POSTED: Thursday July 21st 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wenger's Judgement Must be Questioned by the Board.

Defensive Worries Threaten to Halt Arsenal's Progression.

Gael Clichy admitted shock earlier this week that Manchester City actually tackle each other in training, unlike at his old club, Arsenal, who played a friendly in China today and encountered the same problems that have plagued them for the last few years.

  The back four looked as shaky as ever as a number of dangerous situations were not dealt with during a limp 1-1 draw with Hangzhou Greentown.  Wenger's recent comment that Arsenal "are not weak defensively", should be seriously questioned by both Arsenal fans, and the board.

  The fact is that Arsenal simply can't defend set pieces, and the combination of a lack of adequate training in this area, low confidence and dubious personnel are responsible. The frustrating thing is that set pieces can be so straightforward to cope with if they are practiced well.

Arsenal fans must wonder what it will take for Wenger to address this issue, either with the chequebook or on the training ground. Many would assume that conceding 43 goals in 38 league games last season would spur a manager into immediate action. Not Wenger. To date he has sold a seasoned defender and brought in a young right-back from a League 2 side. His stubbornness has been his great asset in years gone by, but after six seasons without a trophy it is now, evidently, a massive weakness. The thing that made Wenger great in the past was his originality, innovation, and willingness to adapt. As times have changed he has failed to move with them.

After watching yet another soft free kick fly in, this time against a Chinese club side, the manager no doubt will come out in defense of his team. This is not what fans want to hear, they want to hear that the signing of a left-back and a tall, commanding centre half are imminent. If Wenger decides to scrimp and save in this department as he did last season with the signings of Laurent Koscielny and Sebastian Squillaci, it will be difficult to have any sympathy if the team's solidity does not improve vastly in the next campaign and ultimately leads to his sacking.

I may be wrong. It is possible that Arsenal's attack becomes so potent that goals conceded are of little relevance. In a division with as much quality as the Premier League this seems highly unlikely.  Barcelona and Real Madrid are able to go anywhere in La Liga and win easily, but unlike Arsenal, they don't face trips to hard working, physical teams and cauldron like atmospheres. If Arsenal struggle to keep a Chinese league team at bay, what hope do they have against the likes of Stoke and Blackburn?

Arsenal return home tomorrow from their Asian tour, and the days will tick down fast to the start of the season. Once back on home soil, Wenger surely has to address this situation. If he doesn't, the board must show their ambition and intervene before it's too late.

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Keywords · arsenal · wenger · china · malaysia · asian tour · asia · football · soccer · premier league · sport

Name: J A Kinchin-taylor
Organization: Arsenal Aether
Email:
URL: www.arsenalaether.com

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