‘We work a lot on communication’

Arsène Wenger says his team work a lot on communication because “it’s a vital part of the defensive efficiency”.

Arsenal have the joint-fourth best defensive record in this season’s Premier League but have kept clean sheets in only two of their last seven league matches.

Wenger’s multi-national first-team squad comprises players from 12 countries - and the boss says it’s extremely important that they understand each other on the pitch.

“We try to work a lot on that,” he said. “I think maybe it was a bit more obvious before because maybe in training everybody had the same culture before.

“People come from different countries [and] it’s sometimes a bit more difficult to communicate. I would say the communication in England was always at a higher level than in any other country.

“I noticed that when I came with Monaco. We made a tour here in 1988 and I looked at some training sessions and was always surprised by how loud the communication was in the English teams compared to my team. Monaco were much quieter.

“The communication is very important, especially at the back. Sometimes just to tell your guys around you to come closer or drop off. That can save a goal. It’s a vital part of the defensive efficiency.”