Dennis Bergkamp: Defence has cost Arsenal their shot at the title

Under pressure: Wenger has struggled to live up to expectations this season
(Ian MacNicol/Getty images)
James Benge15 April 2016

Dennis Bergkamp has warned his former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that he is hampering his hopes of winning titles with a substandard defence.

Wenger made only one significant investment during the summer transfer window, spending £10million on Petr Cech. That has proven to be a wise move but, despite the excellent form of their goalkeeper, Arsenal have still fallen foul at the back.

Arsenal have conceded three or more goals on eight occasions this season and recent months have seen Wenger struggle to find his first-choice backline, with Per Mertesacker losing his place alongside Laurent Koscielny to Brazilian centre-back Gabriel.

That has not served to improve Arsenal at the back and their frailties were exposed yet again in incisive fashion by Andy Carroll as West Ham rallied from two goals down to claim a 3-3 draw at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday.

Bergkamp, who spent much of his Arsenal career playing along with the legendary back five that included David Seaman, Tony Adams and Lee Dixon, is concerned that whilst his former side remain so vulnerable at the back they will struggle to replicate the title-winning success Wenger enjoyed between 1998 and 2004.

“Arsenal have a really good team and a really, really good squad,” Bergkamp told the Daily Mail. “They’ve got tremendous players and they should be able to win the championship, but one of the biggest problems is defence.

“So many times the team have to react to going a goal behind or two goals behind. That happens too much. And at this time of the year you can’t drop points.

“We would always have a dip in November, but their dip has come in the second half of the season. That didn’t happen a lot in our time.”

Arsenal’s latest slump in form is almost certain to see them miss out on a title that appeared to be theirs for the taking amid the struggles of Chelsea and the Manchester giants. Wenger’s side trail league leaders Leicester by thirteen points and Tottenham by six points, though they have a game in hand on both sides.

With Arsenal also out of the FA Cup and Champions League Wenger has found himself at the centre of fan ire as supporters display banners calling on their manager of nearly 20 years to resign.

However Bergkamp is convinced that the manager who helped him win the Footballer of the Year award in 1998 still has the hunger to lead a title-winning side.

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“He knows his players so well,” he added. “It’s like a puzzle, he’s adjusting every player all the time so everything fits together. He’s got a picture in his mind how it should be. And he knew when to push the team, when to let go, when to relax.

“I still think he’s got that drive and if he gets the opportunity to stay there, he will take it I’m sure. He’s still a good manager and you never know what you’ll get if you bring a new one in. That’s the problem.

“Look what happened at Man United when Sir Alex Ferguson left. You never know what’s better. To bring someone new, someone fresh or stick to someone who knows the club. I’m sure (Wenger) is still ambitious to win trophies.”

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