Stoke midfielder says Wenger should go
Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam has stuck the boot into Arsene Wenger, criticising the manager’s tactics and his squad’s lack of ‘drive”.
Wenger is coming under renewed criticism following the weekend’s defeat at Chelsea which leaves the Gunners in fourth, 12 points off the leaders.
Adam’s Stoke side have never won a point at the Emirates but the Potters have regularly gone toe-to-toe with Wenger’s men at home.
The midfielder says Wenger’s reluctance to be pragmatic and change his approach depending on the opposition is “madness”, with his players lacking the necessary fight.
Asked whether the Gunners were a soft touch, Adam told BBC 5 Live: “Oh yeah, and that’s one of the things that’s been said of Arsenal for a number of years. I don’t feel that they’ve got that drive.
“Back in the day with Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn’t be having that, he wanted to win everything, every trophy, and that’s why he stayed in the game so long, and that’s why he was a champion.
“I think Wenger as a person must sit down at the end of the season and say, ‘I think I’ve gone as far as I can’. There is an opportunity for someone else in there.”
Adam explained how the Gunners have been sussed out: “The front six want to just go and win the game, and they let the four defenders defend, and that’s it. So if you can get the ball back and get it up the pitch quick you’re straight into their back four, and that’s the problem they’ve got.
“They are great going forward – the front six can cause anybody problems – but when you get beyond that and straight at their back four it can end up six vs four or five vs four, and you’ve got to punish them.”
Adam believes Wenger will not change his approach.
“No, never. It’s the same way, no matter if they are playing Stoke, Bayern Munich or Chelsea. It is madness.”