‘It’s in our DNA… we are an attacking team’

While we have scored more than 40 Premier League goals this season, our defensive record leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Only two teams in the top half of the division have conceded more goals than us and, while Arsène Wenger agrees that increasing our firepower will take pressure off our back line, he feels our defensive issues still need to be addressed.

“[Winning each game 4-3] is not the solution I like,” he said. “I like the four, but I don’t like the three. We have to improve our defensive record, absolutely, and everybody has to contribute. That is why we have to work on that and find the balance. Without destroying our defensive power, we have to find the balance so we are better defensively.

 

“We don't necessarily need relief but we want to be more efficient on the football pitch because when you say we've conceded too many goals, I think we don't score enough goals. That's our basic problem. That's not only defensively but offensively, we don't score enough goals.

 

“That's our DNA. We are an attacking team. The danger is when you are an attacking team that you don't score and then of course you create your own problems.”

 

Wenger is hopeful that the January arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will help on that front, and the manager revealed that he has been monitoring our newest signing for some time, too.

 

“I am quite confident that this will be a new challenge for him,” Wenger said. “I know him from France – he played for St Etienne and Bastia – and usually his behaviour was never a problem. He is a professional guy.

“We had interest in him when he was already in Dortmund. I followed him at St Etienne when he played more on the flanks – especially on the left and on the right. He can play down the flanks and through the middle, that was what was interesting as well.”