Everybody can see it, except Wenger

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
07 Feb	4:00 PM	P	Chelsea (A)	0	2	Lost

I don't tend to read much of what other people say about Arsenal, which is silly really.

I know Wenger will always defend his team and his transfer policy with the same arguments. You could take his quotes from the start of the season and simply copy and paste those same quotes for the rest. It gets boring.

And the players are the same. No real insight. Just the same old "we still believe" and "we can beat anyone". Theo Walcott might even chip in occasionally with how "it's an honour to play for a club like Arsenal", surprised as we are that he's somehow got himself playing at this level.

But I have a small collection of quotes now from some outsiders. Following our recent poor form, what does the world think of Arsenal?

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti: "Maybe Arsenal had more possession than us, but that is not football. Football is about results.

"When you speak about a match, you can't speak only about possession of the ball. No. You have to control the attack and defence."

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack: "We knew the way Arsenal play. We could see it in our first game against them and against United — it is always the same style. If you play tactics like we did, you can beat them.

"Wenger says things like this always when he loses, to find an excuse. But football is not possession of the ball and playing a nice pass. This season and the season before they showed they weren't able to win the League.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, comparing the current defence to the one he played in: "OK, they still play the offside trap, but they don't press the ball like we did. Then again it's what you get from the players in front of you - you need to make sure you defend as a team.

"As a defender, if the player in front of you doesn't put pressure on the ball, then you have to drop off and that creates lots of space. That's how the opponent gets time to hurt you – he can pick his passes or put the ball in the back of the net.

"If you're a full-back and you keep going forward all the time and they keep punishing us in that hole, then you have to start picking and choosing how many times you get forward. You have to ask yourself, are you creating a problem for the opposition or for the team?"

It's all too familiar isn't it? It confirms all our insecurities: We have a lot of possession but do nothing with it, we're an easy touch, we always play the same way, and we can't defend. We don't fool anyone.

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