On Thursday morning I saw Wenger on TV
I’ve been thinking about what he said.
I didn’t really need to think about it. I knew straight away what I thought.
But I decided to chew it over for two days.
I decided to sleep on the match and then sleep on the great man’s remarks
On balance, as far as I can see, Sky Sports News is doing Wenger no favours by broadcasting his apologies.
Mike Wedderburn said, “Arsene Wenger publicly criticised his defence after they conceded a late equaliser.”
And then Wenger said, ” Nobody looks from the outside to take really charge of the organisation side. There’s no voice when the organisation drops a little bit, you don’t feel that anybody takes charge on alertness. We need to communicate much better than that. The way we conceded this corner is, of course, very disappointing.”
He’s talking about an Arsenal shambles as if it’s nothing to do with him !
Read those words and weep, Gooners :
“Nobody looks from the outside to take really charge of the organisation side. There’s no voice when the organisation drops a little bit, you don’t feel that anybody takes charge on alertness. We need to communicate much better than that. The way we conceded this corner is, of course, very disappointing”
Arsene, you don’t teach defence ! You only do half your job. You take £6 million a year but you only do half your job !You don’t allow your players to shout at each other. You’re the sole author of that failure. Every player was signed and trained by you. Squillaci was an experienced defender signed by you. Koscielny is a centreback you lined up a year in advance. But your team of clowns can’t even hold onto a 2-1 against 10 men.
Without Arshavin to score one goal and make a second, you could easily have got stuffed 4-0.
You preside over a carnival of incompetence and then you stand there and tell Arsenal fans that there is no voice organising at the back.
THERE IS NO VOICE ORGANISING AT THE BACK ?
Arsenal today is exacly Exactly EXACTLY what you alone have made it : a nice team that plays fluent football and scores goals but can’t win a trophy because they don’t have the bottle or organisation to defend a lead and close a game out.
Your teams will always have the same faults.
If you insist on one-man show, if you insist on taking all the credit, you have to take all the blame as well.
Wigan was you. Wigan was you when you lost 3-2 there in April. That is you in the pitch, your choices, your decisions, your training methods, your culture. The Arsenal team is you.
ANR readers, please, please spare me your angst.
Whatever you do, don’t expect me to comment in detail on Wigan 2 Arsenal 2.
It’s beyond me.
Eight changes from Monday night’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea and switch to 4-4-2 ? When you’ve been playing 4-3-3 all season?
If you want to follow a good performance with a bad performance, this is the template.
It’s so bizarre. It’s beyond me. I can’t explain it.
Prediction for 2011 : Wenger will be on your TV and he’ll say, “I’m very disappointed that we conceded from a set-piece. We still can’t defend a corner. I think the team is maturing but we need an organiser at the back.”
Alex points out:
There was no switch to 4-4-2, it was 4-3-3, the same formation that has been used all season….
———-Fabianski———-
Sagna-Squillaci-Koscielny-Eboue
–Rosicky-Denilson-Diaby–
Bendtner–Chamakh–Arshavin
It is interesting though that Wenger mentions what is essentially a lack of a leader, when he’s the person who has failed to recruit one in Vermaelen’s absence.
Possibly a pre-cursor to his January transfer dealings?