Arsenal's dramatic win against Manchester City on Sunday will have given the Gunners a massive boost in confidence as they prepare for their match against Leicester City. After a poor run of form since Christmas, Arsene Wenger has switched to a new formation with three defenders at the back. The Arsenal boss, whose contract expires at the end of this season, has been heavily criticised for his team's defensive record, but now seems to have found a pragmatic solution with the 3-4-3 formation. Ahead of Wednesday's match against the Foxes, Wenger answered various questions at the pre-match Press Conference.
New system is helping the players regain focus, says Wenger
The long-serving Arsenal manager first introduced his new formation in a 2:1 win against Middlesbrough last week. Many fans and pundits were surprised when the official lineup for the FA Cup semi-final was announced and showed that Wenger had decided to stick with the 3-4-3 formation against Man City. The Frenchman, however, proved that he had made the right call, as the Gunners knocked the Citizens out of the competition. When asked why he switched things up in the first place, Wenger explained: "I believe it gave the players something to focus on and forget their anxiety and uncertainty." The Arsenal boss then added that he would consider sticking with the new system against the Foxes.
He further stated that "the system is adaptable", suggesting that they would not always play three at the back.
Wenger insists that he wants to keep Olivier Giroud at Arsenal
Olivier Giroud has recently been linked with a move to Marseille who are willing to pay £20m for his services, according to Sky Sports. Arsenal signed the French striker for £12m from Montpellier back in 2012, and he has since scored 95 goals for the Gunners.
Nonetheless, Giroud is often singled out for criticism by the Arsenal fanbase for his lack of pace and inability to create goalscoring opportunities by himself. This season, the France international has become somewhat of a super substitute who's scored plenty of late goals for Arsenal. He's also signed a new long-term contract recently, and Wenger insists that he plans on keeping the 30-year-old.
"I have had no approach from Marseille. We want to keep Olivier Giroud," said Wenger.
Wenger praises Alexis Sanchez's 'individual quality'
Wenger also briefly touched upon Alexis Sanchez's individual qualities in today's press conference. The former Barcelona man is running out of contract at the end of next season, but Wenger has recently suggested that he would rather keep Sanchez for another season than cash in on him in the summer. The 28-year-old scored the winning goal against Manchester City on Sunday and now has 24 goals to his name this season. Speaking about Sanchez, Wenger stressed the Chilean's importance to his team and said: "[Sanchez] has been remarkably efficient. [...] He can always turn up with something special. He has the individual quality to make the difference."
