Arsene Wenger believes his team can bounce back from their poor away form in the league despite their character being called into question after last week’s defeat at Everton Watford.
The Gunners travel to Everton on Sunday looking for their first Premier League away win of the season and know a win could take them level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.
Speaking to Sky Sports the boss, who celebrates his 68th birthday today, also underlined that experiencing defeat doesn’t get any easier with age.
“It’s a nightmare what happens to a manger’s heart and head after defeat,” he said.
“It’s horrible and that doesn’t get better with age. But people think too many times that the players don’t care. Players want to be heroes, be stars, win every game…
“I believe that they have (leadership qualities) and that’s at stake on Sunday. It’s what we have to show until the end of the season. We’re involved in many competitions. Every team has to deal with a bad result – it’s how you respond.
He added: “Football’s about the moment. What looks unstoppable in October might not be the case in December. But that can only happen if other teams continue to believe in their quality.”
Wenger, with 18 months left on the deal he signed last summer, was also asked whether he’s frightened about the prospect of retiring.
“Yes,” he admited. “Because every end is to be in front of the unknown and of course it can be a bit frightening.
“But even if it is frightening, I’m not too scared. I just want to do what I do as long as I think I can do it well and I have the motivation to do it. On that front, I have no doubt.
“After, the day will come quickly, maybe not, but I am completely focused and completely committed.”
What a man!
I don’t trust this board to appoint the right man even if Wenger does do the right thing
Unfortunate typo in the first sentence… even blogs is going into this expecting to lose.
I love him as a man, I really do, but I can’t force myself anymore to read and watch the same things over and over again. Even that little video for his birthday on official Arsenal facebook page is the same as last year I believe (please prove me wrong). :/
Anyway, happy birthday to the boss! Let’s beat the struggling Everton today!
The media keep asking the same questions all the time! Hence the answers
Some fans want to see a different face and hear a different voice just for the sake of it. I understand fans who want Wenger out to get back to George Graham style defending and i am okay with that idea but the players we have at the moment are all attacking players and we are fundamentally an attacking team. Switching style means wholesale changes in the squad and that means a lot of money. Lot of fans don’t realize we have with all his flaws the best manager in world football with us (not counting Zidane). I am not… Read more »
Do the board pick the team ,coach them and decide on tactics and formation? Do the board decide when around the 70th minute we make substitutions and who to bring on and take off ? Do the board identity transfer targets? Wenger is the helmsman not the shipping line owner but as helmsman it is HIS responsibility for keeping his ship afloat and off of the jagged rocks around the coast!
Responsibility. You nailed it. It’s the responsibility of the board to ensure the manager is given money to strengthen the team. We have teams out there who not only spend money but they go the extra mile to make more signings than required. I will question Wenger when the board do their duty..until then I choose to see Wenger as our saviour. They keep saying not spending is the ‘right way’ but I don’t know what the right way is anymore because everyother top club has gone the other way. I was hoping we’d splash the money on M’bappe but… Read more »
be quiet chap
Wenger is our savior? Riiigggghht
Lots of good points. And I agree with most of them. The only point I would challenge is using consistency as a measure of success. Yes of course if you are winning. If you consistently win you are beyond reproach. But first and foremost, you need to be a winner.
True. First and foremost we need to win winnable games.
I do love mr wenger but he’s really scaring me recently. He’ll still be signing contract extensions when he’s 95. ?
The worse things get, the more I know he gives everything of himself into this job.
In some ways that’s the problem – he can’t stop.
What exactly is an arsehobbit?
A hobbit with an arse. Quite rare even in the Shire nowadays.
As long as it’s not little people who live in your arse, that’s a disturbing idea
A little shit?
I think what’s changed over the last year or two is the fans are now united in feeling a new manager is needed.
Even so, I will spend the rest of my days feeling lucky that this man was our manager.
‘Because every end is to be in front of the unknown’.
Who else’s managers comes out with responses as good as that? He sounds like Gandalf.
I’m 100% behind a new owner, but unlike the self righteous fart sniffers on here I’d be delighted to give Usmanov a clean slate to prove himself. With regards to the manager I think we’ve just got to be ruthless, Arsene is still a good manager IMO, so I don’t think it’s as easy as just taking the plunge. But if we can identify a manager? Or if one comes available who we think fits the picture? Then I’d like us to be ruthless. But I know that’s extremely unlikely, and that’s the malaise that’s set in around the Emirates… Read more »
“The self-righteous fart sniffers.” Sorry I’m not delighted at the prospect of a corrupt Uzbek oligarch with ties to dictators and mafiosis owning the club I love. I will try to get rid of my pretentious and petty judgemental nature. I guess you got to “get ahead with the times”, uh ? You should consider sending a C.V over to the sun, I’m sure they would be delighted to offer you a column. (You’re a bit of a knob me thinks)
Every allegation is just an allegation.
Any record has been removed.
He has no criminal record.
And even if he did?
We have a system in the UK that is fair, it’s called the rehabilitation act.
Once you’re considered rehabilitated, you get given the same chances as everyone else and are accepted back into society.
No one was there, no one knows for sure anything about Usmanov.
And yet you’re happy to believe things that have no solid substance and declare yourself judge and jury.
Ancelotti
“…after last week’s defeat at Everton.” this isn’t a good omen for today
We have heard this all before and yet the same things happen. If the players are what he says we wouldn’t have lost at Watford, Stoke and Liverpool
We’re not progressing and others are. That’s hard to dispute. But the environment is difficult for everyone. The fight going on at the bottom… right the way through to the top 8 is probably going to be more interesting that what happens in the top 7 this season. And the Europa league places could even be great crashed. The PL IMO really is the best, even if we don’t have the most talented players. The top 6-7 will drop unexpected points because the competitive nature of the league. In the last week we’ve seen Huddersfield beat United We got turned… Read more »
I don’t care about any other games.
Man Utd lost to Huddersfield yesterday and Chelsea to Crystal Palace a few days ago.
The current champions lost to a team that had not scored a single goal in the first eight games.
These things happens.
Yaaawwwwwwn. Why are we induldging his fear of retirement? Ridiculous.
Happy birthday Wenger. I’ll celebrate your past achievements with us. Thank you for creating the invincibles. Thank you for bringing players like Henry, Viera, Gilberto, Pires, Cesc, Hleb, Solanke Campbell, RVP, Lauren, Sagna, etc to this club. Though you have waned with age, you were one of the best managers in the world. Happy birthday Wenger. I hope you leave in a high. You’ve taken us as far as you can.
It’s tiring to hear about the character, learning the lessons and ‘bounce-bacablity’ of the team like a brilliant but broken record!
I wish we the bare minimum media commitment and show all the above by performance and results on the pitch.
Of course we should have invested more in the squad but even with what we have, we seem to under-achieving.
I am just tiring. Don’t seem to want to watch football at the moment.
I cannot understand how such an intelligent person can not see what everyone else sees that this team and his managerial powers are on the decline. It’s painful seeing such a respected man being ridiculed and slated in the media and rightly calling for his head every week. His stubbornness is now starting to border on the senile as he seems to expect the same tactics that worked for him in the 90s to work against younger, hungrier managers. For his own sanity and legacy it’d probably be better for him to call it a day as I can’t imagine… Read more »
Do us all a favour and retire now please.
Legend.
Changed the face of British football.
Now I’m Hoping the momentum is towards retirement and he stops damaging the club and his legacy even further.
We don’t compete on any level anymore. We don’t make big signings, we don’t develop our own and we don’t scout new talent. We don’t sell big, we don’t have top scorers, we don’t get team of the month, we don’t get manager of the month (haha), we don’t do anything in champs league, we don’t do anything in the prem. We do make all other football fans laugh at how far we have fallen. Great.
Character, momentum & retirement-exactly the three things we are missing from him and the Team.
Lol, the typo was deliberate, dejavu however you spell that…
Sounds like Wenger will retire when he’s ready to retire and not before…
Perhaps not ever!
Hope he goes soon as possible. Massive celebration when the day comes