2010-12-27 : Arsenal 3 - 1 Chelsea

Wenger: 'It can be a pivotal moment'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Our win over Chelsea had a double impact.

Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the Premier League leaders, and psychologically it was important because we were questioned about our capability of winning big games.

I'm happy with the desire in the team. We kept good discipline for 90 minutes on Monday and put in a real team performance. Beating Chelsea can be a very pivotal moment because we know that beating the big teams at home will have an important impact on this league.

Having said that, now we have to respond away at Wigan on Wednesday night in a game where we have to turn up and take points.

Two years ago with the same players we were maybe battered by Chelsea but last year we felt we were getting closer to them. This year, at Manchester United and Chelsea, we were more frustrated because we were more in the game and there was no real difference between the teams.

Maybe we played with the handbrake on before and it was a slow learning process that we got out of our system on Monday night. I know Cesc Fabregas said we were maybe 'scared' to win and they are strong words, but maybe there was something in it. We didn't see that this time though. It was a locked game at the start, but the first goal gave a huge advantage.

We were good in the challenges too - we've improved on that front. We are not bullied any more, that is for sure. It's always very difficult to say because every game is different, but I feel we have matured over the last two years. But this league is very difficult to predict. Every game is difficult for everybody.

As for Chelsea, it is always difficult when you concede just before half-time when the game is so tight and especially in a big game. Then we got two big goals. They're a team that haven't won recently and the drop of confidence must have been felt. They must have felt they had a team with huge desire up against them.

But you never know with Chelsea - they have so many experienced players - and that's why we didn't expect any weakness from them before the game. We took our chances well and, at 1-0, we took advantage of catching them on the break. I still count Chelsea as one of the big title contenders though. I do not think they're out of it after their defeat to us.

Of course I don't think we're very far away in the title race either. We're in December and in touch with Manchester United. We have to be at our best and continue to improve. I hope the victory on Monday will convince the team that we are moving in the right direction and we continue to improve.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-12-13 : Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal

Wenger: 'Our passing wasn't sharp enough'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Our intensity and organisation were at a high level on Monday night but overall I think that Manchester United defended very well.

The technical quality of the game was average on both sides because the pitch was very poor in my opinion. It was bouncy and slippery and the game suffered a lot from it.

Man United played a very simple game but they were efficient at it because they scored a goal and we didn't create enough chances. You have to give them credit because their defence didn't make any mistakes while our passing was not quick or sharp enough.

On reflection both teams played at the top level tactically but we were a bit nervous, especially at the start, and we couldn't get them out of position. All the same you have to give them credit for good defending.

They knew we keep the ball well and their team was built and focused to defend and catch us on the break. In fairness we were not dangerous enough to dominate the game and create chances. In the second half it was all us trying to get them out of position and create chances and them taking advantage of counter-attacks.

It is a big frustration and a big disappointment but what is important is that we bounce back in our next game against Stoke on Saturday. Overall on what I have seen tonight there is no reason not to believe and we know we can play better offensively.

Finally I must say that Wojciech Szczesny put in a good performance. He looked a bit nervous in his kicking in the first half but overall with his hands he didn't make any mistakes.

He came into the side because Lukasz Fabianski had an injury but in this job you don't look at the size of the game. When you have the quality, you play.

Every big goalkeeper has started at 18 or 19 years of age. For example I saw Edwin van der Sar when he was 18 and he played in big games.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-12-04 : Arsenal 2 - 1 Fulham

Wenger: 'Nasri is an exceptional talent'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

It was a very important win on Saturday.

Overall, I think Fulham played well and we played well too. They put us under pressure because Gera and Kamara combined well and their midfield was efficient, they played quite a direct game to expose us with balls behind our defenders.

We needed not only quality but sprit and resilience and we got it. We scored two exceptional goals from Samir Nasri that were a combination of touch, intelligence, special talent and calmness. He needed to be patient to finish in both situations and he did very well.

I'm happy because when Samir joined us he had a game that was based on coming to the ball, but now he has so much more variation in his game.

Samir's game is improving and of course he is more efficient. What is important when you are a manager is that you want to get the best out of players and I always was a strong believer in him. Many people questioned me when I took him here, but he is showing that he has exceptional talent and I think there is more to come from him.

Johan Djourou came on for Laurent Koscielny when he was concussed and I have to say, Johan is doing very well. He has been out for a year and as you may have noticed, I have rotated him a little bit. We do not want to lose him and a guy that has been out for a year cannot play three games a week.

From the start of the season, Johan has gone from strength to strength and on Saturday, in the difficult period when we had to defend in the air, he was dominant. He has not only shown dominance but also personality. That's why I am very happy. He came here as a midfielder and we transformed him into a centre back.

I was asked after the game whether we can go on to win the title and I feel we are good enough. Every single team struggles to be consistent and at the moment, we are where we are despite losing three home games. That means every game is a cup final and if you are not ready for it you will not take three points.

We have the spirit and the quality but we face tough opponents and it will be down to consistency. We are a long way from winning the championship at the moment but the only thing I can say is we have the spirit and the desire to fight for it.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-11-27 : Aston Villa 2 - 4 Arsenal

Wenger: 'There is a lot more to come from my team'
Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We were very dominant in the first half-hour at Aston Villa and the only regret I had at that stage was we had not scored enough goals.

We did make it 2-0 just before half-time but you could feel among the players that what happened last week against Tottenham had had an impact in their heads. So when it came back to 2-1 it was an interesting test. We could crumble or we could score again.

We scored again.

Villa are a good side with good strikers and a solid defence but overall I think we dominated the game. Andrey Arshavin was always dangerous on the day. You always like him to have the ball because you feel he could make the difference.

The result put us top of the Premier League for a while. That's the modern world of football - it changes quickly. What you have to do is focus on the quality of what you want and let other people judge. I feel we played very well against Tottenham and they created less chances than Villa did on Saturday but we still lost the game.

In fact I believe we had three good performances last week. We had a lot of possession in a difficult game in Braga and responded well at Villa.

I say that because I focus on the performance. You do not always lose when you dominate games and that's what happened at Villa. We played well, Villa had a good response in the second half but we managed to find the resources to win the game.

Right now, I feel this team are on the same wavelength in the way they want to play and the way they fight for each other.

It's very interesting to see and I think there is a lot more to come from them in the rest of the campaign.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-11-20 : Arsenal 2 - 3 Tottenham Hotspurs

Wenger: 'It's difficult to understand how we lost the game'
Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We could not maintain our focus nor our urgency for 90 minutes on Saturday because some players dropped their level. At the same time if you look at the stats and the numbers it's very difficult to understand how we lost the game.

There was a drop of concentration, some basic errors, some bad luck as well because I don't think it should have been a free kick in the build-up to the penalty. But overall I was speechless after the game; it's a mystery how we could lose it like that.

We were in control in the second half as well as the first half. It was a free kick for us and then a goal for them. We were caught on the counter-attack at 2-0 and after that we were punished. We dominated Tottenham but we lost it and we can only look at ourselves.

I believe what is difficult to accept is that when you are 2-0 up, you have a free kick and you are caught on a counter-attack. That is very difficult to understand. Once a team comes back to 2-1 they have hope again. And we couldn't take our third chance. We had plenty of chances to score: we had Chamakh, Koscielny, one or two shots, but we didn't take those chances.

I don't think we lacked focus - if we had not started the game well maybe you could say that. But I felt some players who played midweek - who played Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday - could not maintain the pace in the game so we had some heavy legs in the second half.

Obviously three defeats at home is too many. In the first two games against West Brom and Newcastle we didn't deliver the performance and we can only say that we got what we deserved. On Saturday we delivered the performance but what is worrying for me is that we had an opportunity to go to the top of the league and when we had to deliver we couldn't.

That's worrying because that's part of our job.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-11-14 : Everton 1 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: 'We showed our fighting spirit'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

The most important qualities we showed at Everton were discipline, commitment, togetherness, desire and a 100 per cent focus for 90 minutes. That is what got us the points.

When you go to Goodison Park without those qualities you don't get the points. We have had two very difficult away games with Wolves and Everton and we have got six points that have put us in a good situation. We were a bit disappointed after last Sunday's defeat to Newcastle but I feel that was under special circumstances. Overall the team has shown great spirit.

The performance at Everton showed we have quality and fighting spirit. That is an ingredient you will need if you want to fight for the championship like we want to do. I have said for a long time that we are equipped to challenge for the title and the players get a lot of encouragement from the way they are playing at the moment, from our discipline and our focus. Now let's get more points into our account and see where we stand in the end.

Once again Lukasz Fabianski made some important saves late in the game. He was important for us because when we were 2-0 up I felt we tried too much to keep that scoreline and kept the ball in a negative way instead of wanting to go forward. We were nearly punished because we became a bit too conservative.

I took Jack Wilshere off at half time but he is not injured. I wanted a second holding player to win the second balls from headers and I felt Jack looked a bit tired because he has played many games. I wanted to take him off because of that but he will be alright to join up with the England squad.

Nicklas Bendtner was not in the squad on Sunday because he had a little groin problem so I left him at home. The Danish national squad can call him up and check his condition but I would prefer him not to go. He would prefer to stay as well.

There has been speculation about Nicklas but I want him to stay. I have known him since he was 16 years old and I have a good rapport with him. I like him as a player and as a person. I want him to stay and be part of the group.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-11-07 : Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle

Wenger: 'We were never in full flow'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I think against West Brom we were complacent but that wasn't the case against Newcastle on Sunday.

In fairness the two teams who have beaten us at Emirates Stadium are good teams. They have shown that before and when we met them. But on Sunday we were never in full flow. We played against a good Newcastle team who are a team of men, physically strong and mature.

Overall I still believe we were very unlucky to lose the game. They had one shot on target and that was their goal. Apart from that they defended well and we were not sharp enough to get them out of position quickly enough.

We were a bit unlucky because we hit the post two or three times and their keeper made a very good save. But we put ourselves in a bad position just before half time with the goal we conceded.

Lukasz Fabianski didn't have a lot to do and I don't think he was expecting the challenge when Andy Carroll scored. It was not a technical mistake from Lukasz, it was a problem of timing. Carroll is certainly a handful though.

Laurent Koscielny was sent off for a professional foul on Nile Ranger but in my opinion he should not have been sent off because it wasn't a clear goalscoring opportunity and he was not the last man. Sebastien Squillaci was covering him so I personally don't think it was a red card.

Overall though our home form is a concern because even against Birmingham and West Ham we struggled to win. Everybody comes here and plays very tight and when we are not in full flow we have problems to play through the lines.

When you score the first goal it is alright because teams have to come out but as long as they can sit deep we have a problem to play through when we are not at full power.

One plus point from Sunday was the return of Robin van Persie. You could see he is not completely ready but we pushed him on early because I had to do something. You saw it was very difficult for us to score a goal and there could always be a set-piece or a cross or a pass where he could make a difference.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-10-30 : Arsenal 1 - 0 West Ham

Wenger: 'We needed patience and intelligence'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

When you win with two minutes to go it is always a relief.

We needed to be patient, intelligent and not make a mistake at the back on Saturday against a West Ham team that had a strong spirit and were well-organised.

We showed patience because in the first half it was difficult to get into the flow of our passing so we had to wait until they got a bit fatigued. West Ham kept going and we did as well. We kept the structure of our game right, we didn't do anything stupid, we kept trying to be intelligent and that in the end got us the goal with two minutes to go.

I thought we might drop points when Theo Walcott's shot hit the post and then bounced back into the goalkeeper's hands. That is usually not a good sign But we kept going and out of this game we can say we have once again shown a great attitude and we have matured. You can see that when it doesn't work for us the players remain calmer than before.

Alex Song scored and he is adding that to his game because he had three good chances on Saturday. He has got the taste to go forward, even if I think a little too much sometimes for a holding midfielder!

Denilson has had three good games in a week - he played the whole 90 minutes at Manchester City, the whole 90 minutes at Newcastle and he did quite well on Saturday because he defended very well at the moment everybody went forward. Jack Wilshere is coming back and can play with Denilson and Song. I have potential to rotate the team because we have Diaby and Ramsey to come back as well.

I am asked about the title and I believe we have a good chance but we want to show consistency first. We go step by step. I believe we still need to step up a gear to completely achieve that. But on the other hand you feel as well that there is more to come out from this team because we had strength on the bench on Saturday and we still have some players to come back.

If we can keep a good injury record then we have a chance. It's too early in the season to be sure but I have belief. We have to show we can handle every single game with the different challenges that the Premier League has. You saw on Saturday that we played against the bottom team in the Premier League and it was a real battle. We have to show we can compete like that in every game.

Of course we have now kept three clean sheets in a row. That's new for me! A day where I don't have to look on the television slow motion to see why we conceded a goal does not happen often so I am very happy with that.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-10-24 : Manchester City 0 - 3 ARSENAL

Wenger: 'This will give us belief and confidence'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

It was under special circumstances maybe but for us it was important to get a win against a big side to strengthen the belief of the squad and continue our march forward.

We showed intelligence and produced the needed performance against ten men when Manchester City had Dedryck Boyata sent off early in the game. From my view on the bench it looked like a deserved red card; I don't think the referee had an option.

After the sending off it became a bit electric. We got some yellow cards but then it was important for us not to get a second yellow.

I asked the players at half time to focus on playing in a positive way and to try to score a second goal - the idea was to try and get us to focus on football and not just defending our advantage. You could see that for the whole game as long as it was not 2-0 we played with the feeling that 'we need to win, we need to win' and there was a little bit of restriction in our game. After we made it 2-0 it became easier.

We missed a penalty of course and you thought back to the Sunderland game when we missed from the spot and then drew the game. On Sunday it was the reverse and overall I am very pleased because we look like we have matured.

How have we matured? In terms of negotiating in an intelligent way the difficulties of the game. That means not getting a red card on Sunday, being patient when that was needed and I think collectively we dominated the game.

It was our first win in ten games against the 'big' clubs and I can't explain to you why but it is true. In some games we were close to winning but in the end we just lost. For example at Chelsea we lost 2-0 - when you watch the game again it's difficult to understand how we lost the game apart from the fact that they took two great chances.

Now we have won a 'big' game I hope that will give us the belief and the confidence to transfer that into other games.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-10-16 : Arsenal 2 - 1 Birmingham City

Wenger: 'We cannot complain about red card'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

The big talking point from Saturday was Jack Wilshere's red card.

He mistimed his tackle and he got what he deserved. But it was his first tackle in the game and you have to acknowledge that he didn't spend the whole game kicking people. He played football and was one of the best players on the football pitch.

Unfortunately he committed a bad challenge but I think it was borne of frustration, he mistimed his tackle. We do not complain about his red card but you cannot say he had a dirty game.

Aside from the sending off Jack showed that he is a complete player. He played defensively well, offensively well, and I believe that overall he had a very good game, a very influential game. He was very reliable defensively and very creative going forward.

Overall it was imperative to get the three points against Birmingham. I believe we played quite nervously - you could see our fluency was affected by the fact that we had not won for two games. We played a little bit with the handbrake in the final third, especially when we were 2-1 up, and it was never comfortable.

When we went 1-0 down it was backs to the wall considering the state of the Premier League table. We had absolutely to win so it was even more difficult to concede first, but I cannot fault anybody too much on the goal we conceded because it was a wonderful header like we used to see in England 30 or 40 years ago. There's not a lot you can do about that.

Marouane Chamakh scored the winner and since the beginning of the season, if you look at how many times he has been decisive at 0-0 or 1-1, you will be surprised. He is very influential in the team.

It was good to have Nicklas Bendtner back from injury but he doesn't look completely ready yet. He needs a few more weeks. He has not played regular football for a long time and you do not come back straight away like that into top-level competition.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-10-03: Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal

Wenger: 'We had a great team performance and great energy'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I think we demonstrated on Saturday that you can play well and lose the match.

The Chelsea game should have been over within a minute - we had the first two chances and we missed that header from six yards. I think Koscielny was too much turned towards the corner instead of turning his body and facing the goal. He did not adjust to the ball.

I think we were a bit unfortunate as well because there was a foul on Song from Ramieres in the build-up to Chelsea's first goal. After that we made a mistake that should not happen at the near post and Drogba took advantage of it.

For much of the second half it was one-way traffic and in the last 10 to 15 minutes Chelsea were counter-attacking. But we missed too many chances at that level and in the final third you need to be more clinical offensively and defensively.

We had a great team performance and great energy. But we have to be more clinical to win titles - we can't lose a game like that.

We are a team that wants to have the ball and doesn't hide away from home. Any side who goes to Stamford Bridge and sits back gets punished. If you allow them to play in your half they have the quality with their strikers and take advantage of mistakes.

So I decided to play in their half and overall I think we did it very well. You want to be rewarded when you produce a game of that quality and when you go home with no points we have to analyse why and be more clinical. The basis is there, the collective team quality is there but we have to transform that into points.

I wasn't angry with my team. I felt sorry for them because they had an outstanding attitude and an outstanding display. You can only congratulate them for that attitude. I feel sorry for the fact that they have not been rewarded but we live in a realistic world and when you don't score and don't take your chances then you don't win big games.

Jack Wilshere showed once again that he is a big-game player. He finished a bit tired because he gave everything but he's 18 years of age. You can only say 'Congratulations Jack' and keep going.

Abou Diaby also played well in midfield but he has a bad ankle and looks to be a doubt for the French national team.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-09-25: Arsenal 2 - 3 West Bromwich Albion

Wenger: 'We have to make sure we respond well'

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We have to make sure we respond well.

West Brom played well on Saturday but we made it difficult for ourselves because we were not at our usual level. Not defensively, nor offensively.

Overall everything was difficult for us - passing the ball, winning the ball back, winning the one against ones - and we got what we deserved which was zero points. We didn't deserve more.

The positive is that we did fight until the last minute but it was just not good enough at that level to get three points.

Manuel Almunia was criticised for his mistake but there were question marks over many players. We made massive mistakes defensively and were collectively poor.

It was a bad team performance and we have to analyse why and make sure we respond well because we have an important game in Belgrade on Tuesday.

It would have been even more disappointing on Saturday if Chelsea had won because they would be seven points clear of us. But we can't look at the results of the other teams, we have to turn up with our own performance and we didn't do that against West Brom.

Next week's trip to Stamford Bridge is important of course and I believe we will see that Saturday's performance was an exception - until then we had very, very good games.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-09-18: Sunderland 1 - 1 Arsenal

Wenger: 'We had chances to kill the game'
Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We faced the game we expected to face at Sunderland on Saturday and I felt overall our central defence and our goalkeeper dealt well with the situations we faced.

I believe the performance was good overall. We had problems starting in the first half but in the second half we played very well with ten men and were in control of the game. Unfortunately in the 95th minute they equalised.

We showed we could battle, we showed we could play, we had all the ingredients of a good team. We had chances to kill the game, especially when Tomas Rosicky had a penalty, but we didn't do it.

Alex Song was sent off and we were still in control with ten men but we couldn't score the second goal. And as long as you can't score the second goal you are in trouble.

Cesc Fabregas suffered a hamstring injury and you cannot measure how much of a loss he was. I believe you want Fabregas on the pitch but even without Fabregas we could have scored the penalty and won the game.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-09-11: Arsenal 4 - 1 Bolton Wanderers

Wenger: 'It was a good test for our defence'
Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Overall it was a competitive game against Bolton on Saturday where we dominated and created many chances.

Mind you it was also the kind of game that you can drop points in if you don't kill the game off.

You can dominate 80 per cent of the time and still lose against Bolton because one or two balls, throw-ins or set pieces, can be dangerous and they are a good side in midfield as well.

They marked us very tightly and I think that led to a very physical game but they played well too. Owen Coyle uses the strong points of his team and I believe they have a good mixture between playing on the ground and being more direct.

It was a good test for our centre backs on Saturday and they did very well with Squillaci making his debut. But overall I am pleased with the performance of the whole team.

Bolton had full commitment but we needed to be patient, get our technique and passing to prevail and I was confident that it would. It was important not to make a second mistake after we conceded the equaliser.

I don't think Koscielny and Squillaci will have 18 or 19 home games like that! It was a good test for them and what I like is, for example, when Koscielny was knocked down he came back and still won every header after that. For somebody coming from the French league that is a good sign.

Cesc Fabregas was impressive. I have seen quite a few good performances from him and it is difficult to compare them. We play the game he loves to play and the game turns around him. He grew up in this team and to make this team win will be a bigger achievement than anything else.

Jack Wilshere started as well and he has every chance of playing a number of games this season. He is 18 years old but I consider him a player of the first-team squad. When he is on the pitch he is completely in the game.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-08-28: Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: Theo looks like he has moved forward

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

It is always difficult to win at Ewood Park but I felt that we had a good start on Saturday and scored a great goal.

Soon after our first goal, in my opinion, we were a bit too nervous in dealing with Blackburn's game. However, in the second half I felt we were calmer, put the ball on the ground well and controlled the game much better.

Of course, in the last 15 or 20 minutes you can always be tested and need a bit of luck, but we had the right resilience and commitment and the longer that we didn't score that third goal, we were always under threat with a team like Blackburn.

As you saw on Saturday, the players are all very committed. I also believe experience brings you calm in the box, defensively and offensively and that is where we have a little bit more experience, even if on one or two occasions on Saturday we were a bit lucky. But who would not be unsettled by the kind of game Blackburn gave us?

Theo Walcott scored our first goal after a hat-trick against Blackpool the week before and on Saturday it was another clinical finish. You judge a player by the numbers; the goals he scores, the assists when he is a striker and his numbers are already very, very good. It looks like he is more confident and has moved forward.

Cesc Fabregas made his first start of the season and he showed that he has class even though he is not completely match fit yet. I always planned to play him for an hour and I left him on for a little longer. By the time we play Bolton, Cesc should be ready to play.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-08-21: Arsenal 6 - 0 Blackpool

Wenger: Chamakh can be vital in the big games

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We played well going forward on Saturday. In fairness when they had 11 players on the pitch, Blackpool looked like they could create chances. They tried to play in a positive way.

We looked very dangerous when we won the ball and I believe we have matured because, even though we were 3-0 up at half-time, we didn't become sloppy. We kept playing the way we wanted to play and overall it became a comfortable win.

Theo Walcott's hat-trick showed he is more electric than he has been to date because he is sharp at the moment. I like the fact he mixed the final ball and the finishing - that is always a sign of maturity. Let's not forget that what he does is at a very high pace so it's not always easy to make the right decisions. But against Blackpool he got many decisions in the final third right.

He had a good pre-season for the first time for a long, long time; without being interrupted by injury or without coming back late. You could see that. We have known for two or three weeks now that he is sharp because he had a very good preparation.

From where I was I thought Ian Evatt's foul on Marouane Chamakh was outside the area. The referee had no choice to show the red card unfortunately. It was not a malicious foul but it was clearly denying a goalscoring opportunity. I feel many times a yellow card would be enough in these situations.

I believe Chamakh is a player who is still adapting to our style but look at the impact he had on the game - he got the penalty, he got a goal and he was involved in the goal last week at Liverpool. He is an efficient player and I am very confident that his goals can be vital in big games.

He can play alongside Robin van Persie but that will be in a 4-4-2. We'll see, it depends a little bit, one can play on the flank and come in, but at the moment we have plenty of choice going forward - touch wood.

I am confident we will add at least one more signing before the end of the month, maybe one plus one. It is difficult to predict because the market is very quiet but I know that in the last five days of the month it gets crazy and then it gets completely mad.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-08-15: Liverpool 1 - 1 Arsenal

Wenger: We lacked a bit of spark

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I felt 1-1 was a fair result on Sunday.

It was a game where we had a lot of possession and in the first half we were in control. But in fairness Liverpool defended well, we had the ball in their half a lot but didn't find any openings.

I thought in the second half we could do that better after Joe Cole was sent off but they had a strong start and it was very difficult at 1-0 down against ten men who played very deep. They intelligently took the fluency out of the game. We just kept going and throwing more and more people forward and in the end we got a deserved equaliser.

I couldn't see us losing a game like that without being deeply hurt because we had a lot of possession. We lacked a bit of spark in the final third but overall my players have shown the right attitude.

I didn't see Cole's challenge on Laurent Koscielny at first because it was completely in the corner. He is usually a fair player, he is not someone who tries to hurt people, it is not his style. Maybe he was a bit rash in his tackle but Koscielny had a big knock on his shin and fortunately his shin pad protected him well. We were scared at first that his leg was broken.

What did I learn from my team at Anfield? That we are quite solid as a team, our passing is still decent and we need a bit more penetration in the final third to take advantage of our possession. That is normal because many players are just coming back from the World Cup and some from injuries. It is a positive that the spirit is there and the attitude was good.

As you will know I signed a new contract with Arsenal and I did that because I love the Club and I don't see myself going anywhere else.

I believe that signing a new deal is the only way to show my commitment to this Club. I don't know if it will be my last job but if I can finish these next four years well, I will already be happy. I am at an age where I do not plan in decades anymore, I plan month by month!

Going back to the team, we finished third last year and our ambition is to progress, to improve. I feel the two players who we bought have done well - I believe Marouane Chamakh and Koscielny had impressive performances on Sunday. But I also feel we are still a bit short defensively.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-05-09 : Arsenal 4 - 0 Fulham

Wenger: Thanks for your fantastic support

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

It was important for us to finish well on Sunday. We did that and we didn't need to worry about the Tottenham result.

I am very happy that after the World Cup we don't have to play a qualifier for the Champions League because it is a very sensitive game and those ties are getting hard every year.

For us if you look at the season as a whole we have exceeded many people's expectations. But of course we are still frustrated because one month ago we were in touch with the title but we didn't win it.

Overall we showed a good attitude and strong character - the team has improved a lot on that front. But we conceded too many goals to win the title. We did not have the players available in the last six weeks to fight for the championship and I believe that when you go into the final sprint you need your squad available.

When you have six players not available in the last six games and in the Champions League Quarter-Final you can get away with it for one or two games but it does not work on a longer basis. It's a shame because we went out of the Champions League to the holders and we were beaten by Chelsea and Manchester United who have strong squads. We were just a fraction short.

The fans did not react well to Lukasz Fabianski at the start of the Fulham game but that is part of the learning process for him. You want the fans to be positive but I feel he has enough quality to be an exceptional keeper - he responded well and had a quality game.

It is not easy to play at such a young age under such pressure. In the last three weeks he has made progress and I believe he has huge potential.

We want to improve our quality this summer. It is not necessarily a large number of players that we need to buy but I believe you don't win the title when you concede 40 goals. Leave the transfer business to me and when you come back in July for the Emirates Cup you will see.

Thanks for your fantastic support this season and have a great summer. The Manager's E-mail will return at the start of the 2010/11 season.


Arsène Wenger

2010-05-03 : Blackburn Rovers 2 - 1 Arsenal

Wenger: Let's finish the season on a high

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We are obviously all very disappointed to have lost at Blackburn on Monday evening.

Something has gone from our belief now we are no longer in the title race. We tried to do well at Blackburn but you can see that something is missing. That is the belief to go for something and that's why I believe we have lost the last two games.

I thought it was a poor game on Monday and in my opinion there were fouls in the build-up to both Blackburn goals.

I don't know if Blackburn targeted Lukasz Fabianski but he had no chance to go for the ball on the winning goal because he was pushed. The two players in front of him every time did not even watch the ball.

When it is a foul, calling a foul is enough protection for keepers and I am disappointed the referee let that happen. As a keeper, when you jump into the air and are unbalanced by a push, what can you do? It is a pity because I thought Fabianski had a good game.

I believe as well, we were unlucky because there was a clear penalty on Robin van Persie in the second half when the score was 1-1. But overall we were not at our best. The fact is that Blackburn defended well and they were sharper in the duels and in the fights than us. And then it becomes very difficult to win football games.

There is one game to go now, at home, so let's finish the season on a high. We know that Tottenham can still catch us but we do not have to worry about them or Manchester City. We have to worry about us and finish the season well.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-04-24 : Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester City

Wenger: We are 90 per cent sure of third place

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Saturday afternoon was an unusual one because we created very few chances and I am not used to that.

Manchester City didn't create much either - they were highly focused on defending well. They didn't give us any space and we could not find the opener. For as long as we couldn't do that it was a locked game basically. We saw two teams who played well defensively, had very good discipline but created very few chances.

But I am not surprised City did not attack more. They may think that if they can get a point against us and beat Tottenham at home then they will finish fourth. As for us, we are 90 per cent sure of third place.

Emmanuel Adebayor's appearance made the game a bit livelier because our supporters responded, while he was focused, motivated and sharp. But even then City didn't create much - they played a lot on the counter-attack and we weren't in trouble often.

Robin van Persie started his first game since November and he was sharp for 60 or 70 minutes. After that he dropped physically, but that's understandable. I left him on because I thought a set-piece could have been decisive and he could score from a free-kick or deliver a corner. Having been out for such a long time, Robin's performance was very positive.

Sol Campbell was excellent - since he has been back in the team he has been outstanding. I never really expected this from him and that is a great credit to him. I will sit down with him at some point to talk about his future.

Finally, a word for Lukasz Fabianski. He was spot on from the first to the last minute on Saturday. He read all the situations very well and that is what you want from him. I have always said he is one of the most talented goalkeepers and when he gets his concentration right he will be fine.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-04-18 : Wigan 3 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: We were not focused or disciplined

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I believe that we were not focused or disciplined at Wigan and we got caught.

We were a bit unlucky as well but overall, in football, you have to keep focused for 90 minutes or you take a risk, especially against a team who has nothing to lose and fights to stay up. Those teams will not give up and in the end we were punished.

I never thought the game was over even at 2-0. I saw that we were having difficulties keeping the ball and creating opportunities. When you do not create chances in football you are in trouble. After we went 2-0 up our game lacked cohesion and discipline and I always felt that we could be punished.

I do not want to go into any judgment on individuals and I will keep to myself what I said to the players. But at top-level competition you have to be focused for 90 minutes or you can lose.

We have had injury problems but I do not want to use that as an excuse. When you are 2-0 up and you play for Arsenal Football Club I believe you cannot use injuries as an excuse when you go on and lose the game.

A win would have put us back in the title race but now we know that Spurs can catch us and Manchester City can catch us. We have to win at least one game.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-04-05: Arsenal 1 - 0 Wolves

Wenger: We must be audacious in Barcelona

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Saturday's win keeps us in the title race.

It was important to forget Barcelona for 24 hours and focus on the Wolves game, and that was not easy. But we did it well - I think we had a good focus. We were a bit jaded physically but we kept going and we didn't make a mistake at the back. In the end we got a deserved victory against a resilient Wolves team who had a great goalkeeper.

I put all our late goals down to our mental tenacity, our unity and the focus of the players who come into the side. Everybody works in the same direction. And as well, we often take advantage of our technical superiority in the final part of the game.

I felt it became more difficult against 10 men when Wolves had Karl Henry sent off because suddenly they dropped 10 yards and got everybody in front of their box. We were not so much under the threat of conceding a goal but it looked difficult to create chances. I knew we would continue to try but I was not certain we would score in the final minute!

Nicklas Bendtner scored our goal and he is a player who can take criticism. He responds well to it and has that strength. I believe he is improving, which is not unusual for a young player at 22. There is still room for improvement, but he is becoming more of a team player and is working hard. It is all positive.

A draw would have finished our title hopes because if you're five points behind Chelsea with five games to go, you can forget it. But a three-point gap is feasible because we have a difficult programme but they have a difficult programme as well.

Now we focus on Barcelona and I don't deny it will be a difficult task. We have to raise above the impression they left on us in the first part of the match, to have a game plan and stick to it. I believe we have to be audacious and not hide. I do not deny in the first part of the first leg that Barcelona were over-dominant, but if you look at the chances we created, we had some good ones.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-03-29 : Birmingham City 1 - 1 Arsenal

Wenger: It's a big blow to our title chances

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Saturday was a big disappointment because we had the game won at Birmingham and we had the chance to score the second goal.

I believe the pitch was very difficult to play on and it was a scrappy game. We gradually got on top and played the second half in their half of the pitch, but they defended well and made the game difficult. In the end we got caught when Almunia deflected the ball into his own goal.

Of course it is disappointing to concede so late but football is never finished when two teams fight until the end. We had the chance to score the second and to keep the ball. The last thing you want is a free-kick against you but that is what happened.

Cesc Fabregas picked up an injury in the first half and we will assess him before the Barcelona game. He got tackled on the knee. We tried to take him off at first but afterwards he said he was OK and he finished the game.

Injuries were the reason Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri started the game on the bench. Andrey had a groin problem and Samir had a knee problem from the last game against West Ham.

Of course the result is a big blow for our title chances. We were in a position where we had to win all our games and not to win on Saturday is a big blow to take.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-03-20 : March Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham

Wenger: We were more urgent when we had 10 men

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I believe we played an outstanding game on Saturday against West Ham.

We played with class and spirit and we kept our nerve when the situation became difficult. Overall we showed a good attitude, good maturity and, in the important moments, we were decisive in every department. I am thinking about the goalkeeper here and then moving Alex Song to centre back; everybody adapted very well to the situation and technically I believe we were outstanding.

I felt the red card for Thomas Vermaelen was very harsh. We have seen this situation many times in the game without it being punished at all.

But Manuel Almunia silenced the critics with his save. He had a few problems at the start of the season but in the last two or three months I have found him to be outstanding. Credit to him.

Our 2-0 victory took us up to second in the table and we know that at least one of Manchester United and Chelsea will drop points between now and the end of the season. They play each other later on.

Obviously we have lost home and away to both teams this season but, it does not matter to me, I would still take the title!

That same situation happened with Manchester United when they were champions last year. And yes, it's a point of view. But then, ideally, you would want to win all 38 games and everyone would say: 'they deserve it'. You never have the perfect season.

Right now we are in a position where we can show people that we have improved. We've already improved our consistency. I don't know where we will finish but let's go for it now.

We are in a strong position in the Premier League table after the win against West Ham but we still have to focus on our quality and continue to improve. So now let's just be better in our next game and that's at Birmingham on Saturday.

With the results we are making, we can only go from game to game. But we know we have the desire and we have the quality.

Finally, I'd just like to let you know that Robin van Persie should be back at the Club this week. We sent our fitness coach out to Holland where he has been having his rehabilitation. Physically he looks very sharp but we aim to wait at least a month for him. So we need to be patient.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-03-15: Hull City 1 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: We got jaded but we kept going

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

It was a very big win at Hull on Saturday.

When you play a difficult game in midweek there is a lot of mental tension but we went to the KC Stadium and won, so of course it is a big three points. We know what is at stake every time you go away like that. We needed the three points and we got it after 90 minutes, exactly like at Stoke. It tells you that it was a difficult game, but as well that we have desire and mental strength and we never give up. And for such a young team that is great.

I did see us scoring a winner but I could also see us missing out because we had the chances to score. And when you miss so many obvious chances, then you think you will be punished. We're always leaving it until late at the moment, maybe it's not good for my heart, but for the championship, it's not bad.

As for the title race, I believe that we are in the fight and we have eight games to go. We are in there, so why should we not believe? What I especially believe is that we will give absolutely everything to win it and we have seen that again at the weekend. We got jaded but still kept going. There is team spirit there and it is special. You can see that.

Some people have said that Sol Campbell should have been sent off in the second half but I don't agree - it was a good tackle on Zayatte. Some thought Sol might have received a red card when he gave away the first-half penalty but, having seen it Vennegoor of Hesselink played it in an intelligent way.

He did what a striker does in the box, he went straight at Sol and the defender had no other option but to touch him. But there was no real intention to give away a penalty. It was accidental, and the striker was not in a position to score at the moment he was touched. But of course, Vennegoor of Hesselink was offside at the start of the move.

Nicklas Bendtner scored once again, that makes it four goals in two games since he missed those chances against Burnley. You are always judged on the performance of the day, and on that day maybe he deserved the criticism. But the best way to answer the critics is to come up with a better performance and he has done that.

Finally, we should have some good news on the injury front because Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas both have a good chance to be ready for the West Ham game. William Gallas will not be fit but Sol Campbell is OK to start if we play once a week. When we play three games per week it is a bit too much.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-03-08: Arsenal 3 - 1 Burnley

Wenger: It was closer than you or I expected

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Saturday's game was closer than you and I expected but we had the chances to score plenty of goals.

We didn't take our chances and that's why I believe it was very tight until the end. It could have been four, five or six for us but as well Burnley had a chance to make it 2-2 after a corner. In the end you are happy when you miss the chances we missed but you still get the three points.

I believe our first goal was a great goal and after that we created some magnificent chances, we just could not finish the game off. But the first ball from Nasri was fantastic, the finishing of Fabregas was class. And for the second goal Theo Walcott gave a great response to his critics.

I think Theo does what a player has to do - not talk in the newspapers and let your performance talk on the pitch. He didn't answer any critics other than with a good performance and that's what you want from a player. That shows he is mentally strong.

I was interested to see how he would respond on Saturday. I was quite sure he would respond with a good performance but you never know, it affects you when you get criticised. The way he answered that at his age is remarkable.

Nicklas Bendtner missed some chances and underneath I am sure he is really disappointed. Everybody has a different way to show his emotions, and he hides well, but he cares. Overall in his game, he was quite good. In his finishing, he missed chance after chance, but if you are a striker, it is like that.

You think 'I missed the first one, but I will score the next one'. Once you have missed the second one, you are in trouble because after you do not know how to take the third one - 'do I really go for it, or wait for the ball?' That is what happened to him on Saturday. I always feel sorry for someone who missed the chances. You are only angry if a guy is not committed enough.

As for the title race, as I have said before it is down to our consistency. If we win our games, we will be there, that is for sure. But we have experienced again that every game demands full focus and commitment. When you play against teams who fight not to go down, they will fight until the last minute. Next week we play at Hull and expect exactly the same type of game.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-03-01 : Stoke City 1 - 3 Arsenal

Wenger: We want to win the title for Ramsey

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We were in the title race before the Stoke game and mathematically we got closer to Chelsea on Saturday because they dropped points. It strengthens our belief and our determination and we will fight until the last game of the season to win the League.

But of course our 3-1 win was overshadowed by the serious injury to Aaron Ramsey. I didn't see many bad tackles in the game but that one was and it makes me very sad. To lose a player of that quality at 19 years of age when he is just starting his career is just horrendous. It is difficult to accept.

I cannot do anything about it of course. The players are professional and they have to respect the rules and each other.

I would prefer to give my support to Ramsey rather than to play the judge. He is a young, fantastic talent and for a boy of 19 with his talent to be kicked out of the game like that is beyond words. I could not even enjoy the win on Saturday night because it is so sad to see that.

As you could see our players were shocked by the incident. You could see that they moved away from him. For five minutes our game was affected because we did not play. After that we got back into the game and showed great character to win it.

The title race will be tight until the end but this group is so strong mentally and have a unity so Aaron’s injury will give us one more reason to fight until the end and do it for him.

We had other problems two years ago when Eduardo was injured. But on Saturday we had a midfield of Nasri, Fabregas, Ramsey, Song, Eboue – with an average of 20 or 21. Up front, Bendtner is 21. At their age, to handle the game like they did is absolutely remarkable.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-02-22: Arsenal 2 - 0 Sunderland

Wenger: We'll fight for our title dream

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

The team have the title in mind right now, don't worry, and the victory over Sunderland on Saturday only helped that ambition.

But, at the same time, we know have two fights on our hands. One is to get away from the teams in the fourth, fifth and sixth positions, and the other is to get as close as possible to the top.

At the moment, the team is focused and wants to do well. They certainly responded positively at the weekend to the disappointment of Wednesday night. That is all you can ask.

I was very happy with the players on Saturday. We had a good pace in the first half. You could see that it was important to have a squad where you can rotate. The players who did not play on Wednesday night were sharp. We had given a lot physically at Porto and, in the second half on Saturday, you could see that. But we were still focused.

Sunderland fought for their lives. They man-marked us everywhere and didn't give us any room. It was a very difficult game for us. That is why I believe it is important for us not to dream, but to be realistic and focused like we were on Saturday. That is a good basis to go forward.

We didn't talk about Manchester United's defeat at Everton before the game. I don't even know if the players knew about it. We know we just have to win our games and that is what we tried to do.

Our run-in is said to be easier than others, but I believe we still have difficult games. For example, we go to Stoke City this weekend, and we know that is going to be another tough challenge for us.

But we promised ourselves to give our best in every game until the end of the season. Then our pride will be being able to say 'we went as far as we could'.

Thanks for your support.


Arsène Wenger

2010-02-08 : Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal

Wenger: We couldn't turn our possession into goals

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We didn't get a demonstration of football from Chelsea but they were efficient and, at the end of the day, that is what made the difference on Sunday.

I believe the first goal contributed highly to our defeat and that is where we were guilty. Apart from that we had a great spirit and a great attitude. We had mountains of possession but couldn't transform it into goals - we couldn't come back to 2-1 and couldn't get them wobbling. Chelsea defended very well and on one or two occasions I believe we were a little bit unlucky with one or two decisions from the referee.

We had 70 per cent of possession of the ball so we were not in a position where we were dominated. We were always in an attacking position and then you have to risk everything going forward and of course they are good on counter attacks. I believe that our spirit was great, our performance was great but in a big game like that when you are 2-0 down you demand too much.

For me, as much as we didn't turn up against Manchester United last week, on Sunday we had the expected performance. We were still a bit uncertain at the start of the game but then we were completely dominant.

I always thought we would come back, I always had that feeling. But you have to give Chelsea credit, they defended very well, they are very experienced at the back. They make the foul at the right time when they are caught on the counter-attack. The little push, it is not enough to get a yellow card. They have a lot of tricks as a very experienced team and they do that very well.

Nicklas Bendtner is adamant that he should have had a penalty in the second half, 100 per cent. One of his big qualities is that he is honest and the referee had a good position but I suppose he didn't see it. That can happen.

As for the title race, I feel that we are not in the best position but we will not give up. We were a bit unfortunate as well in the same period to play Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool on the trot. If you lose one game if is very difficult with the psychological implications for the next game. I believe that is a little bit of a disadvantage. But now of course it is vital to beat Liverpool.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-02-01 : Arsenal 1 - 3 Manchester United

Wenger: We need something special now

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Sunday's defeat is difficult to take but easy to explain because we were poor offensively and defensively.

We delivered an off-the-mark performance and that is why we were well beaten. We gave Manchester United too much room, and we were naive. I believe we have to stick together now, recover and produce a much better performance next Sunday against Chelsea.

I don't know why we performed poorly. Did we want it too much? Were we a bit inhibited and tense? I'm not sure. The physical reasons are not obvious because we finished the game quite well and we were unfortunate because we gave the third goal away. You could see we finished quite strong and had we come back to 2-1 earlier on maybe we had a chance. At 3-1 it was too much.

The players wanted to win, and they are really down. This team has spirit, a good attitude mentally, and it is very difficult to say so soon after the game why we were not at all at our level. I believe there are some mental reasons in there but it is difficult to say.

Wayne Rooney played very well but I would say they had other players who gave us some problems, not only Rooney. We gave them too much room everywhere and Rooney took advantage of it. We conceded two goals which were straight from corners for us. The intelligence of our positioning was wrong.

It's massive disappointment, but we have to recover from this, that is part of top-level football. We have to focus on delivering a completely different performance against Chelsea because we were never close in our marking against Man United and you do not win big games like that.

We need something special now to stay in the race, of course. I am conscious of that.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-01-25 : Stoke City 3 - 1 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Wenger: I do not regret my team selection

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

Sunday's FA Cup tie was more physical than technical and physically Stoke were stronger than us.

We had a fantastic attitude and at 1-1 we looked like we were on top in the last 20 minutes so it was important not to make a mistake. But we got caught on the counter-attack for their second goal and that was an important moment in the game.

I knew that it would be tight but I had hoped that after bringing on Ramsey, Eduardo and Arshavin that we would win the game. But Stoke were sharp, they were physical and they were always dangerous in the air. The pitch was very difficult because it was not very good and it took us too much time to bring the ball down and play.

I do not regret my team selection because I did not have much choice. Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Gael Clichy could not play and I think Sol Campbell had a good game overall.

If you look at our schedule you cannot always play with the same XI, that is for sure. If I rotate and we don't win it is my fault so I can only stand up and say that is the team I picked. We have ten injuries and we are going into a period where we cannot rotate a lot in the big games.

Sol made his second 'debut' for Arsenal and he did very well. Maybe in the last 20 minutes he was a bit fatigued but he was surprisingly fit for a guy who has not played for such a long time. He is motivated, he works very hard in training and you could see that on Sunday.

Sagna, Vermaelen and Clichy will all be back for Aston Villa on Wednesday and they could have missed that game if they had played at Stoke. Now it is vital for us to focus on Villa because we are in an interesting position and it is a very important game.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-01-18 : Bolton Wanderers 0 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: We have a chance to fight for the title

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We expected a fully committed Bolton team on Sunday and we were not disappointed.

They gave absolutely everything and put us under pressure with long balls. We tried to get the ball down and play and sometimes it worked well. We dropped our level a little bit in the second half and that's where Bolton had a 20-minute period where they had chances and looked dangerous.

I believe that the pitch was not easy for our game so our passing was not always exceptional. It was important for us not to go into the last 15 minutes only one goal up. The second goal from Fran Merida killed the game.

Cesc Fabregas scored the first and if you watched the game you can see that he is important to us. What is very interesting for us is that Cesc gets stronger and stronger and has more personality on the pitch, like the whole team. He will be 23 this year so he is just starting to reach his best form.

Cesc is fit again and it is vital not to lose any more players because in the last 72 hours we lost Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri to injuries - they will both be out for three weeks - and we now go into a period where every game becomes very, very important. We survived OK when Cesc wasn't there in recent weeks but in the period coming up now where we have so many big games it is important to have him in the team.

Craig Eastmond made his Premier League debut and he showed that he has qualities to be a player for us but on some occasions as well he showed that he is not ready. In the second half he got tired and then he started to lose some balls that you do not want to lose but overall it was an interesting performance from him.

We have a chance to go top of the Premier League on Wednesday night and our motivation will be 100 per cent against Bolton. We know that we are in a quite interesting position where nobody expected us to be. We have the belief and we really want to have a go. You have seen on Sunday that Bolton made life difficult for us so we have to be completely focused.

We know that there is a long way to go. We are a big club and when you are a big club the most difficult thing is like what happened last season, when in October you know you will not fight for the title. Now we have a chance to fight for it so let's have a go.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-01-11 : Arsenal 2 - 2 Everton

Wenger: We were a bit flat on Saturday

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We played against a very good Everton team on Saturday who for the biggest part of the game were more dangerous and sharper than us.

At the end of the day we dropped two points but, looking at the game, we gained one point. We were closer to losing the game than winning it. We got the point because we had the spirit, the desire, but we didn't find our game. I thought we had problems technically while Everton stopped us from playing. In midfield they were dominant.

Tomas Rosicky's late equaliser was an important goal because it shows the spirit of the team is there until the last minute. With three minutes to go Everton had three or four corners and we didn't get out of the box. At that time I would have signed for a point but we kept going and in the end we got that point.

That rewards the efforts we produced but I believe on Saturday we did not produce the quality we are used to in our team play. The spirit was there though. We were a bit flat and Everton are a good side.

Scoring goals from deflections was the good news of the day. We didn't create many chances and we scored two goals from deflections where maybe our opponents threw their bodies in the way and it still goes in the net. We are a bit lucky at the moment with those and I like to think we are lucky because we have the right spirit.

The attack on the Togo team bus at the Africa Cup of Nations was a terrible incident but I will not try and recall Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue from the tournament. I don't believe you can just stop any competition at any incident because that will reward people who provoke the incident. That means any competition in the world will be stoppable at any time.

The second thing I believe is that international federations have to make sure that the security is well-respected and good enough for the competition. The third thing is that you have to leave it individually to some players as to whether they leave the competition if they feel insecure or scared. I personally feel the competition has to go on.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2010-01-04 : West Ham 1 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: Winning the FA Cup matters to me

Dear Arsenal Supporter,
First of all I would like to wish you a Happy New Year. Here's to a successful 2010.

It was a difficult first-half against a committed West Ham side on Sunday. They were well organised, they won many 50-50s, they were quick on the ball and we got caught on the break. In the second-half we played at a higher tempo and our combinations were better. West Ham dropped a little bit and then we were able to make the difference in the final 20 minutes.

Aaron Ramsey scored our equaliser and he improves from game to game. I set him a target at the start of the season to play between 15 and 20 games and it looks like he will get that very quickly. He has a chance to play at the moment. He can play on the flanks and at full-back also. He is physically very strong, quick and has good stamina. He is a good dribbler but of course his best position is centre midfield because he is a goalscorer as well.

Eduardo is slowly coming back to his best. He has been out for basically a year. Football is not like an engine where you start and drive off at 100mph. Everybody comes back slowly and that is what is happening with him. He is getting better with every game.

For me the FA Cup matters, the team I picked on Sunday was because I wanted to win. But the problem we have is we played Sunday against Aston Villa, Wednesday against Portsmouth, Sunday in the FA Cup, on Wednesday against Bolton and on Saturday against Everton. We cannot play with the same 11 players. But to win the FA Cup matters to me and I know it matters to the fans.

The big Cup shock was Leeds' win at Manchester United. I saw the first-half and felt that it was very good to see Leeds play the way they did. They played very good football and I don't know what happened in the second-half but at the end of the day you are happy for the team who deserves to win.

Manchester United won't gain a great advantage in the Premier League, it is more with the Champions League that the FA Cup is conflicting. The Fifth Round is just before a Champions League game and before that we play a lot in midweek. I don't think at the moment United have gained an advantage in the title race because they lost in the Cup.

I am not sure what kind of team I will play in the Fourth Round at Stoke or beyond that. It depends how many players return from injury.

On Sunday Andrey Arshavin, Denilson, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott were out and then there are players at the back who are out. Arshavin should be available for Wednesday but he has had a foot problem. I don't know how long Walcott will be out for because he has a rib injury and they are always difficult to predict. Last time he had it on the right and this time it is on the left. Last time he was out for nearly a month. We hope that this time it will be much shorter.

Alex Song is another player we have to do without because he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations. We will miss him because he's an important player. In the system we play he plays in front of the defence and we will have to find a new balance without him.

Thanks for your support.

Arsène Wenger

2009-12-21 : Arsenal 3 - 0 Hull City

Wenger: We'll be going for the title in the New Year

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

We had to fight hard on Saturday evening to beat Hull. We had a few problems to start off with because we used a lot of physical strength in our last two games at Liverpool and Burnley. That meant it took us some time to get into the game and to find the pace.

In the first half we didn't look very fresh but we managed to get in front.

I have to admit I was puzzled that Denilson took the free-kick. But I was even more puzzled that he put it in the net!

The players know who takes the free-kicks. Van Persie is No 1, Fabregas No 2 and Vermaelen goes for long distance or maybe Nasri.

Perhaps Nasri was going to take it this time but he had a problem. Sometimes you have to accept that when someone doesn't feel right they give it to someone else.

Even though the penalty save was a turning point, we scored a second goal straight away and we had plenty of chances after that.

We came into the Hull game on the back of the news that Manchester United had lost at Fulham. That shows everybody can lose everywhere. That is new. Since I have been here, it is the first season that it's really been like that. Also it means the most consistent team will make it at the end of the day.

Every team appears to be having blips this season but the team that keeps going, and keeps believing will have a chance.

We have now taken ten points out of 12 since we lost to Chelsea at the end of November. That defeat hurt. When you look on TV and see people saying that it was men against boys that day then it does hurt. But they have kept going, kept fighting and that's good. It makes me proud that after this game we didn't give up.

We'll be going for the title in the New Year. And I’d like to finish this email by wishing all our supporters a very Merry Christmas and thanking you for your continuing support.

Arsène Wenger

2009-12-14 : Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: Now it is down to consistency

Dear Arsenal Supporter,

I cannot explain what I said at half-time at Anfield on Sunday. I just said to my players that the first half was Liverpool and the second half would be Arsenal.

Liverpool played a pace above us, they won all the 50-50s in the first half and at half time 1-0 was a good result for us. You respond sometimes to what you think a team needs and I always try and be composed in the dressing room. But it is good because after 13 years I can still surprise the players.

Liverpool played very well in that first period and we played with the handbrake because of our fear. That fear was of not winning the big games because we lost against Chelsea and Manchester United. You could see that we brought that into the game.

But once we had nothing to lose in the second half we controlled the game. We were a bit lucky with the first goal and the fear was in Liverpool's camp in the second half. Then we scored an outstanding second goal from Andrey Arshavin and from then on Liverpool's pace dropped. I believe we were not under threat for the whole 45 minutes of the second half.

Andrey surprises the goalkeepers and defenders every time. His foot was injured and he couldn't hit the ball properly on his right foot and didn't practice the whole week nearly. But when he had the chance he still took it. Later I had to take him off because of that. At that moment of the goal he didn't feel the pain.

Sunday was a significant victory for us because I believe that Liverpool are a good side who when they find their confidence they can beat anybody in the league.

Mathematically we are now in a good position with a game in hand. Mentally for us it was a massive game at Liverpool. We knew that with what happened on Saturday, with our rivals losing, we needed to win the game. We knew that before the game started and we did it so that's something positive. Now it's down to consistency. I have said for a long time now the team to win this League will be the team capable of being really consistent. Nobody has been yet. There is a long way to go.

I always said that Chelsea would drop points after our defeat against them and they have. Everybody will drop points because there are so many good teams in this League. Now Liverpool have Gerrard back, Torres back, Aquilani back, I tell you many will drop points at Anfield. They played at a level in the first half that was impressive.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-12-07 : Arsenal 2 - 0 Stoke City

Wenger: I thought it might be one of those days

Dear Supporter,

We needed the three points on Saturday.

I feel we had a good first half against Stoke and we should have been two or three up. Then in the second half you could see that recent defeats had played on our mind because it was only 1-0 and we were a bit more restricted. But what I liked is that we didn't give any chances away and we got the second goal that secured the win.

You could see how we have a game based on initiative and if our confidence drops we are in danger. That's why we could not lose confidence against Stoke.

When Cesc missed his penalty I did think it might be one of those days, especially when you play against Stoke who are well-organised, mentally strong and do not need many chances to score a goal against you because of their long throws or set pieces. If you make a mistake they take advantage of it.

At the end of the day we scored the most difficult chance in the first half and Andrey did an excellent job in his central role. I don't think he was desperate to play centre forward but I am convinced he can do that job because he has good body power and movement and good technique. He could have had two or three goals on Saturday and overall he did very well.

I don't know whether he will play there all the time while Robin is injured. I have to try it again and to see if it works at home, away from home and to find a balance as well because I had many technical players around him with Rosicky, Nasri, Fabregas and Eboue all penetrating from deep positions. That is needed when you have a player like Arshavin.

We will see but at the moment we do not have much choice with Walcott out, Bendtner out, Van Persie of course. But we could get Walcott back, we could get Bendtner back in two to three weeks. We had as well Diaby and Song out on Saturday and they should be available next week.

There are even more injuries to report after the Stoke game. We had Eboue with a muscular problem, Rosicky with a groin problem, Traore a hamstring problem and Gallas a hamstring problem. We are hopeful that Eboue, Traore and Gallas are not too serious but Tomas is out for a while. Eduardo has a thigh problem but the medical staff tell me he could be available next weekend.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-11-30 : Arsenal 0 - 3 Chelsea

Wenger: I do not think title race is over

Dear Supporter,
We are all very disappointed with the result on Sunday, but I feel the 3-0 scoreline against Chelsea was a very unfair reflection of the game, but we cannot change it now.

I believe that Chelsea had absolutely everything going for them on Sunday and we can only respond in our next game. With their first shot on goal, they scored. With their second cross, they scored. And after it was difficult.

The turning point was when the referee disallowed Arshavin's 'goal' early in the second half. I feel it was a very unfair decision. That was a very important goal in this kind of game, and I feel it was a mistake by the referee.

Of course, Chelsea are in a very strong position now, but this team, for me, they can drop points. I'm convinced of that. That's an impression I have. Before we speak about the title, we now have to get back to winning games.

Also when you look back at the game, I think Carlos Vela could have had a penalty. I think it was at least a foul on the edge of the box. If the referee gives a foul when Drogba scored from his free-kick, he cannot say it was not a foul on Vela. But I do not want to talk too much about the referee. I think we make mistakes; we need to look at ourselves and ask why we conceded the goals.

Drogba is a good player. It's funny because he doesn't do a lot, but he's efficient in what he does. You would be surprised by the number of balls he touched on Sunday. But Drogba is a great player, nobody can deny that. He's very efficient. I think as well, at the moment he's in a period where he kicks the ball and it goes in. On the first goal, at the moment he has complete confidence and he doesn't wonder 'will I score or not?'. He just goes for it and he did very well. It's a great goal, the first one, but it's a goal of a striker in complete confidence.

I do not think the title race is over. I think we are fighters and we have to show that in the next game. The problem we have at the moment is that people will not believe in us, so we have to make sure that lack of belief does not diminish our belief.

That's where we have to be mentally stronger than we were until now. Because until now, we had some credit that we earned at the start of the season from the 'specialists', and then we a lose a game. And now it will be harder for us.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-11-09 : Wolverhampton 1 - 4 Arsenal

Wenger: We looked dangerous on every counter-attack

Dear Supporter,
We were under pressure in the first ten to 15 minutes at Wolves but after that I felt we controlled the game. Overall we could have scored many more than four goals.

We know that on every counter-attack we looked dangerous and as soon as we could win the second ball and put it on the ground, we always looked capable of playing through their lines and scoring goals.

I feel that where we were maybe a bit surprising was on set-pieces. We were expected to suffer, not necessarily to score on set pieces, but that's what happened on the first corner. After that, we controlled the game.

Wolves had their chances on set-pieces but it's very difficult to predict what would have happened. Overall I still feel that we scored three against Tottenham, four against Alkmaar, four at Wolves and that means we have scored 36 goals in the League. That is not a coincidence. But of course, if Wolves had scored first it would have been much more difficult for us.

People ask questions about our defence and we have a style where everyone goes forward. You cannot have everything in football, but I believe we have a good balance between offense and defence, and as long as we score as many goals as we do, we can accept that.

I gave Aaron Ramsey a full game - it was only his second Premier League start - and he did very well. He's 18 years old and people forget that. I set him a target to play between 15 and 20 games this year so at some stage when you set a boy a target you give him a chance.

When we play every three days, I rotate it a little bit because I believe we have a real squad of 20 outfield players who are of a fantastic level. You can talk and talk and talk, but you have to do it on the pitch as well and give them a chance. Aaron has improved a lot. He has a tremendous engine and he already has good experience for an 18-year-old player.

This time last year we were already out of the title race but two years ago we were very close to winning it, and people forget that. Last year we were out very early because in 14 games we had lost five. Now it is very different. We are in a strong position because we have a game in hand. Let's keep strength in our belief, keep humility, and enjoy our game.

I wouldn't discount Liverpool at the moment though even though they have lost five games. The problem we had last year was that the other contenders had not lost two game. Now everybody has lost two, so the difference with Liverpool is not as big.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-11-02 : Arsenal 3 - 0 Tottenham

Wenger: It has been a fantastic week for us

Dear Supporter,
I believe we lacked some fluency in the first half an hour on Saturday. We played a little bit with the handbrake on and couldn't find our usual flow. But during that period we were serious and overall, despite the fact we won 3-0, we had a good defensive performance and our back five was very efficient. We dealt well with Tottenham's offensive threat.

We took advantage with the first goal and then also took advantage of the shock provoked by the first goal. Cesc took the ball straight away, they lost it because there was an uncertainty, a kind of shock in their team, and we took advantage of it. I thought when he won the first challenge, then the second, that it would stop with Ledley King, but he managed to push the ball through King's legs and had a chance to score.

In the second half we always played a little bit restricted but once we got the third goal you didn't have the impression that Spurs could come back and we didn't give any goal chances away.

I threw my jacket at 3-0 because I was frustrated. I could not communicate with my players because of the noise of the stadium. That's why I got frustrated because I felt it was important for the team not to concede a goal because any goal with what happened recently could have maybe caused a resurgence for Spurs.

Robin van Persie scored two more goals and showed that he is a mixture of players. He is less a runner with the ball than Thierry Henry and is not completely Dennis Bergkamp because he plays high up the pitch. But he is the kind of player with the kind of game we have who is vital because when you play the ball through the lines to his feet, his first touch is perfect and that allows us to join in. And then he can give you a little pass which makes everybody dangerous. In the box he is intelligent and clever.

Cesc was excellent again. The first time we saw him play at 16 years of age he had that certain thing you cannot give to players, what you call the 'signs' of the midfielder, where you have to turn, where you have to play the ball, in what areas. Of course that is talent.

Saturday's game showed again why I'm confident we can win the title. I have said that since the first day of the season and I will not change my mind.

We want to show consistency, intelligence and that is not easy. We have other competitors but why should we not challenge? We have the opportunity and the quality and it will be down to our attitude. We cannot lose a striker in every game, that would cause a problem. We need to be preserved a little bit from injuries, but I am convinced we have the quality, attitude and spirit in the squad.

I think it has been a fantastic week for the Club because we beat Liverpool, we beat Tottenham, both times with convincing performances and with a style of play which is now within our Club. I am very proud of that.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-10-26 : West Ham 2 - 2 Arsenal

Wenger: West Ham was a major missed opportunity

Dear Supporter,
It was very frustrating to come away with only a draw from Upton Park on Sunday having led 2-0 for much of the game.

But West Ham fought until the final second and, to be honest, I never had the feeling that the game was won. Even when we were completely in control I saw the attitude of West Ham and they were not giving up.

We knew that if we made a mistake we would be under pressure. The crowd got behind the referee's decisions and after that it's always difficult when you are away from home.

Still we know it is a major opportunity missed and in our job you have no luxury to do that. You must get points when you deserve them and sometimes get points when you don't deserve to them. On Sunday we didn't get the points we deserved and that means we have not made the maximum of what we should have done.

It is not complacency. We just have to continue to play in a rigorous way, respect the game we love and the pass. That is what we forgot sometimes on Sunday and we paid for it.

On the day, I felt we complicated the game a little bit. We had five or six chances in the second half where we missed the final ball or played it too late. That's where we have to learn.

Afterwards I was asked if we lacked a killer instinct. Well, in football, sometimes you have periods like that. But when you make a problem of it, it becomes a real problem. We have to play the football we love and learn when we are leading to kill the games off.

We have a great chance to win the title this year but of course you cannot repeat the kind of performance we had this weekend. However I feel the Premier League is tight right now and I'm convinced it will be very tight until the end.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-10-19 : Arsenal 3 - 1 Birmingham City

Wenger: We were cruising in the first half

Dear Supporter,
We were cruising in the first half on Saturday. We were in control, two goals up and it looked like we could get more. You were wondering who would score the third goal.

But we made a mistake defensively and Birmingham got back to 2-1. In the second half we did not have the same fluency or control in the game, not the same pace, but in the end I still believe 3-1 is a fair result because we had plenty of chances.

Birmingham regrouped very quickly when they lost the ball and we lacked a little bit of sharpness. I feel also we tried to force the situation a little bit individually, especially in the second half, and that's why we didn't score more goals.

Alex Song was strong and smooth in his defensive midfield role. He is not rigid, he is agile. He is a slalom player and is not a straight-line player. He uses that very well, he has a good combination of strengths and agility and I believe as well he uses his technique in a very intelligent way. He likes a tackle. Cameroon people are strong - in Africa they call them the Germans of Africa because of their strong bodies.

The tackle by Liam Ridgewell on Theo Walcott was a talking point and I wasn't happy with it. It was a tackle made without any restriction. I felt it was a tackle meant to impress; that was my first impression from the bench. It looked a quick and hard challenge from outside. I don't know: did he want to play the ball? He certainly went through Theo.

Theo had a bruised knee after the game, it was swollen and difficult to assess at the moment. Is it a medial knee ligament that is twisted or just a kick? The fact that he says he felt a little unstable when he was running is not good news. We don't know yet how much of his pain is down to the kick and how much is down to the fact he twisted his ligament.

He will be scanned and if it is just a kick he has a good chance to play on Tuesday night at Alkmaar. If it is more, he will not play on Tuesday. I believe personally he will not be available on Tuesday at least. It is not a cruciate for example but it could be more than a week if it is a twisted ligament. The latest injury news will be available on Monday afternoon on Arsenal.com.

Ultimately, Saturday's game ended the right way with a good goal from Andrey Arshavin. That's the football we love. I believe the second goal was fantastic as well and that's the game we play.

I believe when we stick to our game, when we focus to play our game, it looks like we can play the ball through any space and that we can create space just as we want. That is something fantastic but we have of course to be focused on that and keep our composure.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-10-05 : Arsenal 6 - 2 Blackburn Rovers

Wenger: We flow when we are confident

Dear Supporter,
We scored six goals on Saturday and their keeper, Paul Robinson, still had a great game. And that 6-2 win over Blackburn leaves us in a strong position.

Despite the fact that we have lost two games, if you look at the away games we had they are in places where other teams can drop points. We have had four away games to Manchester United and City, Everton and Fulham. We got six points but we had the impression we should have won the two games in Manchester and that made our resolve even stronger.

Cesc Fabregas had an excellent game against Blackburn. I felt he had already given a good performance on Tuesday night against Olympiacos too.

He started the season a little less sharp physically but in the last two or three games he has become stronger and stronger. We know that in every game he creates chances. What is important for him is to score goals and today he scored as well so that's a relief for him certainly.

I have seen him play quite a few good games. When we went forward as a whole team on Sunday we always looked like we could score and when you look he is always in the middle of it, at the start or at the end. A team goes always naturally through its strong points, that's the way of the game. So it goes, therefore, through Fabregas.

The best answer to all the transfer speculation over Cesc is to play well on the football pitch and to show that you are happy to be where you are.

The best way to show that you are happy is to be happy to play football with your partners. And with this team there is something in the side that is light-hearted and enjoyable to watch. Why? Because you feel they enjoy what they do and they enjoy playing together. That is, for me, the most important thing.

The fifth goal - scored by Theo Walcott - was fantastic. When we are confident we have a flow that looks like the goals could come at any moment from anywhere. There are some strengths coming out of this team and we have to add some discipline defensively because we struggled a little bit defensively. But we looked always like we know we will score goals.

I have to say though, it's difficult to have so many people going forward and to have everybody straight away defending as well. It's a consequence of our philosophy.

Finally, Thierry Henry was watching from the stands on Sunday and he inspired us because our players wanted to show him they can score goals and follow in his footsteps.

It is good to see Thierry back here although I believe he belongs more to Highbury than to Emirates Stadium because certainly, coming back to Highbury, he would have more memories than here. But we were happy to have him with us. He would have scored on Saturday, certainly.

Thanks for your continued support.

2009-09-28 : Fulham 0 - 1 Arsenal

Wenger: Everything Mannone did was right

Dear Supporter,
The three points were the most important thing on Saturday because we played against a very good Fulham side.

I believe we had problems in the first half, especially to find our game. They stopped us from playing, they played a very good game - committed, aggressive, well organised. You needed to be special to come out with three points at Craven Cottage.

In the second half we had plenty of opportunities but we took one of them very well after a very good pass from Cesc Fabregas to Robin van Persie. After that we had many opportunities to score a second goal. We were more dominant in the second half but Fulham always looked dangerous on set pieces, on the counter attack and they did try down to the last second.

I was asked afterward about 'winning ugly' and it is good for us to know that we can win that way. People always want us to play well and dominate but when we do not win they are not happy too. On Saturday I was happy even though we had a difficult first half and we only found our game in the second half. But I give a lot of credit to Fulham - they played very well.

Fulham always play a fantastic game against us from first minute to last. You could not see one player who did not tackle and fight. They tried everything. We would not have gone away with three points if we had not shown attitude and spirit. That makes me very optimistic about the team. From what I have seen there is something about the team that shows we can go from strength to strength.

We will give Vito Mannone 10 out of 10 because everything he did was right. For a goalkeeper that is most important. He stopped everything he had to stop, didn't make any wrong decisions and overall he has shown he has the potential to be a very good goalkeeper.

He is goalkeeper No 3 but goalkeeper No 4 is exceptional as well. I believe Wojciech Szczesny is quality and he has shown that against West Brom in the Carling Cup. I gave Mannone the chance against Fulham because he's three or four years older and has more experience.

Until the next game he is No 1. In this job you have to go from game to game. He played a fantastic game on Saturday and the consistency is the first sign of quality. He kept us in the game in some unbelievable situations. You say that keepers sometimes look unbeatable. On Saturday he looked like he could make the save needed every time.

Vito comes from Italy and that means he is a lover of the game. He is a quiet boy but he has outstanding physical qualities and fantastic reflexes. You saw that on Saturday. He deeply wants to improve every day. He is passionate about the game.

As for the other keepers, Manuel Almunia will not be fit for Tuesday and Lukasz Fabianski will not be fit until October 17 at the earliest.

We have been drawn to face Liverpool in the Carling Cup but it doesn't change my approach in terms of team selection. I always try and play a team which has a good chance of winning. We are happy to be playing at home, of course, but it is very difficult to predict who we will play because next week is an international break and the Carling Cup game is between two Champions League games. We will have to see who is available.

Thanks for your continued support.