The after effect of the Premier League defeat at the hands of Swansea City on Sunday which saw Arsenal relinquish yet another lead has continued. Only this time, the lead that the team threw away ended in defeat while other times when they have suffered the same fate, the match ended in a draw. The manner in which the lead was squandered has led many to question the defensive set up of the team. The way the team capitulated against Anderlecht had given some measure of hope that lessons had been learnt and that the same mistake would not occur against Garry Monk’s side.
However, the way the match went was all too reminiscent of past fixtures involving Arsenal. Now, reports have emerged that Arsene Wenger’s backroom staff had raised concerns about the team’s defensive set up prior to the match. The misgivings of fans are also being shared by coaching staff at the club.
The team’s set up have been devoid of any defensive organisation that was the hallmark of the team last season, the early season form from last season was built on a solid defensive platform which many watchers at the time attributed to Assistant manager Steve Bould, and the former defender’s contributions was evident from the tactics Arsenal used in corner kicks where Per Mertesacker was on hand to flick the ball to the back post for a player to tap in, these were trademark tactics of the famous back four which Steve Bould was part of. But that has been absent coupled with the present lack of organisation in the entire team set up has been all too familiar since the season commenced.
The reports specifically states that Arsene Wenger’s lack of reaction when the game was drifting away from his players did not go down well with his coaching staff. The torrid time Calum Chambers went through was mentioned, it was averred that Wenger should have removed the youngster from the firing line after he was repeatedly shown up by Montero all game, and the fact that substitutions were only made after Arsenal fell behind further angered those within the coaching set up.
There are many who are of the view that the manager should do more to influence games when its not going the way of his side, this view have been shared by ex players of the team including Martin Keown and Paul Merson who has been involved in a war of words with Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman is always itchy when he is criticised, and he looked a hallowed figure when he faced the press after the defeat at the Liberty Stadium, yet the onus lies on him to address the concerns of his coaching staff, and the non performing players.
Captain for the day, Per Mertesacker alluded to this fact when the claimed after the match that the team should play more serious football.
“. . . We have to play serious football and not lose the ball, but they got us on the break and that’s completely unbelievable in our situation.
“We know Anderlecht came back when we were winning 3-0 and Swansea came back due to mistakes we made.
“We have the potential, but if we don’t play that serious football then any team can cause problems against us
“I thought we are mature enough to realise when we have the lead to take possession and not let them get us on the break. That’s what happened. We lost the ball on several occasions and that was the problem.
What is clear is that there is something endemic in Arsenal’s defensive and midfield set up, and Arsene Wenger seem to be struggling to address it, and from all indications, he is recalcitrant to the concerns being raised by his coaching staff.
Source: ARSETALKS
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