Wenger reveals secrets

Gunners boss says psychology is key to success

By James Riach   Last updated: 18th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wenger reveals secrets

Wenger: Positive attitude

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that positive thinking is the secret to free-flowing football.

The Gunners have been renowned for their easy-on-the-eye style of play since Wenger took control of the club in 1996, winning many plaudits along the way.

Arsenal have started this season with exactly the same mindset, and have so far scored 36 goals in the Premier League - seven more than any other team.

Wenger says the key to their success is players who always make themselves available for the ball.

"For it to work, players must make themselves available and we work on that in training," he told French radio.

"That's where top-level sport becomes really interesting, in finding a way to have the team in a position of psychological comfort so that they can offer solutions.

"Because you know that, when doubt creeps in, the green lights become red lights.

"Because each player takes fewer spontaneous initiatives and, all of a sudden, it's absolutely unbelievable at what speed all those lights become red and the player with the ball finds himself in the s***.

Enemy

"Doubt is the key enemy of our game but, eventually, we must at the same time give our team the sense of availability.

"And, on a psychological level, we must give them a taste for audacity and for developing connections between each other."

Arsenal travel to the Stadium of Light on Saturday to play a Sunderland team who have also been finding the net regularly this term, but the Black Cats defence will have to be on their toes as the Gunners have scored 11 times in their last three outings.

Wenger has only made one addition to the squad that finished fourth in the table last season, central defender Thomas Vermaelen, and he said another key factor for success is keeping a squad together without regularly selling or buying players.

"When you change more than three players from game to game you take a technical risk," he added.

"The balance of a team doesn't depend on one player but if you change three it's a grave risk, not only in a game but also in signing players.

"Sometimes when the players are extremely intelligent they adapt very quickly and it can also click very quickly. But it's rare."

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