Arsene Wenger replies critics

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has been under fire following his teams lackluster form especially after it lost at home to Manchester United last Saturday. Many fans, administrators as well as some former players have strongly criticized Wenger, who has only won one trophy in nine and a half years.

A Gunners shareholder, Alisher Usmanov, whose Red & White Holdings Group has just over a 30 per cent stake in Arsenal’s parent company in an interview with CNBC, questioned the direction of the north London club.

He had said that Wenger’s errors were not properly reviewed and that this failure to look into the Frenchman’s mistakes was preventing he club from becoming one of Europe’s leading sides.

But Wenger, speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmound at the Emirates shrugged off the criticism saying he was not bothered:

 “When you are such a long time in football as I am, you don’t understand any more what crisis means.

“I must get to the dictionary and look at it well again.

“During the 18 years I have been here I have shown that I can take criticism. Everybody has the right to have an opinion, having said that, we have values at this club.

“The first one is when we go through a difficult patch, we show solidarity. That is a very important one.

“The second one is that, when you have something to say to each other, we say it face to face. We don’t need to go to the newspapers.

“I don’t take (Usmanov’s comments) personally at all. It is an opinion that I respect, but when you are from this club, you are from this club. You are in or out, you cannot be both.

“I am long enough in the game to know that when you play well, but lose the game, you get flooded with critics, however, if you play a very bad game, but you win it, everyone says how great you are.

“It is our job to take a distance with that and see what was right and what was wrong. The rest is part of the game.”

 “What is important is how close we are together inside the club and how much we can respond to people who question our quality,”

“I personally feel that there is a very strong bond inside the team and the club, and that this team will have a very strong season.

“I believe in what I do and I especially believe in my players, and in their quality and spirit.

“I question myself every day and I hope you do that as well”