Wenger demands Gunners strength

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called for his squad to "stay solid" as they look to prevent their campaign ending in more disappointment.

Last Updated: 06/03/13 at 16:09 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  Premier League Top 4 Finish 12/13 Top 4 Finish: Arsenal 4/11

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal must stay solid

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal must stay solid

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called for his squad to "stay solid" as they look to prevent their campaign ending in more bitter disappointment.

The Gunners have some time to recover from Sunday's 2-1 defeat at arch-rivals Tottenham, which hit their hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League once again.

With no FA Cup quarter-final tie this weekend after crashing out at home to npower Championship club Blackburn and their league game with Everton postponed, Wenger's squad have extra time to prepare themselves for next week's trip to Bayern Munich.

Their Champions League assignment looks all but over after the Bundesliga side opened up a commanding 3-1 lead in the first leg in London but Wenger believes how his team respond will shape the outcome of another campaign filled with thoughts of what might have been.

"Of course, you are not feeling great if you can't win, but we can stay solid or crack under the pressure," Wenger said in an interview with Eurosport.

"If you want to know, I am still solid, but I can't tell you that I feel great right now because my job is about winning games and when you lose you will not find a single coach in this world who feels good.

"I am not worried about us potentially coming back against Bayern, I am more worried about consequences that could manifest in the heads of our players.

"You will never know how they can absorb those blows and how the team responds to disappointment. This is the most worrying aspect for me.

"But from the experience of how to handle the end of the season, we know how to deal with that. We have had lots of experience."

While there is nothing Wenger can do now but rely on his continued belief the current group of players will be able to overall either Spurs or Chelsea to finish in the top four, Arsenal are expected to strengthen the squad in the summer.

Several fringe players, like Andrey Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci are set to be offloaded to trim the wage bill, with reinforcements brought in on the back of the club's new sponsorship deal with Emirates Airline, which has been frontloaded to hit the summer transfer market.

Defence is one area where Wenger will look to bring in new additions, with Swansea's Ashley Williams a reported £8million target. In midfield, Jordy Clasie of Feyenoord is said to be another on the Arsenal radar.

There could also still be developments off the pitch should American owner Stan Kroenke elected to sell his majority shareholdings to a so-far unnamed Middle East consortium reportedly to be ready to pay some £1.5billion for the Gunners, who have long championed a self-sustaining model based around the income generated from their 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium home.

Arsenal are as solid as a flan in a cupboard.
- varicoseregent

Bet with SkyBet  Premier League Top 4 Finish 12/13 Top 4 Finish: Arsenal 4/11

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

J

ose will have (and will always have) the total support of every Chelsea fan. Cant wait for that swagger to walk through the doors at Stamford Bridge and announce I'm back . It may not last for ever but hey it'll be exciting and worth the pain

cmh1966
The Pros And Cons Of Mourinho's Return...

G

ood one David, best sneak in there quickly and nab him before the everyone else realises that the £18M eighteen year old Chelsea bought in 2011 is one for the future. Maybe try and get Courtois on the cheap too before anyone else realises his potential.

nish
West Ham look to lure Lukaku

W

ow would never have considered Rafa at Newcastle, interesting.. Very interesting.

dhirt11
Rafa Casting Shadow Over Pardew?

Footer 365

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers expects a quick decision on Andy Carroll's future

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admits he expects Andy Carroll's future to be decided quickly this summer.

Mata: Mourinho one of the best

Juan Mata would welcome the appointment of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's new manager and says they must aspire to win the Premier League.

Zabaleta excited by Pellegrini

Pablo Zabaleta believes Manuel Pellegrini could be a great manager for Manchester City as his "way to play football is great".

Mail Box

Mails: Jol Out And Other Demands...

You might notice that we haven't included a single mail about teams in pubs, because most of them were terrible. Instead we have a disgruntled Fulham fan and Scouse maths...

A Night In The Pub With Aston Villa...

Villa are the latest team to get the pub treatment, while the morning mailbox also includes missives on Tony Pulis leaving Stoke and Chelsea's future under Jose Mourinho...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved