Arsene Wenger Concerned About Arsenal's Character, Balance After Newcastle Loss

Arsene Wenger has said he is worried about Arsenal's character and team balance after their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Gunners took the lead at St James' Park through Alexandre Lacazette but succumbed to strikes from Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie as their search for a Premier League point away from home in 2018 continued unabated.

Per the Guardian's Louise Taylor, Wenger said:

"It's the story of our season. We had 70 per cent of possession and were 1-0 up. You wonder how you can lose this game. It could have been over at half-time. It's very harsh to swallow a defeat like this. It's very disappointing.

"Of course it's a concern to have lost five games in a row away because traditionally we have a very strong record away. It has become a subconscious weight on our minds. Once you're in a negative spiral like this it is very hard to get out of."

The Frenchman pointed to the fatigue felt by his players after they travelled back from a UEFA Europa League clash with CSKA Moscow on Thursday, "but losing like this is a worry characterwise," he added. "Our attitude today was spot on, but I have to be realistic enough to say that maybe our balance offensively and defensively doesn't work."

Football365's Daniel Storey painted a sorry picture of the Gunners' away form this calendar year:

It seems it has taken this disappointing run for the manager to recognise issues at Arsenal that have long been apparent to fans and pundits alike.

Indeed, the Gunners' mental fragility and need for some defensive steel in their spine have been largely unresolved problems for over a decade at the Emirates Stadium.

Sunday's result came after Arsenal almost threw away a 4-1 lead over CSKA as they went 2-0 down in the second leg of their quarter-final. While they managed to avoid a collapse in that match and battled back to a 2-2 draw, there was nothing surprising about their failure to see out a 1-0 lead over Newcastle, even if the Magpies had not beaten them on home soil in 13 years.

Football writer James McNicholas was critical of Arsenal's defending:

The Gunners have rarely had trouble scoring goals in Wenger's tenure, but keeping them out is another matter entirely.

Shkodran Mustafi is the latest in a long line of unconvincing centre-backs to contribute to their vulnerability, while neither Granit Xhaka nor Mohamed Elneny can offer sufficient protection in front of their back line.

Wenger's failure to address these issues is one of several reasons why the Gunners would benefit from a fresh start this summer, but should he remain in charge, he must recognise these problems as systemic and make concerted efforts to resolve them.

If he is simply paying lip service to the issues or allows the cracks to be papered over should Arsenal enjoy a strong end to the season, the Gunners will continue to be a stagnant force in the Premier League.