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
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2009-09-21 : Arsenal 4 - 0 Wigan Athletic
Wenger: Clean sheet good for our confidence
Dear Supporter,
I was delighted with the result on Saturday and it was good to keep a clean sheet too.
It's good for the confidence of the team that we did not concede against Wigan. Conceding goals is a little bit the price we pay for our style of play. We had maybe 10 chances on Saturday and gave two away. But I think we'll be more and more solid when we get used to the way we want to play.
Thomas Vermaelen is now our top scorer after his two goals against Wigan! What is good since the beginning of the season is that we have scored goals from all over the pitch. We scored four on Saturday but we could have scored more. Even in the away games - Manchester United and Manchester City - we could have scored more. That shows we have the potential.
As for Thomas, I thought he could adapt quickly to English football but not as quickly as that.
It is difficult to know who should claim the third goal because Eduardo took the shot and Emmanuel Eboue deflected it past the keeper. Spirit-wise I give it to Eduardo because the shot was on target. If this ball was deflected by a Wigan player would you give it to Eduardo?
We had this debate at UEFA. If the shot is on target but is deflected by the defender you give it to the striker. If the ball is missing the target, you give an own goal.
Eboue played well, he did what you have to do after the problems he encountered during last season's game with Wigan. You have to shut up, play and do well. Let people talk but shut up yourself. This is a job where you have to respond mentally. The supporters are behind him now because he plays well and with the right spirit.
He is a sensitive boy and an extrovert. He plays as a defender but he is a creative spirit in my opinion. That is why I used him in midfield because he has good acceleration and a good dribble. I believe he was a bit too nervous at the start but age will help him. He will get less excited and his vision will get better in the final third. He shows that now already.
Tomas Rosicky was another positive on Saturday and 'touch-wood' his problem is sorted. He had not played a game for 18 months. Now he has played with the Czech Republic and us. I did not leave him on the bench against Wigan because I was cautious. He was ready to play and for me he looks completely over his injury.
Thanks for your continued support.
Dear Supporter,
I was delighted with the result on Saturday and it was good to keep a clean sheet too.
It's good for the confidence of the team that we did not concede against Wigan. Conceding goals is a little bit the price we pay for our style of play. We had maybe 10 chances on Saturday and gave two away. But I think we'll be more and more solid when we get used to the way we want to play.
Thomas Vermaelen is now our top scorer after his two goals against Wigan! What is good since the beginning of the season is that we have scored goals from all over the pitch. We scored four on Saturday but we could have scored more. Even in the away games - Manchester United and Manchester City - we could have scored more. That shows we have the potential.
As for Thomas, I thought he could adapt quickly to English football but not as quickly as that.
It is difficult to know who should claim the third goal because Eduardo took the shot and Emmanuel Eboue deflected it past the keeper. Spirit-wise I give it to Eduardo because the shot was on target. If this ball was deflected by a Wigan player would you give it to Eduardo?
We had this debate at UEFA. If the shot is on target but is deflected by the defender you give it to the striker. If the ball is missing the target, you give an own goal.
Eboue played well, he did what you have to do after the problems he encountered during last season's game with Wigan. You have to shut up, play and do well. Let people talk but shut up yourself. This is a job where you have to respond mentally. The supporters are behind him now because he plays well and with the right spirit.
He is a sensitive boy and an extrovert. He plays as a defender but he is a creative spirit in my opinion. That is why I used him in midfield because he has good acceleration and a good dribble. I believe he was a bit too nervous at the start but age will help him. He will get less excited and his vision will get better in the final third. He shows that now already.
Tomas Rosicky was another positive on Saturday and 'touch-wood' his problem is sorted. He had not played a game for 18 months. Now he has played with the Czech Republic and us. I did not leave him on the bench against Wigan because I was cautious. He was ready to play and for me he looks completely over his injury.
Thanks for your continued support.
2009-09-14 : Manchester City 4 - 2 Arsenal
Wenger: We should have got a much better result
Dear Supporter,
On Saturday we had the same feeling that we had after our first trip to Manchester two weeks earlier.
Like at United, there was more in the game for us than we got and we had to go home with the same disappointment and of course with the feeling that we should have got a much better result considering the way the two teams played.
Having said that, Manchester City they negotiated the two turning points of the game better than us and I believe we were defensively a bit shaky.
It's difficult to say whether we were naive in defence because many players came back from international games and when you play away from home it's very difficult to measure. We were not completely sharp and fresh as we can be and I felt it had an impact on our defensive concentration.
It is frustrating because we always looked in control on the balance of play, especially in the second half. But when it became 2-1 we threw everything forward and got caught on the break.
At the end of the day, when you concede four goals and you look at the time of possession we had and the number of shots on goal they had compared to us, it's very difficult to accept. But when you make mistakes at that level you pay for it.
The two main talking points after the game were Emmanuel Adebayor's alleged stamp on Robin van Persie and his celebrations in front of the Arsenal fans after he scored. I didn't see the 'stamp' incident at the time because the ball was moving away. I will have to see it again to assess that.
As for Adebayor's goal celebration, you know that is not welcome, but his attitude and his behaviour is out of my control and I cannot influence that.
One positive from Saturday was the return of Tomas Rosicky - his first competitive game in 20 months. It's good to have him back, but he's not completely fit yet to play in top-level competition. I think we need to be patient.
Thanks for your continued support.
Dear Supporter,
On Saturday we had the same feeling that we had after our first trip to Manchester two weeks earlier.
Like at United, there was more in the game for us than we got and we had to go home with the same disappointment and of course with the feeling that we should have got a much better result considering the way the two teams played.
Having said that, Manchester City they negotiated the two turning points of the game better than us and I believe we were defensively a bit shaky.
It's difficult to say whether we were naive in defence because many players came back from international games and when you play away from home it's very difficult to measure. We were not completely sharp and fresh as we can be and I felt it had an impact on our defensive concentration.
It is frustrating because we always looked in control on the balance of play, especially in the second half. But when it became 2-1 we threw everything forward and got caught on the break.
At the end of the day, when you concede four goals and you look at the time of possession we had and the number of shots on goal they had compared to us, it's very difficult to accept. But when you make mistakes at that level you pay for it.
The two main talking points after the game were Emmanuel Adebayor's alleged stamp on Robin van Persie and his celebrations in front of the Arsenal fans after he scored. I didn't see the 'stamp' incident at the time because the ball was moving away. I will have to see it again to assess that.
As for Adebayor's goal celebration, you know that is not welcome, but his attitude and his behaviour is out of my control and I cannot influence that.
One positive from Saturday was the return of Tomas Rosicky - his first competitive game in 20 months. It's good to have him back, but he's not completely fit yet to play in top-level competition. I think we need to be patient.
Thanks for your continued support.
2009-09-01 : Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal
Wenger: I will take positives from our defeat
Dear Supporter,
I think what is the most difficult thing to take from Saturday's defeat against Manchester United is that we were the better team and we lost the game. We were in front and had a chance to score the second goal and got punished on two goals. It is beyond belief.
Overall I would like to keep the positives of the game because I believe that we can deal well with the disappointment of losing the game. We have a great future and we can be a real force. But of course, it's difficult to accept going home from Old Trafford without any points.
Football is unpredictable but I believe in this team. We lack some calmness, maturity and experience at times because we conceded goals at a time when there was no need to panic. We assessed two situations badly.
In the first one, Wayne Rooney was in no position to score, so there was no need to panic. And on the second one as well when Abou Diaby scored an own goal. There was not one player of Man United around our players. So it's a lack of communication and still a little bit I feel in these situations that we might be lacking a little bit of experience.
Even so we had opportunities to finish the game off. We had the chances to kill the game off at 1-0 and even had a chance to come back to 2-2.
As you would have seen, I was sent from the touchline at the end of the game because I kicked a bottle of water when Robin van Persie's goal was disallowed. The fourth official called the referee and sent me off.
I didn't kick the bottle because I thought William Gallas was not offside in the build-up to the goal, but because I was disappointed. I thought we had equalised.
Thanks for your continued support.
Dear Supporter,
I think what is the most difficult thing to take from Saturday's defeat against Manchester United is that we were the better team and we lost the game. We were in front and had a chance to score the second goal and got punished on two goals. It is beyond belief.
Overall I would like to keep the positives of the game because I believe that we can deal well with the disappointment of losing the game. We have a great future and we can be a real force. But of course, it's difficult to accept going home from Old Trafford without any points.
Football is unpredictable but I believe in this team. We lack some calmness, maturity and experience at times because we conceded goals at a time when there was no need to panic. We assessed two situations badly.
In the first one, Wayne Rooney was in no position to score, so there was no need to panic. And on the second one as well when Abou Diaby scored an own goal. There was not one player of Man United around our players. So it's a lack of communication and still a little bit I feel in these situations that we might be lacking a little bit of experience.
Even so we had opportunities to finish the game off. We had the chances to kill the game off at 1-0 and even had a chance to come back to 2-2.
As you would have seen, I was sent from the touchline at the end of the game because I kicked a bottle of water when Robin van Persie's goal was disallowed. The fourth official called the referee and sent me off.
I didn't kick the bottle because I thought William Gallas was not offside in the build-up to the goal, but because I was disappointed. I thought we had equalised.
Thanks for your continued support.
2009-08-24 : Arsenal 4 - 1 Portsmouth
Wenger: Our first week was very successful
Dear Supporter,
We have now scored 12 goals in our first three games this season. We always feel we can score goals. The information we got after the two first games is that we scored 10 goals, we could have scored more, so that's a brilliant start. It should create confidence and momentum. The first week was very successful with two difficult away games. Now we have another week, it is another test with Celtic and Manchester United. It looks to be exciting and interesting.
I feel we create good space for our midfielders to run in and to go into the box. On that front we look more dangerous than last season. If you analyse our goals at the moment our strikers provide more than they score. That is maybe down to the way we play as well.
I think you will see the Premier League's first trend after 10 games. We have a break after Manchester United and then we go away to Manchester City. I am not completely convinced by the organization of the Premier League and the whole schedule because after two games, one half of the table already has one game in hand. I think maybe we should have done it in a different way.
I was very pleased with Abou Diaby's contribution against Portsmouth. I think if he decides to play defensively he is exactly like Patrick Vieira. He is a guy who has a quick transition from defence to offence, from box to box, that is his fantastic strength, to change quickly. Nobody can go with him when he has that, when we are on the counter-attack. He is fantastic.
He has been out for nine months. He has been here three years and I have seen that today he played his 100th game so that means he has been out for a long, long time. He has had little problems and he worked very hard this summer. This could be Abou's year, it could be his season because he prepared well, he looks very sharp, very strong, he has all you dream to have to play in the Premier League.
The atmosphere on Saturday was brilliant. I feel the fans were positive. We had some fantastic moments in the game, as well some moments when we were a little bit flat. You felt that the crowd was always behind the team. We are trying to create something special at the stadium, to make it more warm, to warm the whole place, and the scarves are a part of that. You will see much more - it is not up to me to talk about that - but we want to make this place very special. There is more we will do.
Thanks for your continued support.
Dear Supporter,
We have now scored 12 goals in our first three games this season. We always feel we can score goals. The information we got after the two first games is that we scored 10 goals, we could have scored more, so that's a brilliant start. It should create confidence and momentum. The first week was very successful with two difficult away games. Now we have another week, it is another test with Celtic and Manchester United. It looks to be exciting and interesting.
I feel we create good space for our midfielders to run in and to go into the box. On that front we look more dangerous than last season. If you analyse our goals at the moment our strikers provide more than they score. That is maybe down to the way we play as well.
I think you will see the Premier League's first trend after 10 games. We have a break after Manchester United and then we go away to Manchester City. I am not completely convinced by the organization of the Premier League and the whole schedule because after two games, one half of the table already has one game in hand. I think maybe we should have done it in a different way.
I was very pleased with Abou Diaby's contribution against Portsmouth. I think if he decides to play defensively he is exactly like Patrick Vieira. He is a guy who has a quick transition from defence to offence, from box to box, that is his fantastic strength, to change quickly. Nobody can go with him when he has that, when we are on the counter-attack. He is fantastic.
He has been out for nine months. He has been here three years and I have seen that today he played his 100th game so that means he has been out for a long, long time. He has had little problems and he worked very hard this summer. This could be Abou's year, it could be his season because he prepared well, he looks very sharp, very strong, he has all you dream to have to play in the Premier League.
The atmosphere on Saturday was brilliant. I feel the fans were positive. We had some fantastic moments in the game, as well some moments when we were a little bit flat. You felt that the crowd was always behind the team. We are trying to create something special at the stadium, to make it more warm, to warm the whole place, and the scarves are a part of that. You will see much more - it is not up to me to talk about that - but we want to make this place very special. There is more we will do.
Thanks for your continued support.
2009-08-17 : Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal
Wenger: I am very happy with the team's attitude
Dear Supporter,
We were applauded off the pitch by Everton's fans on Saturday. Firstly, that shows great sportsmanship from Everton Football Club, but it also shows that we put in a very good team performance.
Although the result was a very good one and gave us a great start to the Premier League season, I feel overall there is still room for improvement, not on the scoreline but in what we did in the game. But I am very happy with the team attitude, and we look like we have matured. And it's a good basis to continue to improve and to work on what we want to do.
I felt that we took every chance we created in the first half and Everton were maybe a bit disturbed by the international week - you can be flat physically after that. Usually the energy level at Goodison Park is very, very high. Did that not happen because we had domination in the game or because they were flat physically? That is difficult for me to answer.
I was pleased with Thomas Vermaelen's contribution because he has shown that in the air and on the ground he has what you need to play in the Premier League. But you cannot single out just one player on Saturday for an average performance.
What is very interesting for me was the cohesion of the team, the fact that we played for each other. If we can keep that in the team we have a chance to do well.
We have gone from being ruled out by everybody, to now becoming a super favourite! It was an interesting first game and we want to show that we have the depth in our squad. If you see that Nasri, Rosicky, Diaby, Walcott and Senderos, for example, stayed at home, you can see that we do have quite a big squad.
It was important to get a good result before the Celtic tie. It lifted our confidence and that is good. But we are on alert as well. We know that every game is different. That is the way we can show we have matured.
People are surprised that we won so convincingly, but you know that last year we were the team that scored more goals than anyone away from home. And we had a long unbeaten run in the Premier League away from home. Of course, it's a good surprise to win with such a big score, but we know we can do it away from home.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
We were applauded off the pitch by Everton's fans on Saturday. Firstly, that shows great sportsmanship from Everton Football Club, but it also shows that we put in a very good team performance.
Although the result was a very good one and gave us a great start to the Premier League season, I feel overall there is still room for improvement, not on the scoreline but in what we did in the game. But I am very happy with the team attitude, and we look like we have matured. And it's a good basis to continue to improve and to work on what we want to do.
I felt that we took every chance we created in the first half and Everton were maybe a bit disturbed by the international week - you can be flat physically after that. Usually the energy level at Goodison Park is very, very high. Did that not happen because we had domination in the game or because they were flat physically? That is difficult for me to answer.
I was pleased with Thomas Vermaelen's contribution because he has shown that in the air and on the ground he has what you need to play in the Premier League. But you cannot single out just one player on Saturday for an average performance.
What is very interesting for me was the cohesion of the team, the fact that we played for each other. If we can keep that in the team we have a chance to do well.
We have gone from being ruled out by everybody, to now becoming a super favourite! It was an interesting first game and we want to show that we have the depth in our squad. If you see that Nasri, Rosicky, Diaby, Walcott and Senderos, for example, stayed at home, you can see that we do have quite a big squad.
It was important to get a good result before the Celtic tie. It lifted our confidence and that is good. But we are on alert as well. We know that every game is different. That is the way we can show we have matured.
People are surprised that we won so convincingly, but you know that last year we were the team that scored more goals than anyone away from home. And we had a long unbeaten run in the Premier League away from home. Of course, it's a good surprise to win with such a big score, but we know we can do it away from home.
Thanks for your support.
2009-03-29 : Against Newcastle
Wenger: We are improving in every game
Dear Supporter,
I think it was a very good football game on Saturday. Newcastle had a very good first half and put us under pressure and could have been in front, of course, with the penalty. They had two or three other good chances as well.
In the second half we kept the tempo high, slowly took over and then won the game in a convincing way. I must say as well Newcastle were unfortunate to lose players, like Sebastien Bassong and Steven Taylor, at the wrong period of the game.
Manuel Almunia's penalty save in the first half was very important. I felt, though, that when the penalty was given, our shoot-out win in Rome would help him; it made him feel strong on penalties. Of course it is a bit of a toss-up, but I think some part of a penalty is psychological. On that front, the fact he helped us to win in Rome gave him the needed confidence.
With Chelsea and Manchester United losing it was a good opportunity for us to close in on those at the top. You never know, even in a one in a billion chance, we want to come back and fight to get as close to the team at the top.
We are unbeaten in 16 games in the Premier League and I feel we are improving in every game. This is a young side and the spirit is great, the quality is there and we feel we can go forward from game to game. People don’t realise how young we are in the Premier League, and what we achieve. I think today you had six or seven players between 20 and 22 years of age.
We are now ahead of Aston Villa in fourth place but the only thing that has changed from two weeks ago is that it is in our hands now. We do not have to focus too much on the results of Villa.
That shows you, if you drop a little bit, you are quickly caught. We could have been eight points behind Aston Villa two weeks ago, so we want to keep our focus, and our performances at a high level.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
I think it was a very good football game on Saturday. Newcastle had a very good first half and put us under pressure and could have been in front, of course, with the penalty. They had two or three other good chances as well.
In the second half we kept the tempo high, slowly took over and then won the game in a convincing way. I must say as well Newcastle were unfortunate to lose players, like Sebastien Bassong and Steven Taylor, at the wrong period of the game.
Manuel Almunia's penalty save in the first half was very important. I felt, though, that when the penalty was given, our shoot-out win in Rome would help him; it made him feel strong on penalties. Of course it is a bit of a toss-up, but I think some part of a penalty is psychological. On that front, the fact he helped us to win in Rome gave him the needed confidence.
With Chelsea and Manchester United losing it was a good opportunity for us to close in on those at the top. You never know, even in a one in a billion chance, we want to come back and fight to get as close to the team at the top.
We are unbeaten in 16 games in the Premier League and I feel we are improving in every game. This is a young side and the spirit is great, the quality is there and we feel we can go forward from game to game. People don’t realise how young we are in the Premier League, and what we achieve. I think today you had six or seven players between 20 and 22 years of age.
We are now ahead of Aston Villa in fourth place but the only thing that has changed from two weeks ago is that it is in our hands now. We do not have to focus too much on the results of Villa.
That shows you, if you drop a little bit, you are quickly caught. We could have been eight points behind Aston Villa two weeks ago, so we want to keep our focus, and our performances at a high level.
Thanks for your support.
2009-02-17: Against Cardiff City (FA Cup replay)
Wenger: He has the mental strength of a mountain
Dear Supporter,
Eduardo made a great comeback on Monday night against Cardiff and I am not surprised he played well and scored twice.
I didn't play him as a reward for his excellent work; it was because in training over the past few weeks he has done extremely well. He made a big step forward two weeks ago when he found sharpness in front of goal and in his runs and he got rid of his apprehension in the tackles.
Of course it is nearly 12 months out for him and he has been extremely strong mentally during that time. I could never see one minute of doubt in his mind or one minute where he said 'no, I don't want to do it'. He always wanted more and this guy is small but has the mental strength of a mountain.
He is intelligent, talented and he understands what is happening quickly. He responds very quickly to every situation. That is why he is a striker. He is a quiet boy. He is very, very quiet - he is focused but of course he was very happy on Monday night.
Eduardo celebrated his second goal with our fitness coach Tony Colbert because I think Tony has spent more time with Eduardo than with his wife. So perhaps he deserves that kind of hug. The physios and doctors have done a tremendous job with him.
Of course everybody's happy for Eduardo but I believe it was a good team performance against Cardiff. We were dynamic, convincing and mobile. We played the kind of football we love to play and it is good to see us play with the handbrake off. We are now consistent, we are stable defensively, and we added tonight our drive going forward.
Cardiff gave us a hard time at Ninian Park but I felt on Monday that the speed of our passing gave them a big problem. It is easier to play our kind of football at Emirates Stadium than it was at Ninian Park.
Something in the Cardiff team, when we played them over there, made me think they have real belief and real quality. I didn't see any weak position in their team, where you think they aren't good enough. But on Monday they were dominated and they had to chase the game after we scored which was much more difficult for them.
We are very consistent and we are on a very strong run. We promised ourselves we would give everything until the last day of the season and, although Man United look untouchable at the moment, we will not give up. Our basic target is to get in the Champions League which means the league is our priority.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
Eduardo made a great comeback on Monday night against Cardiff and I am not surprised he played well and scored twice.
I didn't play him as a reward for his excellent work; it was because in training over the past few weeks he has done extremely well. He made a big step forward two weeks ago when he found sharpness in front of goal and in his runs and he got rid of his apprehension in the tackles.
Of course it is nearly 12 months out for him and he has been extremely strong mentally during that time. I could never see one minute of doubt in his mind or one minute where he said 'no, I don't want to do it'. He always wanted more and this guy is small but has the mental strength of a mountain.
He is intelligent, talented and he understands what is happening quickly. He responds very quickly to every situation. That is why he is a striker. He is a quiet boy. He is very, very quiet - he is focused but of course he was very happy on Monday night.
Eduardo celebrated his second goal with our fitness coach Tony Colbert because I think Tony has spent more time with Eduardo than with his wife. So perhaps he deserves that kind of hug. The physios and doctors have done a tremendous job with him.
Of course everybody's happy for Eduardo but I believe it was a good team performance against Cardiff. We were dynamic, convincing and mobile. We played the kind of football we love to play and it is good to see us play with the handbrake off. We are now consistent, we are stable defensively, and we added tonight our drive going forward.
Cardiff gave us a hard time at Ninian Park but I felt on Monday that the speed of our passing gave them a big problem. It is easier to play our kind of football at Emirates Stadium than it was at Ninian Park.
Something in the Cardiff team, when we played them over there, made me think they have real belief and real quality. I didn't see any weak position in their team, where you think they aren't good enough. But on Monday they were dominated and they had to chase the game after we scored which was much more difficult for them.
We are very consistent and we are on a very strong run. We promised ourselves we would give everything until the last day of the season and, although Man United look untouchable at the moment, we will not give up. Our basic target is to get in the Champions League which means the league is our priority.
Thanks for your support.
2009-01-29 : Against Cardiff City (FA Cup)
Wenger: We are confident we can go through at home
Dear Supporter,
We could do without a replay in the FA Cup, that is for sure. But we will not be complaining because, if a replay is the price we pay to still be in the hat, then so be it.
I feel we started very well at Cardiff on Sunday, but overall they had a good committed game and created some chances. In the second half we were on top and it was the quality of Cardiff's defending and their commitment that stopped us scoring and kept the score at 0-0.
The pitch, too, was not easy, but it was a great cup game and showed what the FA Cup is about.
At 0-0 anything could have happened, but in the second half I wasn't so much worried as I had been in the first half. They created chances then on crosses but after half-time they didn't create. But their centre-backs had a great game and overall I think their whole team had a great day.
I think Cardiff wanted the replay in the end. I don't know why, maybe it is a chance at another big game for them, but I believe as a Premier League team coming to a Championship team at a ground like this, there can always be a draw - it has happened before. We are confident we can go through at home.
It is one more game for us and it makes it harder to rest players. We are very short of numbers at the moment and cannot rotate too much, so with two games coming up I could have rested more players than I did on Sunday.
I planned to take Robin van Persie off if possible at Cardiff but it didn't work out that way. It shows in football that you can try to plan but it never goes how you think it will.
Of course, having a replay means Aaron Ramsey may play against his former side again. I think he did well on Sunday.
It is always tricky to come back to your home town club for the first time because you can sometimes overplay. I think he showed that he can be a great player, but sometimes it got to him as it was an emotional day for him.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
We could do without a replay in the FA Cup, that is for sure. But we will not be complaining because, if a replay is the price we pay to still be in the hat, then so be it.
I feel we started very well at Cardiff on Sunday, but overall they had a good committed game and created some chances. In the second half we were on top and it was the quality of Cardiff's defending and their commitment that stopped us scoring and kept the score at 0-0.
The pitch, too, was not easy, but it was a great cup game and showed what the FA Cup is about.
At 0-0 anything could have happened, but in the second half I wasn't so much worried as I had been in the first half. They created chances then on crosses but after half-time they didn't create. But their centre-backs had a great game and overall I think their whole team had a great day.
I think Cardiff wanted the replay in the end. I don't know why, maybe it is a chance at another big game for them, but I believe as a Premier League team coming to a Championship team at a ground like this, there can always be a draw - it has happened before. We are confident we can go through at home.
It is one more game for us and it makes it harder to rest players. We are very short of numbers at the moment and cannot rotate too much, so with two games coming up I could have rested more players than I did on Sunday.
I planned to take Robin van Persie off if possible at Cardiff but it didn't work out that way. It shows in football that you can try to plan but it never goes how you think it will.
Of course, having a replay means Aaron Ramsey may play against his former side again. I think he did well on Sunday.
It is always tricky to come back to your home town club for the first time because you can sometimes overplay. I think he showed that he can be a great player, but sometimes it got to him as it was an emotional day for him.
Thanks for your support.
2009-01-12 : Against Bolton Wanderers
Wenger: We could not afford to drop points
Dear Supporter,
It was a difficult game against Bolton on Saturday because they played with two very deep lines of four. Their midfield was very close to their defence and for an hour we couldn't find a way through. Maybe our passing was not incisive enough and not forward-orientated enough.
Bolton were very strong in the tackle and it is easier to play with only one focus - to defend well. It looked like it could be 0-0 because we never looked like conceding but we didn't create many chances. In the last 20 minutes we had to finish in a good old-fashioned 4-2-4 formation to win the game.
Nicklas Bendtner did not pass the ball as well as he can when he came on but he still could have scored two goals. That sums up what a striker is. It is so cold for the subs when you come on it is not easy. You sit there for an hour and you start to warm up until you come on. When you really get into the game, the game is over. When Nicklas came on there were 15 minutes left and he had no real time to warm up really.
Overall this season, he had an injury problem with his ankle and I thought it affected his game a little bit, especially with his back to goal. He looks in training as if he is sharp again. He had some difficult periods because of those problems with his ankle but now slowly he is getting back to where he will be.
I was asked whether new signings would have helped to break down Bolton but it is difficult to say because of the context of the game. It was very difficult to create. I have said it many times, if we have Walcott, Rosicky and Fabregas out it makes a difference. Any injury on the offensive side, in creative midfield, can be a problem. As for new signings, we will look for them and as soon as we find them we will tell you about it.
Aston Villa won again but I am not too concerned about that, for us it is just important to win our own games. We could not afford to drop points against Bolton at home, we are swimming against the stream enough already.
But I feel we look stable defensively, we have been more creative in the past but we have now won three games 1-0 and that is a good basis. We have a good resilient spirit and let's just take it game by game. I saw Villa on Saturday against West Brom and it shows that every game is difficult for everybody.
One of the big talking points of the weekend was Rafa Benitez's comments about Sir Alex Ferguson. I must say it came as a big surprise because he is usually a quiet man. I wouldn't like to comment further on that. I don't know really what it was about basically.
I don't know whether Benitez's words could affect Liverpool's title challenge, it is very difficult to determine. I remember when I arrived here there was the famous story with Kevin Keegan and Ferguson where, in the end, Keegan lost his nerves a little bit and many thought that cost him the championship. I am not convinced though; I think Newcastle's defensive frailty cost them the championship rather than one moment of their manager losing his cool a little bit.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
It was a difficult game against Bolton on Saturday because they played with two very deep lines of four. Their midfield was very close to their defence and for an hour we couldn't find a way through. Maybe our passing was not incisive enough and not forward-orientated enough.
Bolton were very strong in the tackle and it is easier to play with only one focus - to defend well. It looked like it could be 0-0 because we never looked like conceding but we didn't create many chances. In the last 20 minutes we had to finish in a good old-fashioned 4-2-4 formation to win the game.
Nicklas Bendtner did not pass the ball as well as he can when he came on but he still could have scored two goals. That sums up what a striker is. It is so cold for the subs when you come on it is not easy. You sit there for an hour and you start to warm up until you come on. When you really get into the game, the game is over. When Nicklas came on there were 15 minutes left and he had no real time to warm up really.
Overall this season, he had an injury problem with his ankle and I thought it affected his game a little bit, especially with his back to goal. He looks in training as if he is sharp again. He had some difficult periods because of those problems with his ankle but now slowly he is getting back to where he will be.
I was asked whether new signings would have helped to break down Bolton but it is difficult to say because of the context of the game. It was very difficult to create. I have said it many times, if we have Walcott, Rosicky and Fabregas out it makes a difference. Any injury on the offensive side, in creative midfield, can be a problem. As for new signings, we will look for them and as soon as we find them we will tell you about it.
Aston Villa won again but I am not too concerned about that, for us it is just important to win our own games. We could not afford to drop points against Bolton at home, we are swimming against the stream enough already.
But I feel we look stable defensively, we have been more creative in the past but we have now won three games 1-0 and that is a good basis. We have a good resilient spirit and let's just take it game by game. I saw Villa on Saturday against West Brom and it shows that every game is difficult for everybody.
One of the big talking points of the weekend was Rafa Benitez's comments about Sir Alex Ferguson. I must say it came as a big surprise because he is usually a quiet man. I wouldn't like to comment further on that. I don't know really what it was about basically.
I don't know whether Benitez's words could affect Liverpool's title challenge, it is very difficult to determine. I remember when I arrived here there was the famous story with Kevin Keegan and Ferguson where, in the end, Keegan lost his nerves a little bit and many thought that cost him the championship. I am not convinced though; I think Newcastle's defensive frailty cost them the championship rather than one moment of their manager losing his cool a little bit.
Thanks for your support.
2009-01-05 : Against Plymouth (FA Cup)
Wenger: I think Robin did his job very well
Dear Supporter,
On Saturday we did our job in a serious way. If we hadn't been completely focused and up for it we would not have gone through in the FA Cup. I give credit to my team for doing the job seriously with good focus and I give cre dit to Plymouth who had a great game as well.
I was surprised by how well organised they were and how strong they were in every dual and every challenge. I said a couple of weeks ago that the gap between the Championship and Premier League has been reduced. Looking at the FA Cup results at the weekend you could see that.
It was 0-0 at half time and I told the players we had to keep the pace as high as we could because in the last 10 minutes of the first half it looked as though we dropped a little bit. Even at 2-0 maybe we thought we had done enough and relaxed. They came back to 2-1 and they were good from set-pieces, always dangerous, and they played very well.
Robin van Persie captained the side for the first time and scored twice. I chose him as skipper because he is always interested in team problems and affairs and always wants to sort things out. In Saturday's team he was the longest-serving member and I think he did his job very well.
I believe Robin is one of the players who is a big example of how well you can have an evolution. When you consider him when he came here and where he is today he has evolved very well. Not many would have believed that he could be Arsenal captain when he arrived.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
On Saturday we did our job in a serious way. If we hadn't been completely focused and up for it we would not have gone through in the FA Cup. I give credit to my team for doing the job seriously with good focus and I give cre dit to Plymouth who had a great game as well.
I was surprised by how well organised they were and how strong they were in every dual and every challenge. I said a couple of weeks ago that the gap between the Championship and Premier League has been reduced. Looking at the FA Cup results at the weekend you could see that.
It was 0-0 at half time and I told the players we had to keep the pace as high as we could because in the last 10 minutes of the first half it looked as though we dropped a little bit. Even at 2-0 maybe we thought we had done enough and relaxed. They came back to 2-1 and they were good from set-pieces, always dangerous, and they played very well.
Robin van Persie captained the side for the first time and scored twice. I chose him as skipper because he is always interested in team problems and affairs and always wants to sort things out. In Saturday's team he was the longest-serving member and I think he did his job very well.
I believe Robin is one of the players who is a big example of how well you can have an evolution. When you consider him when he came here and where he is today he has evolved very well. Not many would have believed that he could be Arsenal captain when he arrived.
Thanks for your support.
2008-12-29 : Against Portsmouth
Wenger: It was a big three points for us
Dear Supporter,
It was a big three points for us on Sunday because we gave a lot physically but in the end only got a disappointing point at Aston Villa. It was important to get the three points against Portsmouth because recently, no matter what we do, we are always reading bad headlines. It is important for the belief of our team to come away with three points.
We were intelligent, mature and we didn't make mistakes. In the end we won the game against a Portsmouth side who defended very deep and very well. I believe that, in the end, it was difficult to create chances but we had one or two good chances that got us the win.
We all know William Gallas can turn up on a set-piece and get goals. He started out as a striker and he looks the most likely to score from set-pieces because he has the timing of the run and you cannot teach that; you either have it or you don't. He has good timing to attack the ball.
People ask about William's future at Arsenal but he answers everybody by the quality of his performances on the pitch. That is what you want to do when you are a great player.
The result took us above Aston Villa - at least before they played Hull - and you could see again on Sunday with Chelsea drawing at Fulham that it is difficult for everybody. I believe everybody will drop points now at the beginning of the year. The other three will play against each other so for us we just need to be consistent.
We have gone six games without defeat but we just have to reduce the gap before we speak about the championship. In the last six games we have won three and drawn three and out of the three draws we were leading in every single game, against Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Villa, and the teams won't always come back to us.
It is important that we keep going. The team is maturing quickly and has shown great mental strength in the last six weeks.
Thanks for your support in 2008.
Dear Supporter,
It was a big three points for us on Sunday because we gave a lot physically but in the end only got a disappointing point at Aston Villa. It was important to get the three points against Portsmouth because recently, no matter what we do, we are always reading bad headlines. It is important for the belief of our team to come away with three points.
We were intelligent, mature and we didn't make mistakes. In the end we won the game against a Portsmouth side who defended very deep and very well. I believe that, in the end, it was difficult to create chances but we had one or two good chances that got us the win.
We all know William Gallas can turn up on a set-piece and get goals. He started out as a striker and he looks the most likely to score from set-pieces because he has the timing of the run and you cannot teach that; you either have it or you don't. He has good timing to attack the ball.
People ask about William's future at Arsenal but he answers everybody by the quality of his performances on the pitch. That is what you want to do when you are a great player.
The result took us above Aston Villa - at least before they played Hull - and you could see again on Sunday with Chelsea drawing at Fulham that it is difficult for everybody. I believe everybody will drop points now at the beginning of the year. The other three will play against each other so for us we just need to be consistent.
We have gone six games without defeat but we just have to reduce the gap before we speak about the championship. In the last six games we have won three and drawn three and out of the three draws we were leading in every single game, against Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Villa, and the teams won't always come back to us.
It is important that we keep going. The team is maturing quickly and has shown great mental strength in the last six weeks.
Thanks for your support in 2008.
2008-12-22 : Against Liverpool
Wenger: The title is won in May, not December
Dear Supporter,
I believe we had a nervy start on Sunday and at 1-0 we didn't have enough control of the game.
We had played a bit too deep in midfield, and in the second half we played higher up. Straight away we got more control, and I think we could have won the game. It is very disappointing because we showed great spirit, strength, and commitment but missed that thing that can make the difference when you have 10 men. It was difficult.
Emmanuel Adebayor's red card was very soft. It was 'Be A Gooner, Be A Giver' at the Emirates as the Club dedicated the matchday to our Charity of the Season, Teenage Cancer Trust, but you cannot say the referee was a Gooner. He was a giver though, giving yellow cards that we didn't deserve.
Neither of the bookings were justified. It is just an unbelievable decision; if Adebayor goes off, then Robbie Keane should have gone off in the first minute. It seems we have different rules. The decision cost us two points and I do not agree with it at all.
I am not happy about the goal we conceded because it is the second time we have conceded one like that with a ball over the top; we had the same against Aston Villa. We need to correct that, but I think even with 10 men we were solid defensively. On that front I am happy that we have improved compared to one or two months ago.
Liverpool seemed cautious when we went down to 1-0 men - I don't know if they run out of resources, or maybe they were scared they might be caught out on the break. We had a few breaks and you could smell danger, so I think Liverpool became wary.
We are eight points behind Liverpool still but the title is won in May and we are only in December. We will fight until the end, because I am convinced that Liverpool will drop more points. They have had four draws at home, so why should they not drop more in the second part of the season?
Cesc Fabregas went off at half-time with a medial knee ligament problem. I don't know how long he will be out at the moment, it is difficult to assess. Of course it is a blow, you don't want to lose a player like that, but we have to cope with it.
On behalf of everyone at Arsenal Football Club, I'd like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Thanks for your support in 2008.
Dear Supporter,
I believe we had a nervy start on Sunday and at 1-0 we didn't have enough control of the game.
We had played a bit too deep in midfield, and in the second half we played higher up. Straight away we got more control, and I think we could have won the game. It is very disappointing because we showed great spirit, strength, and commitment but missed that thing that can make the difference when you have 10 men. It was difficult.
Emmanuel Adebayor's red card was very soft. It was 'Be A Gooner, Be A Giver' at the Emirates as the Club dedicated the matchday to our Charity of the Season, Teenage Cancer Trust, but you cannot say the referee was a Gooner. He was a giver though, giving yellow cards that we didn't deserve.
Neither of the bookings were justified. It is just an unbelievable decision; if Adebayor goes off, then Robbie Keane should have gone off in the first minute. It seems we have different rules. The decision cost us two points and I do not agree with it at all.
I am not happy about the goal we conceded because it is the second time we have conceded one like that with a ball over the top; we had the same against Aston Villa. We need to correct that, but I think even with 10 men we were solid defensively. On that front I am happy that we have improved compared to one or two months ago.
Liverpool seemed cautious when we went down to 1-0 men - I don't know if they run out of resources, or maybe they were scared they might be caught out on the break. We had a few breaks and you could smell danger, so I think Liverpool became wary.
We are eight points behind Liverpool still but the title is won in May and we are only in December. We will fight until the end, because I am convinced that Liverpool will drop more points. They have had four draws at home, so why should they not drop more in the second part of the season?
Cesc Fabregas went off at half-time with a medial knee ligament problem. I don't know how long he will be out at the moment, it is difficult to assess. Of course it is a blow, you don't want to lose a player like that, but we have to cope with it.
On behalf of everyone at Arsenal Football Club, I'd like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Thanks for your support in 2008.
2008-12-08 : Against Wigan Athletic
Wenger: Manu is sensitive and he cares about the club
Dear Supporter,
I feel it was a nervy game against Wigan. We didn't finish the game off because of our recent history and I felt that we played a little bit with the handbrake. On the other hand I must praise the team for being focused and determined to win even when they are not at their best.
Sometimes I sit in press conferences and I am told 'you played well but you didn't win' but on Saturday I was told 'you didn't play well'. We will soon try to combine good performances and good results.
It was vital to keep our momentum going after that win at Chelsea. We beat Man United but after we lost at home to Aston Villa and at Man City, so Saturday was a bigger game and we got the result we needed.
It was a difficult decision for me to take off Emmanuel Eboue in the final moments but I felt he had completely lost his confidence and could not keep the ball anymore. Of course then he became a danger. I feel it was very sad but as well I think the most important thing is that we won the game. Whether he played a minute more or less, at the end of the day it doesn't make a difference.
I was disappointed with the reception Eboue got from some fans. I think when you are a fan you are behind your players and that is what you want them to do. On the other hand I believe that Eboue will come back and show how good a player he is. For me that has happened on every pitch in the whole world and the same fans will applaud him when he comes back and plays well.
Manu is a sensitive boy who wants to do well and cares about the Club. He was tired because he didn't play for a month and on top of that it is difficult when you have the crowd on your back. You do not want the fans to do it but if you say 'do they have the right legally to do it?' then of course they do.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
I feel it was a nervy game against Wigan. We didn't finish the game off because of our recent history and I felt that we played a little bit with the handbrake. On the other hand I must praise the team for being focused and determined to win even when they are not at their best.
Sometimes I sit in press conferences and I am told 'you played well but you didn't win' but on Saturday I was told 'you didn't play well'. We will soon try to combine good performances and good results.
It was vital to keep our momentum going after that win at Chelsea. We beat Man United but after we lost at home to Aston Villa and at Man City, so Saturday was a bigger game and we got the result we needed.
It was a difficult decision for me to take off Emmanuel Eboue in the final moments but I felt he had completely lost his confidence and could not keep the ball anymore. Of course then he became a danger. I feel it was very sad but as well I think the most important thing is that we won the game. Whether he played a minute more or less, at the end of the day it doesn't make a difference.
I was disappointed with the reception Eboue got from some fans. I think when you are a fan you are behind your players and that is what you want them to do. On the other hand I believe that Eboue will come back and show how good a player he is. For me that has happened on every pitch in the whole world and the same fans will applaud him when he comes back and plays well.
Manu is a sensitive boy who wants to do well and cares about the Club. He was tired because he didn't play for a month and on top of that it is difficult when you have the crowd on your back. You do not want the fans to do it but if you say 'do they have the right legally to do it?' then of course they do.
Thanks for your support.
2008-12-01 : Against Chelsea
Wenger: A 13-point gap would have been too much
Dear Supporter,
Sunday's win was massive for us because we recently lost two games unexpectedly, and to lose at Stamford Bridge would have put us 13 points adrift of Chelsea; that would have been too much.
It was a test of character and we went into the game without the needed level of confidence but we showed from the start that we have character and I think we were a bit unlucky to be behind at half-time.
In the first-half I think Chelsea started a bit stronger and it took us 15 minutes to get into the game. We were on the back foot and then came slowly in. When we got in we scored an own goal.
I had to tell the players to keep the high pace as long as we could because that was when we looked dangerous. I didn't think we should be concerned by the fact we were trailing, but just to keep the high pace, get closer to their midfield - we had given them too much freedom before - and that changed the game.
In the second half we slowly moved on top and started to win the fight in the middle of the park. From then when we had the ball we looked as though we could be dangerous. So I am very, very happy because, after beating Manchester United, we have beaten Chelsea and I believe that brings us back into the title. It is still far but not impossible.
I have an intelligent team, a talented one, but we want to come back with humility and work hard. We have learned that we need that kind of focus in every game no matter who you play. The results show we have the level needed to be at the top but it is up to us in the coming months.
I believe this is part of the learning process, to win when you are not on the edge. You know you will not be in the same mindset every game, but you must learn to win whenever. I have an intelligent group and a young one. When you think you can just turn up and win, it is not good enough.
I was very pleased with the defence at Stamford Bridge. I think William Gallas was outstanding, absolutely amazing. He came out of that troublesome period with, for me, a lot of credit. His commitment is fantastic and it shows he is a fighter. I wanted to try Johan Djourou with Gallas and it made us a bit stronger in the duels and in the air.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
Sunday's win was massive for us because we recently lost two games unexpectedly, and to lose at Stamford Bridge would have put us 13 points adrift of Chelsea; that would have been too much.
It was a test of character and we went into the game without the needed level of confidence but we showed from the start that we have character and I think we were a bit unlucky to be behind at half-time.
In the first-half I think Chelsea started a bit stronger and it took us 15 minutes to get into the game. We were on the back foot and then came slowly in. When we got in we scored an own goal.
I had to tell the players to keep the high pace as long as we could because that was when we looked dangerous. I didn't think we should be concerned by the fact we were trailing, but just to keep the high pace, get closer to their midfield - we had given them too much freedom before - and that changed the game.
In the second half we slowly moved on top and started to win the fight in the middle of the park. From then when we had the ball we looked as though we could be dangerous. So I am very, very happy because, after beating Manchester United, we have beaten Chelsea and I believe that brings us back into the title. It is still far but not impossible.
I have an intelligent team, a talented one, but we want to come back with humility and work hard. We have learned that we need that kind of focus in every game no matter who you play. The results show we have the level needed to be at the top but it is up to us in the coming months.
I believe this is part of the learning process, to win when you are not on the edge. You know you will not be in the same mindset every game, but you must learn to win whenever. I have an intelligent group and a young one. When you think you can just turn up and win, it is not good enough.
I was very pleased with the defence at Stamford Bridge. I think William Gallas was outstanding, absolutely amazing. He came out of that troublesome period with, for me, a lot of credit. His commitment is fantastic and it shows he is a fighter. I wanted to try Johan Djourou with Gallas and it made us a bit stronger in the duels and in the air.
Thanks for your support.
2008-11-24 : Against Manchester City
Wenger: Fabregas will be one of many leaders
Dear Supporter,
I believe it was a flattering victory for Manchester City on Saturday. We conceded in stoppage time at the end of the first half and before that they had not created much.
The difficulty in a game like this one and Aston Villa last Saturday is that we really have to keep a 0-0 as long as possible. Many teams in England just defend and try not to concede. Man City did that on Saturday.
We were quite in control but after the goal the game turned and they played on the counter-attack.
However we just played into their hands. We lacked the maturity to deal with being in a dominant situation in the game and yet not getting caught. For their second goal, it was a free-kick to us and the third was a soft penalty.
When you play football you can always lose. We have not to panic, keep our focus and keep going. It is difficult but there is no reason to be desperate.
I believe what is important is the environment inside the Club and we should keep the confidence high.
We must focus on the next game and not have set targets that don't look immediately reachable. Let's try to win and see where we go from here.
I have had worse weeks. It is not all negative. We have to take the positives and keep the belief. In a big club you have to go through these periods, and how we deal with it will shape our future.
William Gallas did not play against Manchester City but he will feature against Dynamo Kyiv. However he will not be the captain, it will be Cesc Fabregas instead.
This is a permanent thing. But I don't think I especially have to explain why publically and this subject is now closed for me.
Of course Cesc is one of the leaders of the team anyway. I have told you many times that I do not believe in one providential man in the dressing room that sorts out all the problems.
A successful team has a shared leadership inside the dressing room and he will be one of the leaders but not the only one. It is very important that we share that leadership inside the dressing room.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
I believe it was a flattering victory for Manchester City on Saturday. We conceded in stoppage time at the end of the first half and before that they had not created much.
The difficulty in a game like this one and Aston Villa last Saturday is that we really have to keep a 0-0 as long as possible. Many teams in England just defend and try not to concede. Man City did that on Saturday.
We were quite in control but after the goal the game turned and they played on the counter-attack.
However we just played into their hands. We lacked the maturity to deal with being in a dominant situation in the game and yet not getting caught. For their second goal, it was a free-kick to us and the third was a soft penalty.
When you play football you can always lose. We have not to panic, keep our focus and keep going. It is difficult but there is no reason to be desperate.
I believe what is important is the environment inside the Club and we should keep the confidence high.
We must focus on the next game and not have set targets that don't look immediately reachable. Let's try to win and see where we go from here.
I have had worse weeks. It is not all negative. We have to take the positives and keep the belief. In a big club you have to go through these periods, and how we deal with it will shape our future.
William Gallas did not play against Manchester City but he will feature against Dynamo Kyiv. However he will not be the captain, it will be Cesc Fabregas instead.
This is a permanent thing. But I don't think I especially have to explain why publically and this subject is now closed for me.
Of course Cesc is one of the leaders of the team anyway. I have told you many times that I do not believe in one providential man in the dressing room that sorts out all the problems.
A successful team has a shared leadership inside the dressing room and he will be one of the leaders but not the only one. It is very important that we share that leadership inside the dressing room.
Thanks for your support.
2008-11-17 : Against Aston Villa
Wenger: We were punished for a mistake at the back
Dear Supporter,
Our performance on Saturday was not good but it was the kind of game where you can win 1-0. Could we have lost the game in the first half? Yes. But instead we lost it when we looked stronger in the second half. It was the kind of game where you cannot afford a mistake at the back and I believe we were punished because of that.
I feel we were a bit unlucky as well on the first goal because we had Bacary Sagna down after getting injured. For the second goal there was a blatant foul on Carlos Vela on the edge of their box. Instead of having a chance to equalise from a free-kick we are then 2-0 down. Sagna's injury is quite serious by the way and I expect him to be out for a few weeks. He has hurt his ankle.
We beat Manchester United last week and then lost this week, while Villa beat us after losing against Middlesbrough and Newcastle. Top-level performance is about consistency and at the moment we are not consistent enough to produce that kind of performance week-in week-out.
You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened against Villa. I believe that the team have the desire but like a few other times this year it is unexplainable why we don't really play at our 100 per cent potential.
I have to say Villa played well and they deserved to win but I don't want to talk about them too much because I don't know them very well. On Saturday they played well but I saw their game against Middlesbrough on tape and they could have lost by six or seven so it is very difficult for me to assess them. They have a big potential if you look at the performance against us.
Finally, I have been asked a lot about possible transfers in January but it is too early to answer that question. We are mid-November and we have to see where we are at the end of December. At the moment, speculating about transfers won't help us.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
Our performance on Saturday was not good but it was the kind of game where you can win 1-0. Could we have lost the game in the first half? Yes. But instead we lost it when we looked stronger in the second half. It was the kind of game where you cannot afford a mistake at the back and I believe we were punished because of that.
I feel we were a bit unlucky as well on the first goal because we had Bacary Sagna down after getting injured. For the second goal there was a blatant foul on Carlos Vela on the edge of their box. Instead of having a chance to equalise from a free-kick we are then 2-0 down. Sagna's injury is quite serious by the way and I expect him to be out for a few weeks. He has hurt his ankle.
We beat Manchester United last week and then lost this week, while Villa beat us after losing against Middlesbrough and Newcastle. Top-level performance is about consistency and at the moment we are not consistent enough to produce that kind of performance week-in week-out.
You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened against Villa. I believe that the team have the desire but like a few other times this year it is unexplainable why we don't really play at our 100 per cent potential.
I have to say Villa played well and they deserved to win but I don't want to talk about them too much because I don't know them very well. On Saturday they played well but I saw their game against Middlesbrough on tape and they could have lost by six or seven so it is very difficult for me to assess them. They have a big potential if you look at the performance against us.
Finally, I have been asked a lot about possible transfers in January but it is too early to answer that question. We are mid-November and we have to see where we are at the end of December. At the moment, speculating about transfers won't help us.
Thanks for your support.
2008-10-27 : Against West Ham
Wenger: We knew we couldn't afford to drop points
Dear Supporter,
It was a big win for us at West Ham because if we had come out of that with a frustrating 0-0 draw, we would have felt that we had wasted an opportunity to get closer to the top of the table.
For us it was important not to make a mistake and to take one of our own chances. We gambled a lot and fortunately we had some strikers on the bench and in the end that made the difference.
We knew before the game that we couldn't afford to drop points at Upton Park but I must say that West Ham can feel frustrated because they defended very well and gave absolutely everything. In the end we got a little opening, maybe they got a little bit fatigued in the last 20 minutes.
It could have been one of those days. West Ham decided to frustrate us by defending very deep. They protected the centre very well and I thought in the first half we tried to go through the middle a little too much. We needed to stretch their defenders in the final third and we did that better in the second half.
West Ham had claims for a penalty and maybe they had a case with the deflected handball in the last five minutes but I did not see the other one. It was a guy who was protecting himself when it hit him.
However I felt that their keeper, Robert Green, was outside the box when he handled the ball in the first half and as a result they could have been playing with 10 men. Green always has the game of his life when he plays against us, and he repeats that every year.
Emmanuel Adebayor came off the bench with 25 minutes left and he fought very hard to make the difference. That shows how good he is. I took off Theo Walcott because I want to rotate my squad and keep players fresh, but we will see more from him. We have all been 19 and we were not all better at 21, but he will be better.
We face Tottenham on Wednesday and it will be Harry Redknapp's second game in charge after he left Portsmouth. It was a surprise for me to see him move from Portsmouth to Tottenham in October but football is full of surprises.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
It was a big win for us at West Ham because if we had come out of that with a frustrating 0-0 draw, we would have felt that we had wasted an opportunity to get closer to the top of the table.
For us it was important not to make a mistake and to take one of our own chances. We gambled a lot and fortunately we had some strikers on the bench and in the end that made the difference.
We knew before the game that we couldn't afford to drop points at Upton Park but I must say that West Ham can feel frustrated because they defended very well and gave absolutely everything. In the end we got a little opening, maybe they got a little bit fatigued in the last 20 minutes.
It could have been one of those days. West Ham decided to frustrate us by defending very deep. They protected the centre very well and I thought in the first half we tried to go through the middle a little too much. We needed to stretch their defenders in the final third and we did that better in the second half.
West Ham had claims for a penalty and maybe they had a case with the deflected handball in the last five minutes but I did not see the other one. It was a guy who was protecting himself when it hit him.
However I felt that their keeper, Robert Green, was outside the box when he handled the ball in the first half and as a result they could have been playing with 10 men. Green always has the game of his life when he plays against us, and he repeats that every year.
Emmanuel Adebayor came off the bench with 25 minutes left and he fought very hard to make the difference. That shows how good he is. I took off Theo Walcott because I want to rotate my squad and keep players fresh, but we will see more from him. We have all been 19 and we were not all better at 21, but he will be better.
We face Tottenham on Wednesday and it will be Harry Redknapp's second game in charge after he left Portsmouth. It was a surprise for me to see him move from Portsmouth to Tottenham in October but football is full of surprises.
Thanks for your support.
2008-10-20 : Against Everton
Wenger: Defeat may have cost us title chance
Dear Supporter,
What was very important on Saturday was that the team showed personality when they were 1-0 down. We played for our season because we could not afford to drop a point.
The way we responded when we were 1-0 down was of course vital. But I wasn't nervous at half time because I had confidence and belief that we would change the game.
I believe the game changed before I brought on Theo Walcott at half-time. Everton had a strong start but we had three or four chances in the first half and in the last 20 minutes of the first half. You could see we were on top and that our domination would certainly increase during the second half.
Theo came on and did very well and had an impact on the game of course but I feel the whole team played very well. It was a good test for the team because it was a smashing game against a good Everton side. We showed personality and mental strength which will be very important for the rest of the season.
Mikael Silvestre made his debut and his performance mirrored that of the rest of the team at the start - it was a little bit nervous. But like the team, Silvestre grew throughout the game and he had an outstanding second half.
Tony Hibbert's challenge on Denilson was a flashpoint early in the second half. It was not a good tackle but I don't think the challenge deserved a red card. Although if you consider the challenge and Hibbert's reaction, together, it could have been a red.
Getting three points was especially important because our title rivals all won. Chelsea won 5-0 at the Riverside but, for me, big results like that have no meaning. Five goals is not the difference between Middlesbrough and Chelsea.
I watched the first 20 minutes and you could see that Middlesbrough had one of those days. They had a bad day at the office. Every little deflection went for Chelsea and they didn't need to get out of second gear to win the game. I don't believe we saw the real Middlesbrough, they are a good side and it is a difficult place for everybody to go.
We play at Fenerbahce on Tuesday and we have a few injury problems. Kolo Toure twisted a ligament in his shoulder and he is out. William Gallas and Bacary Sagna are not fit to return but Nicklas Bendtner and Johan Djourou are available again.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
What was very important on Saturday was that the team showed personality when they were 1-0 down. We played for our season because we could not afford to drop a point.
The way we responded when we were 1-0 down was of course vital. But I wasn't nervous at half time because I had confidence and belief that we would change the game.
I believe the game changed before I brought on Theo Walcott at half-time. Everton had a strong start but we had three or four chances in the first half and in the last 20 minutes of the first half. You could see we were on top and that our domination would certainly increase during the second half.
Theo came on and did very well and had an impact on the game of course but I feel the whole team played very well. It was a good test for the team because it was a smashing game against a good Everton side. We showed personality and mental strength which will be very important for the rest of the season.
Mikael Silvestre made his debut and his performance mirrored that of the rest of the team at the start - it was a little bit nervous. But like the team, Silvestre grew throughout the game and he had an outstanding second half.
Tony Hibbert's challenge on Denilson was a flashpoint early in the second half. It was not a good tackle but I don't think the challenge deserved a red card. Although if you consider the challenge and Hibbert's reaction, together, it could have been a red.
Getting three points was especially important because our title rivals all won. Chelsea won 5-0 at the Riverside but, for me, big results like that have no meaning. Five goals is not the difference between Middlesbrough and Chelsea.
I watched the first 20 minutes and you could see that Middlesbrough had one of those days. They had a bad day at the office. Every little deflection went for Chelsea and they didn't need to get out of second gear to win the game. I don't believe we saw the real Middlesbrough, they are a good side and it is a difficult place for everybody to go.
We play at Fenerbahce on Tuesday and we have a few injury problems. Kolo Toure twisted a ligament in his shoulder and he is out. William Gallas and Bacary Sagna are not fit to return but Nicklas Bendtner and Johan Djourou are available again.
Thanks for your support.
2008-09-22 : Against Bolton Wanderers
Wenger: It will be interesting this year, just like it was last year
Dear Supporter,
What this Arsenal team has done in the last week is exceptional. After coming back from an international break, we have gone on to win two Premier League games and get an away draw in-between in the Champions League.
This team has the right attitude and they want to improve together. That is fantastic for a coach.
It was a convincing, united and classy performance at Bolton on Saturday. We were strong everywhere a team can be strong - that means physically and technically. Even in the second half when we needed to defend we showed the resilient aspects of our game. That makes me think we are maturing very quickly.
The whole midfield functioned very well. There was strength and security coming out of the entire team. We were not panicking when we were 1-0 down but responding in a strong way. For such a young team we have a very big desire not to accept defeat.
You may smile but I did not really see the impact of Kevin Davies' challenge on Gael Clichy . Gael was in front of me but I watched the ball as it went back to William Gallas. There was 30 seconds to go in the half and I said to Gael 'let's keep the ball'.
But it was a shin injury. That proves that the tackle was quite high. Was it an accident? Only Davies himself can answer that.
The win at Bolton leaves us top of the table, that maybe a little surprising to some people. When you are not on the transfer market you are a little bit ignored at the start of the season because the attention is focused on the big signings. Most of the time big signings mean you are favourites.
We have gone a different way. We are trying to build a young side with a cohesive way to play the game with a culture of football we like. On Saturday we had Denilson, 20, Fabregas, 21, Bendtner, 20, Walcott, 19 and Song, 20, all playing. When those players fight for the title one year, you can hope they will be better the next year.
We were close in May so there is no reason why we should not be up there again this season.
Thanks for your support.
Dear Supporter,
What this Arsenal team has done in the last week is exceptional. After coming back from an international break, we have gone on to win two Premier League games and get an away draw in-between in the Champions League.
This team has the right attitude and they want to improve together. That is fantastic for a coach.
It was a convincing, united and classy performance at Bolton on Saturday. We were strong everywhere a team can be strong - that means physically and technically. Even in the second half when we needed to defend we showed the resilient aspects of our game. That makes me think we are maturing very quickly.
The whole midfield functioned very well. There was strength and security coming out of the entire team. We were not panicking when we were 1-0 down but responding in a strong way. For such a young team we have a very big desire not to accept defeat.
You may smile but I did not really see the impact of Kevin Davies' challenge on Gael Clichy . Gael was in front of me but I watched the ball as it went back to William Gallas. There was 30 seconds to go in the half and I said to Gael 'let's keep the ball'.
But it was a shin injury. That proves that the tackle was quite high. Was it an accident? Only Davies himself can answer that.
The win at Bolton leaves us top of the table, that maybe a little surprising to some people. When you are not on the transfer market you are a little bit ignored at the start of the season because the attention is focused on the big signings. Most of the time big signings mean you are favourites.
We have gone a different way. We are trying to build a young side with a cohesive way to play the game with a culture of football we like. On Saturday we had Denilson, 20, Fabregas, 21, Bendtner, 20, Walcott, 19 and Song, 20, all playing. When those players fight for the title one year, you can hope they will be better the next year.
We were close in May so there is no reason why we should not be up there again this season.
Thanks for your support.
2008-09-15 : Against Blackburn Rovers
Dear Supporter,
We produced an accomplished away performance on Saturday. Blackburn can be dangerous going forward and I feel that, as well as our good offensive performance, we had a good defensive performance too.
On crosses they can be extremely dangerous but we kept Roque Santa Cruz quiet. I am happy we didn't concede and that we always looked fluid going forward.
There was speculation over whether I would play Theo Walcott from the start after his performances for England and, for the balance of the team, I kept him in. I wanted to rest Nicklas Bendtner and I thought having Theo away from home could give us the penetration we needed.
Theo can play on the left or the right flanks and he is happy on the left because he knows he can score with his right foot; he tried a couple of times on Saturday. Theo has been educated that way, where he can play on either side, but he also prefers to play in the middle.
The problem with scoring three times for the national team is that everyone expects you to score again. Football isn't like that. What is most important is that he has a good team attitude, tries to work hard and the rest will come with time. His attitude was excellent on Saturday.
Overall, we try always to play our way and slowly we are getting there. We started our training late because of the number of players away at the European Championships but we are growing now and scored four goals against FC Twente, three against Newcastle and four again at Blackburn, all without conceding.
At Ewood Park we scored our second goal at a perfect time, just before half-time. At that point we looked like we just wanted to keep the ball, and when you are patient and simple the chance comes along. That is what we did and I think it was about 20 passes from right to left, back to front and it gave us the momentum for the dangerous last pass.
Now we look forward to another difficult away game, this time at Dynamo Kyiv. It is important to start the Champions League well, with a win away from home. That will give us confidence.
It will be the same approach on Wednesday. It is our strength and we can be successful by expressing our strength. It is a difficult group because all the teams are used to playing in the Champions League, and are strong at home as well, and that is why we need to find the same kind of performance.
We might be without a few players for the Kyiv match. Samir Nasri is a big doubt and we might lose Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy to injury too. We will assess them but it doesn't look too good.
Thanks for your support.
We produced an accomplished away performance on Saturday. Blackburn can be dangerous going forward and I feel that, as well as our good offensive performance, we had a good defensive performance too.
On crosses they can be extremely dangerous but we kept Roque Santa Cruz quiet. I am happy we didn't concede and that we always looked fluid going forward.
There was speculation over whether I would play Theo Walcott from the start after his performances for England and, for the balance of the team, I kept him in. I wanted to rest Nicklas Bendtner and I thought having Theo away from home could give us the penetration we needed.
Theo can play on the left or the right flanks and he is happy on the left because he knows he can score with his right foot; he tried a couple of times on Saturday. Theo has been educated that way, where he can play on either side, but he also prefers to play in the middle.
The problem with scoring three times for the national team is that everyone expects you to score again. Football isn't like that. What is most important is that he has a good team attitude, tries to work hard and the rest will come with time. His attitude was excellent on Saturday.
Overall, we try always to play our way and slowly we are getting there. We started our training late because of the number of players away at the European Championships but we are growing now and scored four goals against FC Twente, three against Newcastle and four again at Blackburn, all without conceding.
At Ewood Park we scored our second goal at a perfect time, just before half-time. At that point we looked like we just wanted to keep the ball, and when you are patient and simple the chance comes along. That is what we did and I think it was about 20 passes from right to left, back to front and it gave us the momentum for the dangerous last pass.
Now we look forward to another difficult away game, this time at Dynamo Kyiv. It is important to start the Champions League well, with a win away from home. That will give us confidence.
It will be the same approach on Wednesday. It is our strength and we can be successful by expressing our strength. It is a difficult group because all the teams are used to playing in the Champions League, and are strong at home as well, and that is why we need to find the same kind of performance.
We might be without a few players for the Kyiv match. Samir Nasri is a big doubt and we might lose Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy to injury too. We will assess them but it doesn't look too good.
Thanks for your support.
2008-08-18 : West Brom
Dear Supporter,
You could see that Saturday's game against West Brom was the first game of the season. After the physical game we had on Wednesday night I was worried before the game that we would not be sharp, but we made a good start and were always in control. Only issue was that we could not finish the game off.
West Brom defended intelligently and played in a positive way. You expected them at some stage to crumble but they never did and they kept going until the last second of the game. They have fantastic spirit and a positive attitude towards the game. They were not dirty, they were resilient and well organised.
So I am pleased with the fact that we didn't concede a goal. Overall it was a good week for us. A winning start, a win in the Champions League, so yes a good week.
I'm not really worried about the lack of goals because I don't feel we were sharp enough to finish off what we created. I believe when everyone is fit we can create clear cut chances. At times against West Brom the final ball was not good enough, too heavy, not timed well enough, and I feel we will improve a lot on that.
We created many chances, but it's about converting them. If you look at the amount we scored in the last 10 years and you can see we have scored a few, even last year we had a very good striking force. It was not so much offensively we were punished last year, it was defensively.
Samir Nasri has shown he is an intelligent player, he has good technique and can integrate well with the team. He also worked hard for the team. On Saturday he added something that people wanted from him in France; that was to score goals. He had started to score some goals towards the end of last season and had a scoring start on Saturday.
Thanks for your support,
You could see that Saturday's game against West Brom was the first game of the season. After the physical game we had on Wednesday night I was worried before the game that we would not be sharp, but we made a good start and were always in control. Only issue was that we could not finish the game off.
West Brom defended intelligently and played in a positive way. You expected them at some stage to crumble but they never did and they kept going until the last second of the game. They have fantastic spirit and a positive attitude towards the game. They were not dirty, they were resilient and well organised.
So I am pleased with the fact that we didn't concede a goal. Overall it was a good week for us. A winning start, a win in the Champions League, so yes a good week.
I'm not really worried about the lack of goals because I don't feel we were sharp enough to finish off what we created. I believe when everyone is fit we can create clear cut chances. At times against West Brom the final ball was not good enough, too heavy, not timed well enough, and I feel we will improve a lot on that.
We created many chances, but it's about converting them. If you look at the amount we scored in the last 10 years and you can see we have scored a few, even last year we had a very good striking force. It was not so much offensively we were punished last year, it was defensively.
Samir Nasri has shown he is an intelligent player, he has good technique and can integrate well with the team. He also worked hard for the team. On Saturday he added something that people wanted from him in France; that was to score goals. He had started to score some goals towards the end of last season and had a scoring start on Saturday.
Thanks for your support,
2008-05-12 : Sunderland v Arsenal
Dear Supporter,
It is not easy to win at the Stadium of Light and it's always difficult to play at your best when you don't go for something concrete. But we still managed another victory away from home.
This one gave us 83 points and I think that is respectable. I have won titles with less but it highlights the number of points required this year. There was very little difference between the three teams who fought for the title. Man United finished with 87, Chelsea 85 and we finished with 83.
Of course Sunday's game was an anti-climax, but part of our role is to do the job when it is less prestigious and glamorous. We did that well. We scored and we should have scored more.
We also had a very young side out. The average age was 22.3 without the bench. With the bench that would have gone done to 20 with Randall, Traore, Nordtveit, Barazite and Mannone.
It is disappointing to see another team win the the title because you don't fight and work as hard as we did all season just to finish third. But there is hope for the future if you can make 83 points with such a young side.
Thanks for your support this season. The manager's e-mail will return next season.
It is not easy to win at the Stadium of Light and it's always difficult to play at your best when you don't go for something concrete. But we still managed another victory away from home.
This one gave us 83 points and I think that is respectable. I have won titles with less but it highlights the number of points required this year. There was very little difference between the three teams who fought for the title. Man United finished with 87, Chelsea 85 and we finished with 83.
Of course Sunday's game was an anti-climax, but part of our role is to do the job when it is less prestigious and glamorous. We did that well. We scored and we should have scored more.
We also had a very young side out. The average age was 22.3 without the bench. With the bench that would have gone done to 20 with Randall, Traore, Nordtveit, Barazite and Mannone.
It is disappointing to see another team win the the title because you don't fight and work as hard as we did all season just to finish third. But there is hope for the future if you can make 83 points with such a young side.
Thanks for your support this season. The manager's e-mail will return next season.
2008-05-06 : Arsenal v Everton
Dear Supporter,
You could see that Sunday's game against Everton was an end of season match, especially because Everton did not open up at all. They played with Andy Johnson up front but we were sound at the back.
We didn't create as many chances as usual and our fluency was a bit difficult sometimes but we scored a great goal and, in the end, I think we just about deserved the win. Everton didn't create a lot.
Nicklas Bendtner scored our winning goal and I think he was fantastic. If you look at Bendtner on August 1 last year and Bendtner on May 1 this year there is a massive difference.
He has become a good player, just look at the chances he has created in the time he plays, and the times he has scored, especially the goal he scored against Everton. You need to understand the game to appreciate him because he's on the move, he meets the ball, he finishes well. I'm impressed by him.
Cesc Fabregas did not play because he came in on Saturday morning with an injury. He had a scan and he will be out for three weeks. That means he won't play for us again this season but he will be ready for Spain at Euro 2008.
Of course, Sunday was a farewell for Jens Lehmann. I brought him on as a substitute because I wanted him to say goodbye to the fans. I wanted to show him that we respect him for what he has done for us. He is a 100 per cent professional, not always an easy character but you take that if the guy is committed every day.
Gilberto also played against Everton and I would like him to stay, but I have to sit down with him to see what he wants to do.
Gilberto is like Jens Lehmann, you can rely on them, they are fantastic professionals. Gilberto is a fantastic guy. We won trophies with Gilberto and Jens because they are special human beings. You do not win with average people.
Thanks for your support.
You could see that Sunday's game against Everton was an end of season match, especially because Everton did not open up at all. They played with Andy Johnson up front but we were sound at the back.
We didn't create as many chances as usual and our fluency was a bit difficult sometimes but we scored a great goal and, in the end, I think we just about deserved the win. Everton didn't create a lot.
Nicklas Bendtner scored our winning goal and I think he was fantastic. If you look at Bendtner on August 1 last year and Bendtner on May 1 this year there is a massive difference.
He has become a good player, just look at the chances he has created in the time he plays, and the times he has scored, especially the goal he scored against Everton. You need to understand the game to appreciate him because he's on the move, he meets the ball, he finishes well. I'm impressed by him.
Cesc Fabregas did not play because he came in on Saturday morning with an injury. He had a scan and he will be out for three weeks. That means he won't play for us again this season but he will be ready for Spain at Euro 2008.
Of course, Sunday was a farewell for Jens Lehmann. I brought him on as a substitute because I wanted him to say goodbye to the fans. I wanted to show him that we respect him for what he has done for us. He is a 100 per cent professional, not always an easy character but you take that if the guy is committed every day.
Gilberto also played against Everton and I would like him to stay, but I have to sit down with him to see what he wants to do.
Gilberto is like Jens Lehmann, you can rely on them, they are fantastic professionals. Gilberto is a fantastic guy. We won trophies with Gilberto and Jens because they are special human beings. You do not win with average people.
Thanks for your support.
2008-04-21 : Arsenal v Reading
Dear Supporter,
We had a massive, massive disappointment last week but we responded well against Reading.
I must say I was worried after the Old Trafford defeat about how we would finish the season. The disappointment was so big that I was not sure we'd be capable of bouncing back, so on that front we did very well on Saturday.
Overall you could see that there is a strong link in the team to play the quality of game we want to play. We have shown some pride and some mental strength not to get ourselves down until the end of the season, and that is very important.
The next season starts now and we want to finish as well as possible - you never know. We can make 83 points, that is still reachable. We showed our style again on Saturday and I think our collective technical ability is the best we have had in the last 12 years.
If you look back with hindsight you could say that at the start of the season we had nothing to lose. When we came under pressure in March maybe we were a bit unlucky, we dropped some points because every problem we had to face we lacked a little bit of maturity, but overall there is a lot of hope here.
If you saw the game on Saturday, the kind of quality football we can play, I believe this team has to stay together and to win - then they will convince people completely. We want to win but with our own style.
As for Reading, I think they will stay up. They probably need three points with three games to go and they have a home game against Tottenham so they probably need to win that. If they don't get the three points they need at home, they could be under threat.
Finally, a word on Theo Walcott. He was very impressive against Reading and has made a big improvement in the last two months. He has became more of a 'man' in the game.
He still looked a little bit like a kid at the beginning of the season but now he has more belief in the fight, there is a more determined attitude, there's more power in his body when he has to resist challenges. It's just a normal development of a boy who has become a man.
Thanks for your support.
We had a massive, massive disappointment last week but we responded well against Reading.
I must say I was worried after the Old Trafford defeat about how we would finish the season. The disappointment was so big that I was not sure we'd be capable of bouncing back, so on that front we did very well on Saturday.
Overall you could see that there is a strong link in the team to play the quality of game we want to play. We have shown some pride and some mental strength not to get ourselves down until the end of the season, and that is very important.
The next season starts now and we want to finish as well as possible - you never know. We can make 83 points, that is still reachable. We showed our style again on Saturday and I think our collective technical ability is the best we have had in the last 12 years.
If you look back with hindsight you could say that at the start of the season we had nothing to lose. When we came under pressure in March maybe we were a bit unlucky, we dropped some points because every problem we had to face we lacked a little bit of maturity, but overall there is a lot of hope here.
If you saw the game on Saturday, the kind of quality football we can play, I believe this team has to stay together and to win - then they will convince people completely. We want to win but with our own style.
As for Reading, I think they will stay up. They probably need three points with three games to go and they have a home game against Tottenham so they probably need to win that. If they don't get the three points they need at home, they could be under threat.
Finally, a word on Theo Walcott. He was very impressive against Reading and has made a big improvement in the last two months. He has became more of a 'man' in the game.
He still looked a little bit like a kid at the beginning of the season but now he has more belief in the fight, there is a more determined attitude, there's more power in his body when he has to resist challenges. It's just a normal development of a boy who has become a man.
Thanks for your support.
2008-04-14 : Manchester United v Arsenal
Dear Supporter,
I believe we played with quality and spirit at Old Trafford on Sunday and were unlucky to lose the game.
I never felt under pressure from Manchester United and I believe defensively we played quite well. We lost on a penalty - that you can give or not give but we are used to that now - and on a free-kick when Gilberto did not touch their player. I believe these two decisions made a big difference. We have to take it but overall I am proud of my team.
There was very little between success and failure this season. We have to accept that we will not win the title and that is hard to swallow. But we do not feel that there is a difference technically and collectively between us and Chelsea and Manchester United.
We have to continue to produce the football we produce because we will not always be unlucky. We played well at Liverpool and again on Sunday. With all the bad things that have gone against us we needed to be exceptionally strong to produce a performance like we did against United.
I am confident about our future because we have the quality and we are young. I have worked with this team for a long time now and people don't know what that means.
For example Alex Song played on Sunday. It is two years ago since I bought him and he played in a massive game against Manchester United and showed that he has exceptional quality. He was not like that two years ago. We want to be rewarded for the quality we have.
It's true that our confidence has dropped recently. In the last two months we have gone through a difficult period. You cannot fault our spirit because that has been exceptional, but when you get knock after knock it is difficult to take.
Thanks for your support.
I believe we played with quality and spirit at Old Trafford on Sunday and were unlucky to lose the game.
I never felt under pressure from Manchester United and I believe defensively we played quite well. We lost on a penalty - that you can give or not give but we are used to that now - and on a free-kick when Gilberto did not touch their player. I believe these two decisions made a big difference. We have to take it but overall I am proud of my team.
There was very little between success and failure this season. We have to accept that we will not win the title and that is hard to swallow. But we do not feel that there is a difference technically and collectively between us and Chelsea and Manchester United.
We have to continue to produce the football we produce because we will not always be unlucky. We played well at Liverpool and again on Sunday. With all the bad things that have gone against us we needed to be exceptionally strong to produce a performance like we did against United.
I am confident about our future because we have the quality and we are young. I have worked with this team for a long time now and people don't know what that means.
For example Alex Song played on Sunday. It is two years ago since I bought him and he played in a massive game against Manchester United and showed that he has exceptional quality. He was not like that two years ago. We want to be rewarded for the quality we have.
It's true that our confidence has dropped recently. In the last two months we have gone through a difficult period. You cannot fault our spirit because that has been exceptional, but when you get knock after knock it is difficult to take.
Thanks for your support.
2008-04-07 : Arsenal v Liverpool
Dear Supporter,
Saturday's draw with Liverpool was a bit of a repetition of the first leg of our Champions League tie.
In the first half-an-hour we had problems getting into the game, then we got started after 30 minutes and with three minutes to go in the first half they scored. Then of course Liverpool defended for every ball in their half.
We needed to come back and score and then get the second goal - which was possible. We had to throw everything forward and we opened ourselves up a little bit on counter-attacks, but that was the game, basically.
Our title hopes depend on the results of the other teams. In my brain it's not over because mathematically it's not over. But it is frustrating because I feel we had another blatant penalty which was ignored against Liverpool - this time for a foul on Fabregas. It's 100 per cent conclusive.
I kicked every ball because I felt there was room there to win the game. At some stages we didn't reposition quickly enough and we didn't attack the ball on the crosses. We had two or three crosses from the left coming from Clichy where we didn't attack the ball, we waited for it instead.
I said we needed five wins and a draw at least from our last six League games, but basically I wanted six wins.
I rested some players because you have to make decisions with the schedule we have. If you only play the same 11 it doesn't work as well. Adebayor feels he has an ankle problem and he's a bit tired. Hleb finished last Wednesday's game tired, so did Clichy.
Tuesday's second leg is of course a massive game. It's very important for us and for them. We will play our normal game on Tuesday night and give absolutely everything.
Thanks for your support.
Saturday's draw with Liverpool was a bit of a repetition of the first leg of our Champions League tie.
In the first half-an-hour we had problems getting into the game, then we got started after 30 minutes and with three minutes to go in the first half they scored. Then of course Liverpool defended for every ball in their half.
We needed to come back and score and then get the second goal - which was possible. We had to throw everything forward and we opened ourselves up a little bit on counter-attacks, but that was the game, basically.
Our title hopes depend on the results of the other teams. In my brain it's not over because mathematically it's not over. But it is frustrating because I feel we had another blatant penalty which was ignored against Liverpool - this time for a foul on Fabregas. It's 100 per cent conclusive.
I kicked every ball because I felt there was room there to win the game. At some stages we didn't reposition quickly enough and we didn't attack the ball on the crosses. We had two or three crosses from the left coming from Clichy where we didn't attack the ball, we waited for it instead.
I said we needed five wins and a draw at least from our last six League games, but basically I wanted six wins.
I rested some players because you have to make decisions with the schedule we have. If you only play the same 11 it doesn't work as well. Adebayor feels he has an ankle problem and he's a bit tired. Hleb finished last Wednesday's game tired, so did Clichy.
Tuesday's second leg is of course a massive game. It's very important for us and for them. We will play our normal game on Tuesday night and give absolutely everything.
Thanks for your support.
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