Wenger efter matchen mot Middlesbrough
Som en fet buddhistmunk, hög på endorfin, så klapprar Wenger på sitt mantra. "We need to show strength" "We are a young team" etc. Jag vet inte, men ser inte Wenger lite medtagen ut, där han står vid sidan av linjen. Han ser handlingsförlamad ut, den gamle elsässaren. Rynkig i pannan som en skynkelhund, men skickar han ut ett mittfält som inte vill spela kreativ fotboll så funkar det inte. Jag vet inte hur Fabregas ser på tillvaron i London, men om jag vore honom så skulle jag vara tveksam till att fortsätta att spela med sådana fullständigt plattfötter som Diaby, Song och Denilson. Så långsamt, så omständligt och så icke-kreativt. Nu var jag kanske elak. Boro borta är svåra, men borde innebära 3 pinnar.
Vi hovrar in som en liten gök över Emirates och lyssnar av vad vår store despot har att säga om matchen. "There was room to win the game, especially when we were 1-0 up with plenty of chances to score a second; we were in control. I feel we were a bit unlucky on the goal we conceded but Middlesbrough played well and worked very hard.
"In the second half they had a good mixture of defending well and getting the pace out of the game, going down and gaining time. That was a bit frustrating but they did it well and in the last 20 minutes they defended very well.”
Sedan kommer återigen en sanning. Han vet att de möter samma uppställning vart än de kommer, men överraskades do kav att Middlesbrough var bättre än vad han trott.
Men vad är det som saknas då? Fram med det, Wenger. Jag kan se inervjuaren göra tusen nålar på fransmannen. "We tried, I do believe that. In the end we lacked something, we couldn’t take our chances and I must admit I expect ‘Boro to collapse a bit more than they did in the final part. They didn’t give in, even with tired legs and that is credit to them. You want always to get more but I feel my team needs more encouragement because they don’t get it anywhere and that is why I want to focus on the next game.”
Så mycket svar på frågan var det inte. Men titelracet då? Känns det kört eller inte..?“The league is wide open but we are in a position that every point we drop we are asked about it. I understand that, but champions are people who never stop and we can show that belief to keep going. We can do that in the next game. Of course [it is an enormous task], but we don’t think about that at the moment. We must just believe that the next game is one to reduce the distance between us and Liverpool.”
Nästa match är naturligtvis hel-viktig. Liverpool skall kölhalas. Alltid. Men åter till matchen mot Boro? Fanns det något att se på, några tecken på förbättringar? "It is frustrating but that is part of it. Middlesbrough are a team who are capable of beating everybody in this league on their day, and we have to accept that. I believe we are on the way up, comparing how we were at the beginning of the season; then we would have lost a game like this. We have a better defensive balance, are more a team but just lack that extra thing that comes with confidence. This is a young team that is under a lot of pressure at the moment and that is why it is important to keep belief."
Mot slutet kom "mantrat". "We are a young team". Could'nt care less, Wenger. Du får ha pensionärer i laget. Vinn matchen istället.
