Jack Wilshere encouraged his side to be better in possession after we were pegged back twice in a 2-2 draw with Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
We took the lead through Kamarni Ryan’s stunning strike after just nine minutes, but shortly after Nicholas Oyetunle equalized for the hosts. We retook the lead two minutes after the second-half restart, but we were pegged back late on through Jayden Moore’s header.
The under-18s head coach said, "I didn’t think we had anything in possession. We pressed well at times. But when you play for Arsenal and you get the ball, you need to look after it, keep it, and make passes. You cannot panic and give the ball away.
“In fairness, we did score two good goals, but we didn’t defend our box well enough. We suffered at times, and it shows good character when you suffer and get something out of the game, but we have to be better.”
Wilshere emphasized the need for those who haven’t played much this season to step up as many of his regular under-18s players are now playing for the under-21s.
“We’ve got to step up; the secondary scholars are stepping up to the 21s, and the ones who haven’t played as much get the opportunity to show us why they should be playing more.
“The first years are just over seven months into their two-year scholarship, and that goes very quickly, so we need to maximize every opportunity, every training session to try and help the players.
“Ultimately, when you’re playing for Arsenal, your technical level has to be high, and that’s something we can improve every day in training.”
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