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Arsenal v Swansea: Garry Monk warns Swans to expect Arsenal reaction after Chelsea mauling

Monk claims that Arsenal remain a very good side despite the heavy defeat to the Blues on Saturday

Andrew Baldock
Monday 24 March 2014 16:09 GMT
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Garry Monk
Garry Monk

Swansea head coach Garry Monk is under no illusions about what awaits his team against Arsenal on Tuesday - despite the Gunners' 6-0 drubbing at Barclays Premier League title favourites Chelsea.

Arsene Wenger's side have little more than 72 hours to pick themselves up from that crushing defeat before facing a Swansea outfit that beat them at The Emirates last season.

A Michu double ensured a stunning win for the Swans in north London 15 months ago, but they will arrive this time around just four points above the relegation zone.

"We are expecting a reaction from them," Monk said. "That's the message to my boys.

"We will try to go up there with the right attitude and put on the right performance to come away with something."

Reflecting on events at Stamford Bridge when 10-man Arsenal were blitzed by Jose Mourinho's men, Monk added: "You can never see that sort of result coming, but obviously circumstances and stuff dictated the final scoreline.

"In terms of that game, I don't think you can really delve too far into it because of the circumstances that happened.

"The sending off changed that game, but Chelsea are a very good team. It was two powerhouses in this league, but Chelsea had the upper hand on the day.

"It is a horrible feeling whenever you lose a game, but to lose by such a wide margin is always hard to take.

"But the good thing in football is you get a chance very soon to try to put it right. That's what we have to be aware of and make sure we try to counter it.

"They (Arsenal players) are experienced and top professionals, they are international players, and every now and again you do get a result like that."

Swansea's 3-2 defeat at Everton on Saturday kept them in the relegation picture, although their position was helped by teams around them also losing.

And while Monk knows the Swans' fate currently remains in their own hands, he accepts that points must start to be collected.

"The positive that came out of the weekend was that nothing was gained on us, but that isn't going to continue," he said.

"In the next couple of weeks everyone plays each other down there, and points will be dropped and points will be earned by other teams.

"We need points, and we need to fight for every single one of them that is available. We have to draw on the experience of last season, going to places like this (Emirates) and getting the result we want.

"We are just making silly mistakes. I know every goal is a bad goal that goes against you, but we need to make teams work that little bit harder to score against us.

"The boys are working hard. Their attitude is spot-on. They want to be out there every day and want to get out of this situation we are in, which is great for me, them and the club.

"There is no worse critic than the players themselves. They are an honest bunch. They know when they make a mistake, they know when they could do things better. I am confident with this bunch, I am confident, we can get out of this situation.

"It's in our own hands, and we have to be very careful that we don't continue to make mistakes. We have to cut them out as quickly as possible."

PA

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