Chelsea vs Arsenal: Arsene Wenger defends his tactics and insists he does not have to change course to outsmart Jose Mourinho's men
The Frenchman has lost six and drawn five out of 11 previous meetings with his Chelsea counterpart
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Arsène Wenger believes he does not have to radically change his tactical approach in order to finally claim victory over Jose Mourinho, despite never having defeated the Portuguese, writes Miguel Delaney. The Arsenal manager has lost six and drawn five out of 11 previous meetings with his Chelsea counterpart – including March’s 6-0 humiliation at Stamford Bridge – indicating that Mourinho has figured out how to play him.
Wenger’s miserable record also appears to be a continuation of his poor return in big games, given that Arsenal have only won three of their past 18 fixtures against sides who eventually finished in the top four. That has raised questions over Wenger’s tactical approach, especially as so many of those games seem to follow the same pattern of Arsenal getting caught on the break, with March’s 6-0 loss the culmination of this failing.
Wenger maintains it is not an issue, as Arsenal return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since that painful defeat. “We have to adapt a little but, you know, let’s be honest, any single player at Chelsea can make a difference,” he explained.
“If you say you mark [Diego] Costa, [Eden] Hazard can score as well; Willian can as well score; Oscar can as well score. So what is important, of course you adapt, but it’s more focused on defending well as a team when you have not got the ball.
“It’s always difficult to find the balance to adapt to your opponents’ strengths, without restricting your expression of your own strengths.”
Whatever the result, Wenger does not feel that Arsenal’s poor record is specifically to do with Mourinho figuring him out.
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