Former Arsenal centre-back Sebastien Squillaci has revealed that the reason why the team concedes so many goals is because of how Arsene Wenger sets up his teams with an attacking intent. The Gunners have been guilty of conceding goals at crucial stages of big games and the French defender feels it is down to the tactics employed.
Squillaci spent three seasons at the north London club but only played a major role in his first season where he made 32 appearances in the 2010/11 season. Injuries and poor form saw him relegated to the bench and he made only one start in his final season at the club before moving to Ligue 1 club SC Bastia after his contract expired.
On a Ligue 1 show on beIN, the 35-year-old explained how he struggled as a defender at Arsenal and that he tried to speak to Wenger about it.
“It’s true a lot was expected from me when I arrived,” he explained. “But it’s always been difficult for central defenders at Arsenal.
“You can see that from before my time and after my time. The style of play was a bit like Spain’s. It was very open, and often we found ourselves defending in the middle one-on-one with the opposition attackers.
“It was never easy. It was very attacking. But that was the club’s philosophy.
“I talked about it with coach Wenger. He told me, ‘I know it’s difficult, but I want us to play like this, I want the attacking players to have more freedom and less defensive work’.”
Arsenal’s tactics have changed in the past year: Squillaci
Squillaci left the club in 2013 and he claimed that the Gunners are not as open as they used to be as there was a shift in their defensive play to have more players behind the ball if required.
“I think it’s changed in the last year,” Squillaci continued. “I’ve seen matches where Arsenal have had ten men in their own half.
“That didn’t exist at my time. When I see the defensive work [Olivier] Giroud does, the midfielders too, I think Arsenal defend a lot more these days.
“And I think that’s a good thing because to win games at the highest level, to win in the Champions League, you need that.”
However, when speaking about why he struggled due to injuries, he said that the core philosophy would never change and that the Gunners would continue to concede goals.
“Arsenal conceded goals before I came, they conceded goals after I left, and they’ll concede in the future,” Squillaci concluded.
