Arsene Wenger took a calculated risk against Man United last week when he chose Danny Welbeck up front instead of Olivier Giroud, but he was proved correct when Danny scored the winning goal for Arsenal. Wenger admitted that he had reservations about playing Danny against his old club.
“It’s never simple to deal with that situation mentally because you feel a bit more under scrutiny,” Wenger said on the official Arsenal website. “You feel the eyes on your personal performance a bit more.
“That’s why I think it was a very interesting night for Danny, because he kept it simple, he focused on the game and he scored the winner for us. I’m convinced that he has shown in that occasion that he’s mentally very strong.
“I’ve seen many players fail against their old club. He’s one of the few you’ve seen succeed, and that shows you there’s something special in him.”
“That’s the key for us,” said Wenger. “Hard-working strikers like Welbeck give you the tone, like in a symphony. If that is right, the rest is right.
“I knew Danny superficially and I’m surprised how complete a player he is, how good his mentality is, how ambitious he is as a player and how keen he is to learn, as well as how intelligent he is. I think he has everything in the locker to be a fantastic striker.”
If Wenger feels like this about Danny, does this mean that Giroud will be given more rest like he was against Man United? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow against Monaco….
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