by ‘Ifreke Inyang

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, has admitted that his team needs to work on their defence, even as the new season is two weeks away. The Gunners ended their tour of the Middle East, with a 2-2 draw against Kitchee in Hong Kong. The game saw Arsenal go behind twice, with Walcott and Eisfeld equalising on the two occasions.

“I think defensively we looked fragile, especially in the first half,” Wenger told Sky Sports.

“In the second half not so much because we were not challenged. Defensively we have a lot of work to do as a unit to do much better.”

The Frenchman used the opportunity to blood youngsters like Ignasi Miquel, Craig Eastmond, Kyle Bartley, Nico Yennaris, amongst others. And he said he has taken a proper look at them and knows which of them are ready to play in the league.

“We let everybody play and some players are not yet at the level of the Premier League. It is a learning process. If you don’t do it in pre-season then you never do it – you give them a chance to see what is requested at the top level.

“I played all of the defenders during this tour to see who is ready and who is not. We have Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker at home – three experienced defenders.”