Although his Arsenal side have shipped away five goals in their last two Premier League matches, manager Arsene Wenger is more relieved to see that they have also scored eight to pick up four of the six points up for grabs.
Wenger was seen expressing his frustrations at the touchline throughout the Gunners’ dramatic 3:3 draw against Fulham nine days ago but later insisted that there were positives to be taken from the fixture.
This past Saturday, the gaffer was joined by millions of Gooners across the world to celebrate an emphatic 5:2 derby win over bitter cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
That one victory was able to push a struggling Arsenal side back into the top six, only five points adrift of Chelsea, who occupy the third place that Arsenal sealed at the end of last season.
As far as Wenger is concerned, the free-scoring form of his attack indicates the accomplishment of a far tougher task than fixing defensive issues, which his side continues to get criticized for.
“I believe it is always easier to correct the defensive side than getting your team to score goals. When you score goals, you always have a chance,” Wenger told Arsenal TV.
The Frenchman then added: “I am confident that the defense will be quite sound once everybody is used to playing with each other. We won many balls [against Tottenham] as a team and we want to continue to work on that.”
Indeed, offensive dominance cannot alone end Arsenal’s seven-year trophy drought. While one can understand the team’s joy at being able to score again following the uninspiring offensive display throughout the 2-1 defeat away to Manchester United a little over a fortnight ago, evidence of defensive chaos remains disturbing.
They were guilty of giving away a two-goal cushion to Schalke in the UEFA Champions League to merely get a draw on match-day four and even the memorable 7-5 win over Reading in the Capital One Cup will always be noted for the four goals the Gunners conceded to the lowly Royals in the first half itself.
Wednesday’s Champions League match at home to Montpellier will provide the team with a much-needed opportunity to earn a clean sheet and return to being defensively competent.
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