Arsène Wenger has called on his Arsenal players to assert their title credentials on Sunday by putting an end to their long record of suffering at Stoke City, who he admitted have often proved “a bit rough for us”.
Arsenal have lost three of their past five trips to the Britannia Stadium, where they have not won since 2010, and Wenger said that victory would be a significant indicator of their ability to remain at the top of the Premier League. No team have won the title in a season in which they have lost at the Britannia.
“We have to show we have made a big step forward and can beat them,” said Wenger, who last season endured one of the low points of his reign as Arsenal manager as he was abused by irate travelling fans at Stoke-on-Trent train station after a 3-2 defeat at the Britannia.
The sight of Arsenal’s away strip tends to bring out the bully in Stoke’s players and supporters, who take particular relish in toppling Wenger’s team. Wenger admitted that last season’s defeat was particularly chastening, as Arsenal’s callow defence collapsed under the pressure applied by the hosts, who stomped into a three-goal lead before half-time. Wenger believes his team are much more sturdy now.
“When we had a very young team they had a style that was maybe a bit rough for us and we couldn’t always cope,” he said. “Last year we had Bellerín, Chambers and Emiliano Martínez and at the start of the game we got caught. Now look: Cech is 33, Mertesacker is 31, Koscielny is 30 and Monreal is 29. Before we did not have the same level of experience. We feel stronger and more stable. Still, Stoke is always a test for us. Our record there goes against us but that is interesting because it is a mental test as well. Let’s show we can move forward and can deal with what Stoke have to offer.”
Wenger said his team had also become stronger because they had consigned one recurring failure to the past this season by winning big matches against title rivals. “The feeling in the team is that we have moved forward because we have stabilised results and consistency. The biggest hurdle was to win the big games. And what makes you feel stronger is fighting for the Premier League. We have beaten Manchester City and United so we can do it anywhere else as well.”
Wenger acknowledges that under Mark Hughes Stoke’s style has evolved beyond the “efficient, traditional English style that teams did not like playing against” but still sees them as formidable opponents. “They have moved forward and improved their creative potential with players like Arnautovic, Bojan and Shaqiri. They can create and play. It will be a similar game to the one at Liverpool on Wednesday. We’ll need the same intensity and the same desire and focus … the consistency of your focus and determination will play a big part in the outcome of this league.”
The scoreline at Anfield, added to Arsenal’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton on Boxing Day, means Wenger’s team have conceded seven goals in their past two away league games. Wenger said that showed there were “little details we have to work on and improve”. He has the option of deploying his new midfielder Mohamed Elneny but said he had yet to decide whether to thrust the Egyptian straight into battle at the Britannia.
Wenger has yet to decide on the precise role of the £5m signing from Basel. “I bought Elneny because he can play with a defensive player and as well he can be a defensive player,” he said. “I need to have daily contact with him to see how well he can win the ball in the Premier League. That will be decisive in whether to transform him into a defensive midfielder rather than more of a box-to-box player.”
Wenger suggested he was unlikely to make further purchases this January but did not rule it out. “Ideally I would prefer to have players back from injuries, like Welbeck, who has been out since April last year and will be back in two to three weeks. I am confident I will not find a better player than Welbeck on the market.”
Wenger also said that Alexis Sánchez would undergo fitness tests to determine whether the forward has fully recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered against Norwich City in late November.