Ahead of Arsenal’s home game against Swansea City on Monday night, the boss sat down in front of the media to discuss a number of subjects, including team news, the key to finishing a season well, opposition manager Garry Monk and Santi Cazorla, plus more.
Team news
Aaron Ramsey picked up a knock during the 3-1 victory at the KC Stadium and is 50/50 for the game. Wenger commented: “From the Hull match we had Ramsey who took a big kick, he is getting slowly better. We have an uncertainty about him, he got a big knock on his fibula and we’ll see about that. Yes [he is 50/50]. No [he hasn’t trained this week], not at all. He has not been out yet. [But yes] Ramsey will play again this season.”
Danny Welbeck is set to fall short for another week: “He [Welbeck] will play again this season. He had all the scans and medical checks, and there was nothing major, just an inflammation. For the weekend he will be certainly short but for the game after he should be alright.”
Meanwhile, Mathieu Debuchy, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta all fall short and will not be considered for the squad despite making a return to full training. Wenger discussed the three and said: “He [Debuchy] is still out, he’s progressing but not available. Chamberlain is not available; Arteta will be short so it will basically be a similar squad [to the one that faced Hull].”
Key to strong finish
The boss believes that consistency was a key hindrance on Arsenal’s potential title bid, with the club falling behind in the early stages of the season.
“We were not consistent enough.
“After eight games we were 11 points behind Chelsea. If we win our game in hand we are 10 points behind them. That means in the first eight games we lost our championship and that’s what we have to address next season and start strongly.
“Since January we have only lost one game in the league. That was against Tottenham, 2-1 and we were 1-0 up on top of that. There are many turning points – one of them was that we had some players back and defensively we were much stronger in the second part of the season. We still have room for improvement there. Maybe we have more stability and more balance in the team.”
Garry Monk
Arsene Wenger spoke of his admiration of the job Swansea boss Garry Monk has done since taking over from Michael Laudrup in 2014.
“What he has done is impressive because he is going to achieve certainly their highest total of points in the Premier League, but Swansea has always been a club who have had a lot of success with [Brendan] Rodgers, [Roberto] Martínez, [Michael] Laudrup and now Monk, so they look to make the right decisions at this club.
“He inherited a team that plays good football. Swansea, in the last four or five years, have played a quality game, they have done very well in the continuity of that.
I think he is a bit more focused on defending well and that defensive efficiency maybe gave him a few more points.”
Santi Cazorla is an example
Since his arrival in North London back in 2012, Santi Cazorla has provided 28 assists for his team mates, more than any other player in the Premier League and Wenger put it down to his footballing intelligence.
“It’s because of his technical quality and his intelligence,” the manager explained. “He’s a model to watch. If you go out and you watch Cazorla play, you think this is not a player – when you watch him play for Spain – who can specifically be a player for the Premier League.”
The boss also mentioned that Cazorla proves that for a player to be great, height is not a factor, with the Spaniard standing at 5”5.
“He’s a fantastic example that no matter how tall you are, it’s about how good you are. He’s a very intelligent player and he also shows how important it is to be right and left footed in midfield.
‘He’s a good example of how we should educate young players who play in midfield to be able to use their right and left foot.
“Yes [his permanent role will be in the middle.
“He’s at an age where he has experience and where it’s a bit more difficult on the flanks. His technical quality, vision and experience are very important central.”
Theo Walcott
Wenger also discussed Theo Walcott’s future at the club and when quizzed on contract talk updates the boss simply responded “no [updates].” He did however confirm that talks have ‘already begun’ and that that he wants Walcott to stay.
“I just think I want him to stay. When you go into negotiations with a player it is with a desire for him to stay. He looks keen to do it and I am keen to do it, so let’s see what comes out.
“The press is always focusing on what you do in case of failure. We are always in the mode where we want to be successful. In case of failure, we’ll see but in case of failure – that will only be in December next year.”
Importance of transfer window timings
With Arsene Wenger expecting to see a number of faces going in and out of the club this summer, he claimed that there will be no rush when making decisions.
“What you want to do more than do it early is to do it right, put it right and make the right decisions.
“Sometimes the opportunity comes up early. Last year we signed Alexis in the middle of the transfer window.
“You have to take the opportunities when they come up but that’s not only decided by your desire, sometimes it’s created by the club that sells the player as well.
“Alexis was available because they [Liverpool] bought Luis Suarez. They could only buy Suarez at the beginning of July, so you have to always be on alert and do the business, fix your target and do it as well as possible. You’re not the only one who can decide that.”
Spurs Manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that he needs at least five signings this summer to really boost his squad, but Wenger brushed off claims that he must top the Argentine in the numbers game.
“You want me to beat him?! I don’t think it’s the numbers we need,” the Frenchman said. “We have a squad of top quality and if we can strengthen our squad then of course we’ll do it.
“Let’s finish the season well, focus on doing well together until the end and then see who can reinforce our squad.”
On Nigel Pearson winning April Manager of the Month
Nigel Pearson was this morning awarded the Premier League Manager of the Month award for April after a strong month saw Leicester City win four straight games, taking them outside of the relegation zone.
When told about Pearson’s award, Wenger remarked: “Nigel Pearson has won the elections so I’m happy for him! Congratulations.”
Arsenal take on Swansea City on Monday night at the Emirates Stadium, with kick off taking place at 8pm GMT.
