"Mertesacker will be a big success" - Wenger

Per Mertesacker has been “harshly” treated since his arrival at Arsenal.

That is the view of Arsene Wenger who will put his giant German centre-half up against Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Mertesacker dropped a clanger at Carrow Road on Saturday as he failed to clear the ball which allowed Steve Morison to put Norwich in front.

Wenger dished out a half time rollicking to the 6ft 7in Mertesacker, but insists he will stick with him against Dortmund despite his difficult adaptation to English football.

The 27-year-old, who has won 79 caps, may feel more at home against German opposition, but he clearly has the full backing of his manager regardless.

Wenger, who signed Mertesacker for £10million just before the transfer window shut in August, said: “I am very happy with Per.

“The criticism in the papers has been very harsh, but when you play for a big team, you have to accept that.

"I also think it will take him some time. He came here not completely fit. Now he is getting stronger and stronger.

"I felt on Saturday he had not recovered from the Holland game [in midweek] and looked tired. But he has recovered now and will play against Dortmund.

“Of course he is under pressure and scrutiny. But you don’t feel sorry for a situation like that because that’s what happens at a big club.”

Wenger even believes that Mertesacker may struggle to persuade some fans of his quality because they have already made up their minds because of his size.

The Arsenal manager, who is 6ft 4in, used to have a rule that he would not sign a player who was taller than him, but broke that rule to buy Mertesacker from Werder Bremen.

Mertesacker has faced questions about his pace and certainly does not look the most elegant of centre-halves, and Wenger wants him to learn not to get caught out as he did at Carrow Road.

“In England, when you’re in front of the striker you have not won the battle," said the Frenchman. "In many countries you have. But they (strikers) fight till the last second here.

“People look at his size. At the moment you say our defenders are too tall, because you’re not used to it. Because of his size I think people have a preconception of him.

“But he is intelligent and he will adapt quickly. He is very responsible as well, he didn’t complain about the free-kick because he was pulled down. He just said he should have cleared it earlier. So he is very responsible.”

Mertesacker started at the weekend, but faces a fight for his place because Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen are doing their best to establish themselves as the first choice pair.

They also have a bit more pace and agility, which will come in handy when dealing with smaller opponents such as Dortmund’s Mario Gotze.

Arsenal were held at the Westfalen Stadion in September when a last-gasp equaliser robbed Robin van Persie of match-winner honours.

But in many ways that was a game, away and against a big European side, which helped breed confidence in Wenger’s squad after their awful start to the season.

Now Arsenal need a victory to secure automatic qualification to the Champions League's knockout stages.

After being held 0-0 by Marseille in their last group game at the Emirates, Wenger admits they will treat the match as a cup tie.

He will field his strongest line-up, not rest any of his big guns and go all out for victory.

That will also allow him to stand a few players down for the long trip to Athens for the group finale against Olympiacos next month - a fixture already surrounded by fears of a public-services strike that could mean their trip is extended to two nights.

Wenger said of the Dortmund match: “It is a cup tie, because we have an opportunity in one game to qualify.

“We have come from far. You could see the game at Chelsea has helped the team to improve. Our consistency has helped the team improve.

"Qualifying from the Champions League group will give us a lift again.

“Consistency for us is vital. We have a good record at home in the Champions League and we want to continue that.

“Both teams have improved since we last played. We have grown, they have grown. They had a difficult start, we had a difficult start and we have both picked up since.

“They were a good team already in Dortmund, but we feel strong enough to finish the job.

“I think we have done very well defensively. We got two clean sheets in the last two games against Marseille, which is a fantastic achievement because they are a quality side.

“That gives us a lot of confidence going into the game against Dortmund.”

Arsene Wenger believes money tempted Samir Nasri to leave

Arsene Wenger believes Samir Nasri and other players that have moved to Manchester City, were tempted there by the vast riches on offer.


The Frenchman looks to be heading to the Etihad Stadium after the two clubs agreed a £23 million deal for the midfielder, and he follows former team-mate Gael Clichy, who moved for £7m earlier this summer.

And while Wenger refused to question Nasri's commitement to Arsenal, he did hint that Roberto Mancini's side have been able to sweep up the best of the Premier League talent thanks to their bottomless bank account.

“I am a realist so I have no illusions. It's part of the modern life of a professional football player. It's not that by coincidence that everybody suddenly lands at Man City," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

“Samir trained on Tuesday morning. But I knew before training. He didn’t know, the decision was made this morning just before training. He came in to practice.

“I don’t question Samir Nasri's commitment or professionalism. If I told him ‘you come with us and play’, he would have played like he did on Saturday but you wonder what kind of a commitment you can have.

“Football rules are made like that, that the player can be worth a lot of money today and nothing in six months so it doesn’t look completely logical but, at the end of the day, of course, we are forced into a decision like that for psychological and financial reasons."

Wenger believes the days of players spending their entire career with one club are over, epecially when other teams are able to offer huge amounts of money.

“We did not want to lose Fabregas, but we were forced into a situation we didn’t want. Nasri is a situation where the player didn’t want to extend his contract with the proposals he had somewhere else," he added.

"What kind of commitment can you have when the player is not there long-term? That is the question you have to answer.”

Arsenal manager hopes to gain work permit for Ryo Miyaichi so he can 'put him on the pitch'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants young Japanese talent Ryo Miyaichi to remain at the Emirates this season and is keen to secure a work permit for the winger.

Miyaichi signed for the Gunners in January after impressing Wenger during a trial period, at which point the 18-year-old was loaned out to Dutch club Feyenoord in order to help him adjust to European football.



The young winger was part of the Frenchman’s squad during the summer's pre-season action although was unable to play in the Emirates Cup due to FIFA ruling.

Wenger is seemingly keen for Miyaichi to push for a first-team spot and challenge the likes of Theo Walcott and new signing Gervinho for a starting place this season and admits he is attempting to secure the work permit needed for the winger to play in England.

He told the club's official website: "My plan is to get a work permit for him and to put him on the pitch for Arsenal Football Club."

Arsene Wenger's future at Arsenal will be decided by the fans - Ivan Gazidis

 

Arsenal's chief exectuive Ivan Gazidis has admitted Arsene Wenger's future at the Emirates will ultimately be decided by the club's supporters.

The Gunners have gone another season without a trophy and the under-fire Frenchman has been given the backing of his American chief executive, who was meeting 200 fans at a Supporters Trust meeting.

Gazidis believes Wenger has done well given the financial circumstances at the club and has backed the coach to succeed again in North London.

He said: "Arsene is ultimately accountable to the fans - they ultimately make judgment.

"If you are ever seeing the relationship between the fans and the manager break down over time then that is unsustainable, but I don't think we are anywhere near that."

"We 100 per cent support Arsene - I 100% support him and feel he has done a fantastic job in a difficult period for this club."

Gazidis added: "You have to remember that we have been up against clubs with unlimited spending power and others such as Manchester United who generate far greater revenue than we do."

Arsene Wenger understands Arsenal fans' disappointment but will not change philosophy or way club is run: We get it 95% right

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he understands why fans are frustrated after a disappointing season but will not necessarily change the way he runs the club.

The Gunners finished yet another season without a trophy – their sixth in a row – after fighting on four fronts.

Wenger's men lost in the final of the League Cup, before being knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the space of a week, and fell 12 points adrift of Manchester United to finish in fourth.

However, Wenger believes that there is nothing wrong with the philosophical approach from the club and only minor tweaks need to be made.

"The criticism has been sharper this year because of the impatience of people," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.

"People are used to us being in the Champions League so we have to give them more, but we're not capable of doing that.

"People love what we do but they want us to be rewarded so that they can be convinced we do things the right way. They want proof that we do things the right way.

"For our fans the frustration was that we were so close to convincing everybody of how football can be great, but in the end not being able to deliver.

"I would call it disappointed love. It was cruel and sometimes you get excessive responses to that. I share that and understand it.

"But that doesn't mean we have to change our philosophy or the way the club is run.

"We get it 95 per cent right, but we must gain that 5% because it's so frustrating to flirt with success like we have done.

"The fans are unhappy that we didn't win the Premier League, but we are close.

"In 2003 we were also the best away team, but didn't win. We kept going and in 2004 we were very strong."

Wenger highlighted a poor run in April which saw the Gunners pick up just two points from three matches, ultimately ending their title challenge.

"I was happy with the attitude of the players and our away form," he said.

"But what was disappointing was that when we needed to push on, we could not show the nerves to deal well with some games.

"I'm thinking about Liverpool, Tottenham and Bolton. We had good opportunities to win those games and had we done, that would have been seven points more."

The Gunners conceded a total of 41 goals – a sign of weakness in otherwise a strong team and the absence of centre-back Thomas Vermaelen for most of the season certainly did not help their cause.

Wenger believes that most of the problems came from set-pieces and has identified the need for taller defenders if they are to continue the challenge next season.

"We conceded very few goals from open play, most of them were from set pieces in a way you don't want to concede goals," he said.

"It's something that's easy to correct. We need to improve the size of our squad. We need a bigger variety in the height of our players.

"We need to be more capable of fighting against some characteristics than we have been this season."

Wenger - I'll fight very hard to keep Cesc

Arsène Wenger will do everything he can to ensure Cesc Fabregas is an Arsenal player next season.

The World Cup winner was strongly linked with a move back to his former club Barcelona last summer and rumours are already circulating that he will leave Emirates Stadium in the forthcoming transfer window.

Wenger was no doubt expecting to be quizzed on Fabregas when he sat down to face the press on Thursday and he reiterated his position as firmly as ever.

"That's a question I've heard already a few times in a press conference and I expect him to be here [next season]," said the manager.

"I will fight very hard to keep him here. You have always to fight when you have a player of that quality, you must always fight to keep your players, of course."

It was put to Wenger that Fabregas would want to leave north London after a season that promised much delivered so little.

"What guarantees you that if you go somewhere else you will win trophies?" responded the Frenchman.

"The biggest pride for a captain is to be committed to his club and deliver trophies with his team. A player who changes his club every time he is frustrated or when he doesn’t win a trophy, goes nowhere. I believe the quality of sports life is to be committed to your club and not just to move out when it does not go as well as you expected.

"Cesc Fabregas played 22 games this season out of 38 and we expect him to play between 30 and 38. That will make a huge difference to our efficiency [next season] as well."

Fabregas is not the only Arsenal player to be linked with a move with speculation also mounting overAndrey Arshavin's future. As far as Wenger is concerned, the Russian is going nowhere.

"Yes, I expect him to be at Arsenal next season," he said.

Wenger - I fear Wilshere will ‘hit the wall’

 

Arsène Wenger’s experience tells him that JackThe 19-year-old’s commitments have been the topic of much debate this week ahead of a possible double England call-up in June when the senior side resume their Euro 2012 qualifiers and the Under-21s head to Denmark for their own European Championship.

Wilshere could end his first full season with nearly 60 appearances for club and country under his belt and, although his manager has no appetite for a row with the Football Association, he suspects that the teenager’s current workload is unsustainable.

“I do not want to go into these battles any more - I did it with France,” reflected Wenger. “But I have enough experience and experience helps you only to anticipate problems. It doesn’t make you more intelligent.

“You know this car will hit the wall at some stage and you see it a little bit earlier than somebody who has less experience. I think, in the world, nobody has brought more young players through than I have and I have a good experience of what kind of stages they go through.”

That said, Wenger is reluctant to prick Wilshere’s natural enthusiasm for doing what he does best.

“I think the best way to help Wilshere is to leave him alone and play football,” said the manager.

“I don’t deny that he is a very promising player. I wouldn’t play him at 19 years of age in the first team with the number of midfielders that I have if I didn’t believe that. But let him play and what he will be, he will be.

“We are all confident that he has a bright future but it’s the first season [for him]. Let him play.”

Wenger - We miss Song like everyone else

Arsène Wenger admits Arsenal miss Alex Song - but no more so than any other player.

Song is suffering from a knee injury and was one of a handful of big names who sat out Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester United.

But Wenger refused to use his absence as an excuse after his team’s FA Cup exit at Old Trafford.

The Cameroon midfielder has not featured since the Carling Cup Final on February 27 and Wenger admits he will not be fit in time for Saturday’s crucial Premier League trip to West Brom.

“I don't think it's down to one player,” said the Arsenal manager.

“We would like Song back and we would like Fabregas back. We have now to cope with Djourou [being] out and he is an outstanding player.

"I don't know [when Song will be fit again]. But certainly not for Saturday."

‘Things do not go our way at the moment’ - Wenger

On his assessment of the game…
We had good control of the game. Manchester United had very few chances, they scored with almost their first attempt on goal. After that, we put them in a position they like to be [in] - on the counter attack. They are strong and they are clinical in front of goal. In the second half we had a good opportunity to come back to 1-1 and two minutes later it was 2-0. As long as you cannot come back to 2-1, they are comfortable. In the end, I cannot fault our effort. Things do not go our way at the moment. We have to keep going, support each other and come back strong. It was a strange game, we put a lot of effort in. At the moment, every goalkeeper against us is Man of the Match. I still believe, subconsciously, the disappointment of Tuesday night has played a part today. You could see something has gone, not in our effort or our attitude, but confidence wise.




On his belief that Arsenal can win the Premier League…
I believe that we can do it. It is a good test for us now, to show that we can regroup, show our mental strength and respond quickly. We have a week without a midweek game, that is the first time for a long time. Unfortunately, we lost Johan Djourou for the rest of the season. It will be difficult. We have a good opportunity to show that we are solid.

On whether the season is slipping away…
No. I am very disappointed. We lost three challenges in a strange way. We were not outplayed today but we were punished by a team who were more clinical than us.

On Johan Djourou’s injury…
[He has a] dislocated should. His season is over.

On Paul Scholes’ tackles today…
The pitch was good, the referee was good and the tackles of Paul Scholes were bad.

On his team’s mental strength…
You will find out. We will have to [answer] this type of question in the next few weeks. We have to show that we have an answer to that. We are used to being questioned by our environment, we have to show we are strong enough to deal with that.

On the Premier League title race…
It will strengthen our resolve at home. The Manchester United game [in the Premier League] is only important if we win our games before that. I am convinced that if that game is decisive, we have a good chance to do it at home. Before that, it’s important we respond very quickly. We go to West Brom on Saturday, we will see the first signs of how we recover.

On how the Barcelona defeat affected him…
I was very disappointed but I was not affected. I thought we would qualify today. They are always very efficient and if you do not take your chances you don’t win the games against them.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger 'disgusted' by decisions that denied Arshavin a penalty and a goal, branding them 'unacceptable'

Arsene Wenger couldn't hide his frustration after watching Sunderland hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates, with the Gunners denied what their manager felt was a clear penalty and a goal that could have secured all three points for the hosts.

Andrey Arshavin went to ground in the area after a clumsy challenge from Titus Bramble, but referee Anthony Taylor brushed aside the appeal which left Wenger a frustrated spectator. The Russian also had the ball in the net, only to be denied by an incorrect offside call.

Arshavin was put through one-on-one with Simon Mignolet, but the assistant referee raised his flag. However, replays revealed that the attacker was onside and the goal that followed Arshavin's run should have counted, adding more disappointment for Wenger and his team.

In the immediate aftermath of the match, a seething Wenger told BBC Sport: "I am too disgusted to speak about it frankly. I believe Arshavin was not offside but what can you do?"

The two dropped points meant Arsenal missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Manchester United, who play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

"If you cancel goals for offside when it is not offside it is difficult to win football games," added Wenger.

"It is not the first time. What can you say? We put a lot of commitment in the game.

"These kind of things have too big an impact on the Premier League and we are deeply disappointed.

"We are very frustrated because we gave a lot. Unfortunately we could not score, we tried everything but Sunderland defended very well.

"What can I do about it now?

"It is my job to deliver football games and the referee's job to give the right decisions.

"We have to take it on the chin and move on to the next game but we feel as though justice has not been done."

The Arsenal boss later told Sky Sports News: "He [Arshavin] was pushed, of course he was pushed.

"When you see the penalties we got [awarded against us] at Newcastle and then this kind of penalty is not given, but you take it on the chin and continue to fight but it is absolutely disappointing and not acceptable."

Overall, the Gunners manager could take few positives from the game but the Frenchman applauded Sunderland's efforts and their defensive display.

"They [Arsenal's players] gave a lot today, they put a lot of energy in but it was difficult," he explained.

"Sunderland defended very hard and showed not a lot of ambition because they have lost a lot of games recently, so we had to be patient."

He added: "We were unlucky with some bars and posts and as well.

"Arshavin is clean through without being offside, it's very, very disappointing. It's very difficult to take for us that in a game of this importance that that kind of decision goes against us. If it's offside, it's offside, but we are all disappointed.  Definitely."

The efforts of Sunderland's Belgian 'keeper was another factor in Arsenal's misery as Craig Gordon's stand-in put on a wonderful display to keep out anything the hosts would throw at him and his display didn't go unnoticed by Wenger.

The Frenchman added: "Congratulations to him [Mignolet], they defended well, they played well, Sunderland. They gave absolutely everything, they played a cup game as well so it was tough to find space. We came out with 100% effort but unfortunately I have seen some things today that are difficult to take."

Nicklas Bendtner's hat-trick puts him in contention to start ‘vital game’ against Sunderland - Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Nicklas Bendtner is in contention to start the upcoming game against Sunderland, after the striker scored a hat-trick against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.

The towering Dane has made only two starts in the Premier League so far this season, and has in the past been vocal about not receiving enough game time.

The Frenchman also dropped a hint that the forward could be involved in the all-important Champions League second leg against Barcelona, if he puts in a strong performance against Sunderland.

"It [the hat-trick against Leyton Orient] puts him in contention to play against Sunderland. For us that is a vital game," Wenger told reporters.

"If we win it it puts us in a great position.

"But he [Bendtner] played well last year at Barcelona but what is important now is that if he plays he plays well against Sunderland."

The Gunners can put the pressure on Manchester United by reducing the gap between the two sides to just one point on Saturday.

The north London club also have a game in hand over the Old Trafford outfit, which makes the coming games very important - particularly more so as the boss has confirmed that winning the Premier League is now the priority.

And with Robin van Persie out for three weeks due to a knee injury, the onus falls on Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh to do the damage up front.

Wenger said: "We have lost Van Persie so for Bendtner and Chamakh to score is very important.

"We need them to have the level of confidence you need your strikers to have to take on the big games.

"They took their chances [on Wednesday] and did very well."

Concerning Chamakh, the manager added: "With the games here in front of us we need Chamakh.

"He had a great start to the season until the end of November and beginning of December.

"After he had a little bit of burnout and now in training he looks to have come back.

"For a while he looked very tired but it is really good for him to have scored."

Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal's sustained Premier League run is more challenging than Carling Cup

Arsene Wenger insists winning the Carling Cup would be another progressive step forward for Arsenal but the Frenchman believes his side’s consistency in the Premier League is a more difficult feat.

Only Arsenal and Manchester United have finished in the top four each season for the past 12 years, although the overwhelming majority have pointed to Wenger’s side’s distinct lack of trophies – their last being an FA Cup win in 2005 – as a critical point.

But Wenger maintains a sustained place in the Premier League’s elite should be considered an achievement, regardless of the fact there may be no tangible rewards.

"Winning the Carling Cup will be like beating Chelsea, like beating Barcelona - another step forward," said Wenger.

"It is always very difficult to say whether it is harder to finish always in the top four, or to win the Carling Cup.

"The most difficult is consistency at the top, and the proof of that is that only two clubs have been able to finish in the top four for each of the last 12 years, us and Manchester United.

"It is true that winning the Carling Cup will mean we don't have to answer that question any more about whether we can win trophies.

Wenger, however, has pointed out the potential end of the club’s six-year-trophy drought will raise belief within the squad and has dismissed the status of the Carling Cup being an important factor.

"It will be important for the confidence of the team for the rest of the season."

"We have a young squad and this will do much for their confidence.

"Because people are so much after us about trophies, we want to win one, but mainly because to win it would give us a lift.

"There is a weight on the team - we have to deliver trophies because we have not won any.

"The players say: 'okay, we want to win a trophy to show you we can win one'."

"How big the trophy is everyone will rate differently. I am confident that we've been, up to now, the most consistent team because we're still in everything. So it will convince the team they can deliver more."

Arsenal will be without their captain Cesc Fabregas after the midfielder aggravated his hamstring in their 1-0 win over Stoke City and Wenger has reiterated the importance of the Spaniard in the club’s other competitions.

"Cesc is disappointed, but his disappointment is diminished by the fact that we have other main targets after this game, like the championship, the Champions League and the FA Cup," said Wenger.

"If he was playing, he could damage his participation in all the other targets after that.

"Of course, he accepts it with disappointment, but our job isn't just about good things. It's also about disappointments."

"Could Cesc play with the injury he has? Certainly not at 100 per cent - and he could make the damage much worse, then be out for three, four, five weeks maybe."

Wenger has also dismissed the idea of getting distracted over the amount of medals he has won during his time at Arsenal.

"I am a futurist, not nostalgic. I have given some [medals] away, some must be in a cupboard, somewhere. Frankly, I am not collecting at all,” he said.

Wenger - We can win all four trophies

Arsène Wenger still believes Arsenal can win all four competitions.

The Gunners remain the only English side still capable of winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup and Wenger sees no reason why they shouldn’t target an unprecedented quartet.

However, with the games coming think and fast, Wenger knows his ambition could be extinguished very quickly.

Arsenal continue a run of four fixtures in four different competitions when they travel to Leyton Orient on Sunday in the FA Cup Fifth Round and then next week face Stoke in the Premier League and Birmingham in the League Cup Final.

“We want to go for every single competition, I have said that many times,” reiterated Wenger.

“How far will we go? I personally believe we can go in every competition to the end. But we can as well stop very quickly.

“It’s just down to how much we believe and how much commitment we show. What I am convinced of [is] we have the hunger, we have some talent and we are committed to going as far as we can.

“I can't tell you that we do not want to do it. We are in all the competitions so we will do our best. My job is to get the team as far as it can.

“You do not choose at the moment to drop any competition, it would be silly. How far we will be capable to go, I don't know. My job is to take the team as far as we can.”

Wenger : 'It was a special night for Arsenal'

On the result…
I am highly delighted because it was a special football match. The game promised a lot and absolutely fulfilled the promises between two exceptional football teams who always try to play. We were not only strong on the physical side but on the mental side, we kept resilient. We took advantage of one special piece of skill from Van Persie and the goal for the second was after some good build-up play. It was a special night. When we suffered, the fans were still very positive.

On the second leg at the Nou Camp...
Tonight's result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief. We know it will be a very difficult game but we will prepare well. We will be highly focused and we go to win our game. It is a special lift for my team. Our players have shown exceptional strength tonight and togetherness. This will enforce that.

On taking off Alex Song…
It was a mixture of the yellow card [he received] and because I wanted to go for it. We finished with Wilshere, Fabregas, Nasri, Bendtner and Van Persie - we needed to score two goals. We took a gamble and it could have backfired and we could have lost 2-0 or 3-0 to them. It worked.

On Jack Wilshere…
He was outstanding tonight. He was not fazed by the occasion in difficult periods. He took the ball and got out of the pressure.

On whether Arsenal are favourites…
We are not favourites. We believe we have a chance. Barcelona are still favourites and we know tonight that we can beat them - which we did not know last year. From now on, it is important we put the game out of our mind. We have an FA Cup match on Sunday. We have to be focused.

On Barcelona's possession…
The problem with their possession if that if you are a fraction late, you can be in trouble. We were prepared mentally to live with that. We normally have the ball more than the opponent but we knew tonight that they would have the ball for 60 per cent.

On what it means to the Club…
I am proud for Arsenal Football Club. Everyone urged us to play differently to our nature so it is good. I believe that it can strengthen the belief in our philosophy. We are 23 years old - our average - the average age is very, very young. It is very promising for the future. Our target is to keep these players together.

On Samir Nasri's return…
He became stronger and stronger. He did not look like a player who has not played for such a long time. He started hesitantly and became more confident.
On good results for England in the Champions League…
It is difficult to know that and difficult to compare. Tonight, we played against the best team in the world in my opinion and we beat them. But that does not take away any quality. They are still an exceptional side. Last night was a different game [between Tottenham and Milan]. But the English Premier League is strong.

On Laurent Koscielny's performance…
For me, he was outstanding. He is improving.

On the prospect of facing Lionel Messi again…
Who doesn't worry about Messi? That will be a task to keep him quiet but we take some encouragement from tonight. The team has a great togetherness and a great mental belief. We have to be faithful in what we try to do and that is score goals.

Arsene Wenger: I want Serbian to replace me as manager of Arsenal

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he would like Serbian Dragan Stojkovic to replace him at the Emirates once he retires from the game.


As a player, Stojkovic was on the books for Red Star Belgrade and Marseille, while he also enjoyed a long international career as captain of Yugoslavia. Now, the man nicknamed Piksi (Pixie), is managing Wenger’s former club Nagoya Grampus Eight and has impressed the Frenchman.

Wenger told Serbian paper Vecernje Novosti: “I would love Stojkovic to be my successor, there are a hundred reasons for that.

”Our ideas are the same and we both strive for perfect football. I knew he was going to have teams playing attacking football with many passes… He has done that, showing he will be a great coach. I told him that if he could transmit his football imagination to his players he would fly high.”

Stojkovic won the J-League title with Nagoya last season and also played under Wenger when he coached the Japanese side in 1995. The Frenchman revealed that the pair are very close friends: “Dragan comes to London at least once a year,” Wenger confirmed. “We meet up, chat and try to outsmart each other. It’s a great achievement for him to have won a championship. I was a coach in Japan for two years and didn’t manage it even though I had Piksi, who was the best player in the league, in my team.”

Wenger signed a new contract at the club in August, keeping him in London until 2014, although he admitted it could be his last: ”At 65 I will certainly move to some different job, unless I still feel like I feel today.”

Arsenal not looking to buy but may recall loaned out youngsters due to Samir Nasri injury - Arsene Wenger

 

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he may have to recall some of his players who are out on loan after losingSamir Nasri to injury and Sebastien Squillaci to suspension during their 2-1 win over Huddersfield in the FA Cup.

The Gunners were made to work hard for their place in the fifth round of the cup after going down to 10 men in the first half when Squillaci brought down Jack Hunt after the midfielder's mazy run.

They also lost Samir Nasri to a hamstring injury, which makes him a doubt for the Champions League tie against Barcelona.

And Wenger revealed he may have to look into bringing some of his loaned out youngsters back to the Emirates to boost his squad.

He told reporters: "I will look at the option of recalling some loan players.

"People like Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Henri Lansbury could come back.

"Kyle Bartley is slightly different because he has never played in the Premier League so it could be difficult."

But Wenger insisted it was not likely he would sign anyone in the remaining few days of the transfer window, despite losing Nasri and Squillaci and having doubts about Denilson's fitness.

He added: "No, we will not sign anyone. I cannot say definitely because if someone knocks at my door tomorrow and says 'I want to play for you' and he is a good player I will sign him."

Arsenal were stretched to the limit against their League One opponents and for long periods look like they would lose their record of never being beaten by lower league opposition during Wenger's reign.

But thanks to a last-gasp Cesc Fabregas penalty the Gunners sealed their place in the fifth round, leaving Wenger's unbeaten cup record against lower league opponents intact.

Wenger said: "[The record] shows how seriously we take the cup, but usually I get questioned about that.

 "It was tough, tough, tough today and typical of a cup game.

"We were below par today but Huddersfield are a good team, who were dangerous from crosses and set-pieces.

"At 1-1 and down to 10 men the record was seriously under threat but in the end we had the quality just to make the difference."

The Frenchman also questioned Mark Clattenburg's decision to send-off Squillaci but feared the worst at the time.

He added: "I think the sending off was a bit harsh. Was he the last man?

"There was a long way to the goal but it was a foul and I feared a red card and in the end it was given."

Wenger: 'We feel stronger in every game'

On Robin van Persie's form...
He is back in form. He was already fit and sharp last week and overall we had a good team performance so he could finish a hat-trick.

On not taking first-half chances...
The players were a bit frustrated because we did not take our chances but I felt in the first half we played outstanding football. We feel stronger and stronger in every single game. It is interesting the chance we have in front of us because we have an interesting game, the way we play is for me fantastic to watch. Let's just keep going.

On his attacking options...
Of course it is important to have Robin at this level but we have plenty of offensive players. First of all let's hope we can keep him fit until the end of the season. It is down to us to use him in the right proportion of the games we play.

On rotating the squad for Ipswich...
We will rotate, we have no choice. We play nine games in January, it's the most we have ever played. When you look at the fixtures we had in December it means we need to rotate from game to game. But we have fantastic players on the bench and it is very important because we cannot always play with the same XI.

On telling Van Persie when he will be rested...
He handles it alright. He is intelligent but of course he wants to play. He was at Leeds on the bench, he came on and scored.

On his penalty takers...
[Van Persie has] always [been the No 1 penalty taker]. What happened today will not change my mind. I find it's difficult to approve when the ball goes into the stand on the penalty, no matter how tolerant you are! I would have loved the ball to go in the net.

On keeping so many clean sheets...
We look more and more stable and defensively we were questioned a lot on that front. Maybe the fact you [reporters] ask me in every press conference 'do I buy a defender?' it keeps our defenders on their toes.

On the prospect of buying a defender...
I am open-minded on it and if the right opportunity turns up we will take it. We are not desperate, we have Vermaelen who can still play a big part in the end of the season and we have Squillaci who comes back maybe next Sunday. Song can play at the back too.

On finding the right player...
It is not two weeks to make your mind up, it is two weeks to find the right players. It is not just because you want to buy that you find exactly what you need. I think that if you look at the defenders who play the moment - we have Djourou and Koscielny, and Vermaelen who played before - we have always found the right players. Trust us - if the opportunity is there we will take it, if it's not we will play with the players we have, and I will not use that as an excuse if we don't win trophies.

On whether it is worth spending extra this time...
The question makes sense but practically it doesn't work like that. It is not because you have money available that you just find the player available, no? We have the needed money to spend if we want but the players you would want are not necessarily available. At the moment I feel that, unless we have a big problem at the centre back, we can deal with the situation.

On Cesc Fabregas' performance...
I think he was outstanding. At the end of the game he was frustrated because he didn't score but for me the ball he gave for the second goal was absolutely amazing. The second goal I could watch that and watch it and watch it again because it's just pure class from the pass to the finish.

Wenger - Fabregas is an outstanding leader

Arsène Wenger has played down reports of a 'rift' between Denilson and Cesc Fabregas and insists that the Arsenal captain is an "outstanding leader".

In an interview with Arsenal Brasil, during a wider discussion about leadership, Denilson said that Fabregas was "not a leader" in the traditional sense. His quotes made headlines in the tabloids but Fabregas himself explained on Wednesday that his team-mate's comments had been taken out of context.

Wenger was asked for his view after Arsenal's 3-1 win over Leeds in the FA Cup and the Frenchman poured cold water on reports of a problem between his two midfielders.

"Firstly, I must say I don’t know exactly what was [said] in the interview and I do not want to answer what has been reported in the newspapers when I have not heard exactly what he said," said Wenger.

"But they are two good friends and have a lot of respect for each other. Cesc Fabregas is our captain and Robin van Persie is our vice captain, we have many leaders in our team and we are very happy with our captain.

"We have a shared leadership in our team but Fabregas is our captain. I believe Fabregas is an outstanding leader. [On Wednesday night] Nasri was captain, so we have many. The way we want to play football it’s important that everybody takes responsibility."

Arsene Wenger only wants one player for Arsenal this month

 

ARSENE Wenger has admitted he will wait until the end of the transfer window to decide whether or not to bring in defensive reinforcements for the stricken Thomas Vermaelen.

The Gunners boss has asked his medical team for a final answer on whether or not Vermaelen will be fit to play a part in the second half of the season.

The Belgian defender has not played since August because of an Achilles problem, and Wenger admitted this week he is still in the dark over whether or not the 25-year-old will recover.

“I completely exclude any signings in midfield or the offensive department,” said Wenger on Tuesday.
“At the back it just depends on Vermaelen. I am waiting to know more about him and at the end of January I will have to make a decision.”

If the diagnosis is a negative one then Wenger will enter the transfer market, and may even consider taking a player on a six-month loan as emergency cover.

Aston Villa’s Gary Cahill has been a long-term target for the Gunners boss, but Bolton Wanderers have pinned a £20million price tag on the England defender’s head.

Fulham’s Brede Hangeland is another name Wenger knows well, but the Norway international is unlikely to be allowed to leave Craven Cottage.

Meanwhile another player who is on Arsenal’s radar, young Paris St Germain defender Mamadou Sakho, will not be making a January move, according to his agent.

“No, I don’t think he will leave PSG in January,” said Werner Baader, who represents the 20-year-old Frenchman

“It isn’t possible in the January transfer window, but a move in the summer is possible. We will wait and see.”
Other than his defensive concerns, Wenger reported a clean bill of health for his squad in the New Year and feels they are ready to launch an assault for the Premier League title.

“We are confident, we have great belief, we are highly motivated, very hungry to do well and overall physically we are in a good shape,” said Wenger.

“This is the first time we go into a New Year with a squad of this size available. We have no new injuries and lots of players coming back.

“Kieran Gibbs will be available for Saturday, Aaron Ramsey is back from loan, [Henri] Lansbury as well and Abou Diaby will only be a few weeks.

“[The title race] is not so clear this year, there are five teams in the fight. Some teams have a bit more belief than others but that can change very quickly. It promises a very interesting sprint.

“We are in a period of the season now where the team who can be consistent now will do it. You always have a team who finds momentum after Christmas, and that team will win the championship.”

'We had the performance and not the result'

On the performance against Manchester City…
I feel we had the performance and not the result. But I take a lot of encouragement from tonight’s game, even if mathematically we are all frustrated and the players are very disappointed. But overall there is no way we should lose courage or belief in our team. It is the opposite. We should even come out with even more belief in our quality and be more resolute in the coming games because we have shown we have what it takes to be a serious contender in this League.

On his regrets about the game…
The regret I have tonight is that we did not take our early chances because that would have changed the game. They came here to have a 0-0 and they got what they wanted. I believe had we scored the first goal it would have changed the run of the game tremendously. We faced long, long periods in the game where we faced 10 men as Tevez – I have never seen him so deep. When we lost a little bit of sharpness and freshness in our movement, we looked less dangerous, because you need to play against 10 men like that in the final third. Quality passing, sharp movements… they became more difficult as the game went down.

On Manchester City's approach…
I wasn’t surprised because they came here last year set up to play 0-0 as well. I wasn’t too surprised, but I hoped that we would have scored one of our early chances. I must say as well that we were unlucky because we hit the post a few times, their keeper made a few good saves and they defended very deep. So it was difficult.
 
On playing for time at the end of the game…
That was the frustrating thing of the night a little bit, yes.  That was showing that they were happy with the 0-0. I can never understand why when the goal kick is on the right, the goalkeeper goes on the left. It’s always a sign that they are happy to gain a few seconds when they go down and are not in a hurry to get up. We faced that today and I would rather take the positive out of the game. It is a long way to go and I believe my team gets stronger and stronger thought we have to keep focusing on what we do.

We try to win our games always, but maybe it was their way to try to win. To defend deep and to catch us on the break and make something special. That was the way they were organized tonight. We have to respect that and sort out the problems we face. Even if a team defends deep, we have to find a way to score and you cannot reproach Man City for that. Maybe it was not the most spectacular way but still they were efficient in what they wanted and they got it.

On the sending off…
It was harsh. I hoped for a second that it would be two yellows because the game was fair. It was not very physical or a game full of hate, it was a respectful game. Both teams were committed but I hoped yellow and we got red. He can only show yellow or red and he chose red. It looked to me a little out of context to the game, but we have to look at it again because it was on the other side of the bench.

On whether he will appeal the decision…
I don’t know. I will look at it first before I make a decision. It will be three games, but it is good for us because three games is always only one week for us.  
 
On Mancini saying his approach was due to missing players…
They played Barry, De Jong and Toure in midfield. Tevez up front. At the back they had I think a strong defence. They missed maybe one or two players. They missed Silva maybe. I cannot explain his approach only he can explain his approach.

On Fabregas being frustrated…
Of course Cesc is upset because he wants to win the game. He doesn’t go out there to play a draw he goes out there to win and every time he does not win I can tell you he is very frustrated. But we are all [frustrated] tonight. I don’t blame my team. I think I would more encourage them to keep playing like we do and win more games than we draw.