Arsenal must get back to basics after Champions League lesson from Monaco

Arsène Wenger effectively confirmed his side were complacent but that charge of underestimating their opponents could also be applied to his tactical set-up

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Another season, the same old way to fail. Arsenal have a particular way of losing games and all the familiar tropes were there in abundance on Wednesday: the squandered chances, the needlessly complicated attacking moves, the lack of urgency, the defensive laxity. Arsène Wenger seemed wearily resigned after the game, which is hardly surprising – he has done the press conference over and over again. The difference is, this wasn’t Barcelona or Bayern Munich inflicting the defeat; it was Monaco.

Seemingly going out of his way to avoid using the term, Wenger effectively confirmed he felt his side had been complacent but that charge of underestimating Monaco applied to his tactical set-up as much as anything. When Arsenal beat Manchester City at the Etihad in mid-January, they were arrayed in a 4-3-3, Francis Coquelin flanked by Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. Here, it was a 4-2-3-1, which, willing as Cazorla was, simply did not offer sufficient protection for the back four.

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source Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1AO42h0