Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed his side are ready to stand up to their more physical rivals in the Premier League after they ground out a 1-0 win against Stoke on Saturday.
Wenger’s side have often come up short when they have been pressed by opponents using a physical approach, yet the Arsenal boss believes their patient approach to uncorking Stoke at Emirates Stadium was a sign of a growing maturity in his side.
“In England, you have to deal with all types of football without losing your qualities in how you want to play,” Wenger told the Arsenal website. “It’s not always easy, because if you have a team of 10 Santi Cazorla’s, technically you would be very good, but you would struggle against a team like Stoke.
“We are a bit more mature now and dealt with the Stoke game plan well. In the past, we have been a bit younger and inexperienced defensive, but you could see that in (Bacary) Sagna, Nacho (Monreal), (Laurent) Koscielny and (Per) Mertesacker, we have some experience and stature there. We are not small at the back any more.”
The cynics would argue that Arsenal’s defensive performance against Liverpool last Wednesday suggests they still have plenty of work to do on their back-line, but Wenger was determined to carry a positive tone after his side got back to winning ways against Stoke.