Wenger’s Guns will be back
Posted Tuesday, November 06, 2012 by The Sun
FRUSTRATED ... Arsene Wenger
ARSENE WENGER almost sounded like a Gunners fan last night as he demanded: I want my Arsenal back.
Frustrated supporters have been singing that from the terraces in recent weeks.
And boss Wenger has admitted he does not recognise the team he created as they fail to create chances.
The Frenchman desperately wants to see an improvement against Schalke tonight in a crunch Champions League tie.
And he launched into his stars, admitting their performances are not good enough for Arsenal — and conceded the team lacks belief.
Wenger said: “Of course it is frustrating. You think I am happy with not competing for the title? No. We want to get back into that position. I am confident we will bounce back and the team will find a rhythm of better performances.
“What’s most important is we find our game back. It’s about going forward, creating chances and having an offensive drive.
“I have great players, but at the moment they are forgetting how good they are.
“It’s important to play with enthusiasm and enjoy it rather than worry about conceding a goal.”
Losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday confirmed Arsenal’s worst start in the top flight after 10 matches under Wenger. That’s official.
Worse even than last season when the Gunners were in 17th place after four defeats in eight games.
They recovered then, but there was a difference — they could still play some lovely stuff.
This year they shored up at the back — not sufficiently to avoid defeats against Chelsea, Norwich and United — and have conceded the fewest goals in the division.
But they are struggling to find their game, which is worrying ahead of tonight’s visit to Schalke.
Another defeat would plunge Arsenal into a crisis and put their hopes of progressing in Europe in serious doubt.
Wenger added: “We have to respond as a team. At the moment we are getting a lot of criticism for our game on Saturday.
“We have to take it on board, but as well not lose confidence because of that.
“Even if the situation is serious, it is not dramatic. It is only down to us to conquer.
“We cannot say it’s all right and the performance on Saturday is all right.
“It’s not true. We want to perform better than that.”
Theo Walcott is struggling to be fit for tonight with a stomach bug.
And Wenger insisted the England star’s possible omission from the team had nothing to do with the ongoing contract wrangle.
But the Gunners boss did admit left-back Andre Santos is struggling, hinting the Brazilian might soon be out of the team if he does not shape up.
Wenger said: “We think deeply about everything before we make those sort of decisions. We will have to sort that problem out anyway.”
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