Wenger writes for ANR at last

– by

This is experimental.

And probably a one-off.

I stopped writing previews of games because I don’t know which players will be playing.That makes a preview pointless, in my view.

On Tuesday I decided to write nothing till Thursday.

Since I’m busy with other things, I’ve not thought about the Carling Cup and what side Arsenal are likely to field.

My policy on Wenger-watch is to say : Look at what he does, not what he says. What he does is closer to his true opinion and closer to his real intention. Also, I don’t normally quote what he says because the papers and TV do it so well. And because ANR readers follow what he says much more closely than I do.

But today, for once, here are Wenger’s pre-match comments on Arsenal TV online:

Was Manchester City the turning point?

“It was certainly a pivotal moment of our season because we could not afford a defeat. To keep in touch with the top teams and to go out and have a victory was mentally very important for the team. Overall, I believe it is a consequence of intelligent attitude and a good team and collective spirit that’s why we got the result. “
 
Is Samir Nasri different to the Nasri you signed?

“I am convinced of that because he is more efficient in creating chances, in the final balls, his vision has improved and he is quicker playing forward. When you analyse Samir Nasri he has all the qualities and he adds now efficiency to his game and that makes him a great player because he scores goals, he gives assists, he can go one against one, he can pass, he is all that you dream to have as a football player.”
 
If you looked at the bench on Sunday, did it prove that the squad is strong enough?

“I always spent a lot of time to convince everybody. Now I think people realise that’s the case, particularly when everybody is fit. Remember, we still have Vermaelen, Van Persie and Ramsey out and all these players will come back. I am convinced we have a very strong squad.”
 
Any new injuries?

“From the Man City game, we have no one out. One or two will be rested. Vela is back. It will be similar to Spurs. We have players coming back like Walcott and Bendtner and Vela – as mentioned. Koscielny is fit to start. They will play, yes.”

It must have been frustrating for Theo to be out?

“He was in fantastic form but what can you do about that? He is now physically very sharp in training and he has a good opportunity tomorrow to show that he is fit to play.”
 
Which youngsters will be involved?

“In the squad, we will have Craig Eastmond, Henri Lansbury and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal.”
 
Is there a change on your policy for the competition?

“First of all because we have a big squad, and, as well, I believe we have a good squad enough to go forward with trophies, that’s why I think ‘OK let’s go as far as we can’. If needed we can still always choose later, but at the moment it is important for everybody to think we go for everything we can.
 
Have you sat down with the players and said ‘Let’s go for this trophy’?

“I said to the players we will go for everything we can, as simple as that. And not really specifying one more than the other one – that’s why I believe we are on a good run and we want to keep that going.  It’s important to keep it moving, no matter what competition it is. That’s what we want to do. We are doing well in the Champions League, and we have done well so far in the Carling Cup, and we are back on track in the championship, so it’s just all movement.
 
Shake off the five years without a trophy?

“That’s what we want to do and we want to achieve. We want to respond with the maximum commitment to the demands of people. We want to go as high as we can. People forget that we have been at the top every year but we want to add what people want from us and we want as well. It is very difficult to respond to that, the only thing I can promise is that we will try to give our best in every competition.”
 
Is there more  pressure because you’ve won nothing in five years?

“Yes. There is as well a lot of demands from people who know you are at the top and they try always to find your weakness. They try to exploit that and I believe you have take a distance from that. How difficult it is to be consistent at the top – you just have to look around Europe just how difficult it is to be at the top. You can see what we have done is quite remarkable, but we want more. I can understand that people want more and we want to give them more. You can only show attitude, commitment and we have talent, so let’s go step by step and try and win the game tomorrow and keep that urgency and that attitude until the end of the season. “
 
Will it give you a boost in bigger competitions?

“Tomorrow is just another round. We are not in the final yet, we have a long way to go, and when you go to Newcastle you as well have to be realistic. That’s why, I repeat, we play with a good team and we do our best and that’s all we can do.”

How good can Szczesny be? 

“He can show he is a good keeper. I believe he is one. But let’s not make stars before they have proven they are. He has the talent, he has a good attitude, and let’s see his performance in the games.”
 
Good performance needed from him?

“You want of course a good performance but let’s not put him under too much pressure. Let let him enjoy the game and not speak about contracts. He’s a goalkeeper we rate, he knows he has been educated here, we want him to stay here – and the only way I can show him that is by giving him a chance when it is possible. Tomorrow he gets that chance.”

Is your faith in your goalkeeping department justified now?

“I think yes – one thing you cannot fault is my faith! My faith has been questioned, and I wouldn’t like to go overboard too much on what some people said but you just hope that what you believe is right comes out –  recently we have made progress. It is not won and we have still to show consistency in the performances, but it’s good that the keepers are showing they are as good as I think they are.”

What are your thoughts on Newcastle this season?

“They are competitive, they are a good side. They have a good mixture between physical power, technical level and spirit. That is why they will be a dangerous side for everybody, not only at home but as well away. They have shown that again on Saturday by winning at West Ham when West Ham needed points. You see that this team has qualities, and I think they will be comfortable in the Premier League this year.”
 
They beat Chelsea away in the last round – do you think they have been overlooked? 

“Yes – and they came back every time. When you expected Chelsea to win the game, they found the resources to put them under pressure again and that demands something special. It is important that we go into the game and think we want to qualify and also we want to produce a great performance because the Chelsea game has shown that you don’t get away with an average performance against Newcastle.” 

Sol Campbell is now at Newcastle – how hard did you try to keep him?

“I tried to keep Sol. It was more a question of proposals but I wanted to keep him, personally. He was free and he has chosen to go for a different challenge – I respect that. I respect Sol highly because last year when we had a difficult patch he was completely committed and he was in some games our best player. I will always respect him for the help he brought to us last year.”
 
How long can he carry on at top level?

“As long as he has the needed motivation because Sol is a player who needs to work very hard to be sharp physically and it is not easy because when you get older you have to push yourself. But Sol is a fantastic battler, and when he has got in his mind that ‘I want this battle’, then he will do it. As long as he can do that, then he can play on because he has basic physical qualities – he is strong and quick. But how much does he want to? You should ask him that question.”
 
It’s a busy time of the season, how much do you have to manage resources now?

“It is vital now because we have already played three or four months of competition. Players start to need a breather,  and it is vital to manage the squad well now, and have everybody available. We have not too many injuries now but it is a period sometimes when you lose players. We are in a period when we have gained players back from injuries, and hopefully we won’t lose any now.”

Wenger writes for ANR at last

– by

This is experimental.

And probably a one-off.

I stopped writing previews of games because I don’t know which players will be playing.That makes a preview pointless, in my view.

On Tuesday I decided to write nothing till Thursday.

Since I’m busy with other things, I’ve not thought about the Carling Cup and what side Arsenal are likely to field.

My policy on Wenger-watch is to say : Look at what he does, not what he says. What he does is closer to his true opinion and closer to his real intention. Also, I don’t normally quote what he says because the papers and TV do it so well. And because ANR readers follow what he says much more closely than I do.

But today, for once, here are Wenger’s pre-match comments:

Was Manchester City the turning point?

“It was certainly a pivotal moment of our season because we could not afford a defeat. To keep in touch with the top teams and to go out and have a victory was mentally very important for the team. Overall, I believe it is a consequence of intelligent attitude and a good team and collective spirit that’s why we got the result. “
 
Is Samir Nasri different to the Nasri you signed?

“I am convinced of that because he is more efficient in creating chances, in the final balls, his vision has improved and he is quicker playing forward. When you analyse Samir Nasri he has all the qualities and he adds now efficiency to his game and that makes him a great player because he scores goals, he gives assists, he can go one against one, he can pass, he is all that you dream to have as a football player.”
 
If you looked at the bench on Sunday, it proved that the Arsenal squad is strong enough?

“I always spent a lot of time to convince everybody. Now I think people realise that’s the case, particularly when everybody is fit. Remember, we still have Vermaelen, Van Persie and Ramsey out and all these players will come back. I am convinced we have a very strong squad.”
 
What’s the status on injuries?

“From the Man City game, we have no one out. One or two will be rested. Vela is back. It will be similar to Spurs. We have players coming back like Walcott and Bendtner and Vela – as mentioned. Koscielny is fit to start. They will play, yes.”

It must have been frustrating for Theo to be out?

“He was in fantastic form but what can you do about that? He is now physically very sharp in training and he has a good opportunity tomorrow to show that he is fit to play.”
 
Which youngsters will be involved?

“In the squad, we will have Craig Eastmond, Henri Lansbury and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal.”
 
Have you had a change on your policy for the competition?

“First of all because we have a big squad, and, as well, I believe we have a good squad enough to go forward with trophies, that’s why I think ‘OK let’s go as far as we can’. If needed we can still always choose later, but at the moment it is important for everybody to think we go for everything we can.
 
Have you sat down with the players and said ‘Let’s go for this trophy’?

“I said to the players we will go for everything we can, as simple as that. And not really specifying one more than the other one – that’s why I believe we are on a good run and we want to keep that going.  It’s important to keep it moving, no matter what competition it is. That’s what we want to do. We are doing well in the Champions League, and we have done well so far in the Carling Cup, and we are back on track in the championship, so it’s just all movement.
 
Shake off the five years without a trophy?

“That’s what we want to do and we want to achieve. We want to respond with the maximum commitment to the demands of people. We want to go as high as we can. People forget that we have been at the top every year but we want to add what people want from us and we want as well. It is very difficult to respond to that, the only thing I can promise is that we will try to give our best in every competition.”
 
Any added pressure because nothing won in five years?

“Yes. There is as well a lot of demands from people who know you are at the top and they try always to find your weakness. They try to exploit that and I believe you have take a distance from that. How difficult it is to be consistent at the top – you just have to look around Europe just how difficult it is to be at the top. You can see what we have done is quite remarkable, but we want more. I can understand that people want more and we want to give them more. You can only show attitude, commitment and we have talent, so let’s go step by step and try and win the game tomorrow and keep that urgency and that attitude until the end of the season. “
 
Will it give you a boost in bigger competitions?

“Tomorrow is just another round. We are not in the final yet, we have a long way to go, and when you go to Newcastle you as well have to be realistic. That’s why, I repeat, we play with a good team and we do our best and that’s all we can do.”

How good can Szczesny be? 

“He can show he is a good keeper. I believe he is one. But let’s not make stars before they have proven they are. He has the talent, he has a good attitude, and let’s see his performance in the games.”
 
Good performance needed from him?

“You want of course a good performance but let’s not put him under too much pressure. Let let him enjoy the game and not speak about contracts. He’s a goalkeeper we rate, he knows he has been educated here, we want him to stay here – and the only way I can show him that is by giving him a chance when it is possible. Tomorrow he gets that chance.”

Is your faith in your goalkeeping department justified now?

“I think yes – one thing you cannot fault is my faith! My faith has been questioned, and I wouldn’t like to go overboard too much on what some people said but you just hope that what you believe is right comes out –  recently we have made progress. It is not won and we have still to show consistency in the performances, but it’s good that the keepers are showing they are as good as I think they are.”

What are your thoughts on Newcastle this season?

“They are competitive, they are a good side. They have a good mixture between physical power, technical level and spirit. That is why they will be a dangerous side for everybody, not only at home but as well away. They have shown that again on Saturday by winning at West Ham when West Ham needed points. You see that this team has qualities, and I think they will be comfortable in the Premier League this year.”
 
They beat Chelsea away in the last round – do you think they have been overlooked? 

“Yes – and they came back every time. When you expected Chelsea to win the game, they found the resources to put them under pressure again and that demands something special. It is important that we go into the game and think we want to qualify and also we want to produce a great performance because the Chelsea game has shown that you don’t get away with an average performance against Newcastle.” 

Sol Campbell is now at Newcastle – how hard did you try to keep him?

“I tried to keep Sol. It was more a question of proposals but I wanted to keep him, personally. He was free and he has chosen to go for a different challenge – I respect that. I respect Sol highly because last year when we had a difficult patch he was completely committed and he was in some games our best player. I will always respect him for the help he brought to us last year.”
 
How long can he carry on at top level?

“As long as he has the needed motivation because Sol is a player who needs to work very hard to be sharp physically and it is not easy because when you get older you have to push yourself. But Sol is a fantastic battler, and when he has got in his mind that ‘I want this battle’, then he will do it. As long as he can do that, then he can play on because he has basic physical qualities – he is strong and quick. But how much does he want to? You should ask him that question.”
 
It’s a busy time of the season, how much do you have to manage resources now?

“It is vital now because we have already played three or four months of competition. Players start to need a breather,  and it is vital to manage the squad well now, and have everybody available. We have not too many injuries now but it is a period sometimes when you lose players. We are in a period when we have gained players back from injuries, and hopefully we won’t lose any now.”