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Wenger Calls For Killer Instinct In Arsenal's Play
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is urging his side to show greater ruthlessness and a generally tougher edge to their game this season - especially against the teams outside the top six whom they are expected to beat.
Wenger feels that without that ruthless streak, the Gunners will again fall short in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.
A pattern last season was that Arsenal did well against the other teams in the top four - they did the double over champions Manchester United for example - but sqandered far too many points against the teams in the lower reaches of the Premier League table. They paid the price for that, finishing fourth, a massive 21 points behind United in the final reckoning.
"If you make a table of the results against the other teams in the top four, then we were top," Wenger said. "Then if you make a table against the teams in the top half, Manchester United have 43 points, we have 40, so do Chelsea, and Liverpool have 33.
"That shows that we lost the championship against teams in the bottom half of the table.
"So that is where we will have to be much more efficient this season. We have to be consistent in our mental preparation, in our ruthlessness as well."
Ivorian central defender Kolo Toure sees things similarly to his manager.
"We showed we can make it. If you can beat Manchester United you can beat any team in the league," said Toure.
"Maybe sometimes what we missed was being focused on the game through the whole season. To be the champions you need to concentrate for all the games."
Wenger is still looking for a new director of football, with club scout Gilles Grimandi thought to be a candidate for the post.
Meanwhile, long-serving club director Ken Friar has been working with Wenger.
"I wanted to do it before the end of the season when I started buying and selling," said Wenger on the club's official website, www.arsenal.com.
"But then I thought that now is the worst time because I have no time to tell someone how I want to do things.
"I did not want to unsettle the team before the end of the transfer market. So at the moment I work with Ken Friar and it is working well for us."
The Gunners have brought in Lukasz Fabianski, Eduardo Da Silva, Havard Nordtveit and Bacary Sagna this summer.
Will Wenger himself stay on beyond the end of this campaign?
"For me, I think he will stay," said Toure on Arsenal TV Online. "Mr Wenger brings something special to this club and to keep him would be a great thing.
"We need to win some trophies and I'm sure Mr Wenger will bring lots of trophies to the club."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is urging his side to show greater ruthlessness and a generally tougher edge to their game this season - especially against the teams outside the top six whom they are expected to beat.
Wenger feels that without that ruthless streak, the Gunners will again fall short in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.
A pattern last season was that Arsenal did well against the other teams in the top four - they did the double over champions Manchester United for example - but sqandered far too many points against the teams in the lower reaches of the Premier League table. They paid the price for that, finishing fourth, a massive 21 points behind United in the final reckoning.
"If you make a table of the results against the other teams in the top four, then we were top," Wenger said. "Then if you make a table against the teams in the top half, Manchester United have 43 points, we have 40, so do Chelsea, and Liverpool have 33.
"That shows that we lost the championship against teams in the bottom half of the table.
"So that is where we will have to be much more efficient this season. We have to be consistent in our mental preparation, in our ruthlessness as well."
Ivorian central defender Kolo Toure sees things similarly to his manager.
"We showed we can make it. If you can beat Manchester United you can beat any team in the league," said Toure.
"Maybe sometimes what we missed was being focused on the game through the whole season. To be the champions you need to concentrate for all the games."
Wenger is still looking for a new director of football, with club scout Gilles Grimandi thought to be a candidate for the post.
Meanwhile, long-serving club director Ken Friar has been working with Wenger.
"I wanted to do it before the end of the season when I started buying and selling," said Wenger on the club's official website, www.arsenal.com.
"But then I thought that now is the worst time because I have no time to tell someone how I want to do things.
"I did not want to unsettle the team before the end of the transfer market. So at the moment I work with Ken Friar and it is working well for us."
The Gunners have brought in Lukasz Fabianski, Eduardo Da Silva, Havard Nordtveit and Bacary Sagna this summer.
Will Wenger himself stay on beyond the end of this campaign?
"For me, I think he will stay," said Toure on Arsenal TV Online. "Mr Wenger brings something special to this club and to keep him would be a great thing.
"We need to win some trophies and I'm sure Mr Wenger will bring lots of trophies to the club."