Laca of around the 70 minutes with frustrating his confidence and eliminating the chance he gets to play against tired defenders.

  7. Wenger must have been watching another game to me as Southampton attacked them from the offset and looked a lot more dangerous than Arsenal. He should be glad Southampton didn’t sustain that for the whole game otherwise Arsenal would have let in several goals with their dodgy defence.

    If southampton had no ambition to attack then he should realise that his no team had no ambition to try and score. 2 shots on target in the 2nd half is pathetic. Southampton created at least 3 or 4 decent chances in the 2nd half, not to mention the 1st half.

    time to step aside Mr Wenger, all you do is moan about other players, teams and officials. Maybe time to look at your own team. You had 70% possession and did nothing with the ball – that is more time wasting than taking a few seconds longer to take a throw in / goal kick

  8. I hate to say this but, our defence is not that bad to concede 20 goals thus far-the stats belie that fact BUT we do not have a goalkeeper worth the tag world class. Our goalie is in fact not even half world class if may like. Fact is we are not converting the chances we create but we do not let our opponents create as much as we do and yet when they create, the very few they create, they bury their chances. Look at the Arsenal V Man Utd game! Sorry Czech But we’ve got a bogus keeper! we need to sign another goalkeeper like Jan Oblak in January for Christ sake!

  9. Am I missing something here? Lesser teams have been coming to Arsenal for the last 21 years a have set up in a defensive formation inviting us to break them down. Is weegor now saying he doesn’t know how to do it? 8 mill a year and our manager can’t come up with new strategies? Dear, dear dear that has put the cream on our rotton pudding.

    1. I think Wenger is also receiving half of Xhaka’s wages because it’s unbelievable to be in the first XI every game doing nothing but wrong passes.

  10. According to Wenger just his team wants to score and others just like to recieve a goal in game! Other teams in top 6 just defending, only Arsenal wants to score.

    P.s teams like bayern also play “just defence” against us so thas why we defeat!!

  11. Mr Wenger is consistent in that he invariably speaks nonsense particularly when it comes to the art of defending where “his” team have been deficient for the past decade.Had we kept a clean sheet against Man Utd and Southampton we would have picked up 6 points.Simple logic is something AW is now incapable of putting into practise and along with his poor recent record in the transfer market eg Xhaka and Mustafi the Board of Arsenal Football club should be making him accountable for the teams continued lack of success.Will this happen? We all know it won,t As someone who adopts an all out attacking philosophy why are we playing with three centre backs when 2 is adequate for the likes of Barca,Real Madrid and Man city?

  12. Our tactics are not good enough.
    Our coaching is not good enough.
    No one knows how to cross the ball into the box or get to the byline and cut it back.
    No one knows how to tackle.
    No one knows how to get past an opponent.
    Finally, our forwards are not good enough.

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