Wenger insists his focus is on the game against Chelsea not ''Jose Mourinho''

It is no news that Arsenal Manager has not beaten Mourinho after 12 meetings, but the French man has played down the significance of clashing with the Chelsea manager when both sides clash this weekend in the Premier League.

Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday but the Gunners boss does not want to be drawn into managerial rivalry between himself and the Portuguese.

''It is not a confrontation (between managers), it is a confrontation of two teams,'' - he said.

''Football is down to the fact that the performance on the day will decide the game and the result, so let’s focus on that.''

Mourinho's Blues defeated Arsenal 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last October but the Gunners recent form can see them to getting a favourable result at the weekend.

Arsenal duo win Premier League monthly awards

Arsène Wenger and Olivier Giroud have been named the Barclays Manager of the Month and Barclays Player of the Month respectively.

The French manager led the Gunners to four successive Premier League victories in March to win the award for the 14th time and move the club to third in the table. 

In-form Giroud scored five times in those four matches, with a brace at Newcastle United adding to goals against Everton, Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United.

"I’m really pleased with it," Giroud told Arsenal Player. "I would like to thank my team-mates and of course the fans, because it’s a collective sport and I couldn’t do it on my own.

Wenger admits Monaco deserved to go through to quarter final

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has conceded that Monaco deserved to go through to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League after his side failed to perform the ''miracle''.

Google Image: Arsene Wenger

Having lost 3-1 from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal almost pulled off a stunning fightback at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night, but as they say ''almost doesn't kill a bird''.

It is the fifth season in succession that Arsenal have bowed out at this stage, and a disappointed Wenger was left to rue a poor first-leg display.

"It's always difficult to win by three goals," he told beIN Sports. "We have not taken every opportunity we've had tonight. 

"It was not realistic enough, especially after the first leg where we made ​​too many mental mistakes.

"When we look at the number of shots on target by Monaco in the competition and the number of goals, we say we can only congratulate them to be in the quarter-finals. They deserve their place. 

"Monaco have perfectly defended as they have done since the beginning of the Champions League. Again, we pay for our failures in the first leg, while the spirit and quality of play were there tonight."

Mourinho at Wenger again! The Chelsea manager thinks Arsenal should be on top

Mourinho is at it again! The Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, has taken a swipe at Arsene Wenger, claiming Arsenal should be contesting for the Premier League title.

The Gunners are currently 12 points behind the Blues with 12 matches left and sit in third place. Mourinho stated that with the quality of their squad, they should be among the front runners.

"Arsenal? I don't understand why they are not where we are, with Manchester City, because I like their team. I think they have very good players. Alexis, Welbeck... important players added to an already very good squad. I think they are a team for more.

"At this moment Wenger has a dream job that we would all love to have. He has the stability and has the time to buy and sell and wait for success... and wait, and wait... I think he has the dream job.What he did to get so many titles in a certain period gives him the credibility that he deserves. Obviously he is a fantastic manager but he's in a fantastic position to be successful. When I look at the players, I really think they have to win."

Wenger defends Wilshere, says he is not a smoker

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has taken to the defense of Jack Wilshere on the recently reported smoking incident.

The England midfielder was pictured holding a Shisha pipe in a night club in London just months after he was caught smoking at a pool party during the summer holidays.

According to reports on Talksport, "But I observe him well and he behaves in a very professional way. It's down to him to master his life. He had the day off the next day and he went out to watch the Superbowl, -said Wenger.

"When he's here he has to follow the rules that we dictate here, when he's out of his job it's his own responsibility to behave like he wants to behave.

"I believe he works hard, he practices well, he's ahead of schedule in his training, he's two weeks ahead, and you don't do that if you are not serious.He is first in, last out, and he works very hard to get there. I am not worried at all about that.

"You need sometimes to relieve the pressure a bit. I think today it's much more difficult because everywhere you go people make photos and a photo shows one second of your life.

"It doesn't define who you are. I believe you have to take that with a distance as well. I remember when I was in Brazil, I have been seen with some photos by people I didn't even know were around me so you have to be very careful about that. "

Szczesny is Arsenal's Number One Says Wenger

Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger has dismissed rumours that Wojiech Szczesny has been relegated to the back sit following Ospina's recent show and the smoking incident surrounding the Polish goalie.

Google Image: Wojiech Szczesny

He made this statement in a post-match interview with Skysports after Sunday's 3-0 victory over Stoke City.

 

''Will Ospina keep his place? I don’t know, I haven’t made a decision yet,'' said Wenger.

 

''I made a decision for today’s game. Szczesny is our No 1, he is competing with Ospina and (Emiliano) Martinez and that’s our job, we have to accept that.''

 

 

Wenger believes the premier league title is not yet out of reach

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels the premier league title is not totally out of reach for his side although they have to ''fight like mad'' to achieve that.

The Gunners sit 6th place on the log, 13 points behind leader Chelase and six point behind Southampton in third spot.

Report on the club website quotes the Frenchman: ''You cannot say the title race is over after 13 or 14 games,'' Wenger said. ''You also cannot say the six-point gap is not catchable.

''We have not started very well but we didn’t have the squad together since the start of the season. It was a post-World Cup start typically. We have to fight like mad now to come back as much as possible to show that we can compete in every single game.

''We have fought many times for the title. People always remember who won it but the fight has been very tight for long periods in the last eight or nine years.

''We have a big competition in England, we have to accept that. The Premier League level goes always up and this season Chelsea have started very well. They will be difficult to catch but everybody will fight to come back on them.''

Another book of lamentations by Wenger after Arsenal loss at Swansea

Swansea came from a goal down to defeat Arsenal 2-1 in Sunday's premier league game which sa the Gunners taking the lead and losing it again.

Arsenal took the lead after in-form forward Alexis Sanchez fired home from a Danny Welbeck pass before Gyfil Sigurdsson leveled through a spectacular free-kick.

Bafetimbi Gomis came from the bench to grab the winner for Swansea.

It could be recalled that Arsenal lost a three goal lead to Anderlecht in the Champions League last week, however, the Gunners boss agreed that his team lacked ''some spark or killer instinct'' to seal off games right now.

''It’s disappointing to throw a game away like we did. We were 1-0 up and had to be tight defensively and wait for that second chance. But you have to credit Swansea who didn’t give up,'' Wenger told BBC Sport.

''Football you can believe anything is possible, any minute you can concede. Bafetimbi Gomis is good in the air and it can happen. You have to accept that Swansea will fight until the last minute. We eased off at 1-0 and let them back into the game.

''Football is down to performances. People can say what they want. We are here to produce performances, and didn't do that right until the end of the game.

''We lacked some spark or killer instinct to take the game away from Swansea.''

''If you want to challenge the Premier League we have to be more realistic than we were today.''

Wenger admits Arsenal draw against Anderlecht was shocking, says the team is not affected by criticsm

Google Image

Arsenal manager Arsene wenger has described Tuesday's 3-3 draw against Anderlecht in the UCL group game as a shocking result.

Wenger was speaking in a press conference on Friday morning ahead of Sunday's premier league match at Swansea.

The manager expressed his displeasure about midweek but affirmed that the team has shrugged it off and ready to move on by the weekend.

"It was a shock but overall we know we can score goals and do better defensively.'' -said Arsenal Boss.

"We can learn a lot from what happened. Subconsciously we thought the game was over and it rarely is."

Many football pundits and fans have also criticized Wenger and his team for losing such a number of goals to Anderlecht being fully aware of its implication.

"That's the job of people who work on TV or in newspapers. They're just doing their job"

"We are very positive inside the camp. We are not affected by negativity. We are not happy when we don't win but that's it"

Wenger confirms Olivier Giroud's return date

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that French striker Olivier Giroud will join training next week and not next year as earlier envisaged. 

The forward broke his leg during a premier league game against Everton but is preparing for his return having played just four games for the club this season.

Wenger told the club's official website that midfielder Mikel Arteta who picked up a hamstring injury during midweek's UCL challenge with Anderlecht would not play a part in Sunday's league game, while Jack Wilshere is back into the fold while

''Arteta will be out for Sunday. He has a mild hamstring strain and he will be out for a short period because it's a grade one. He should be back after the internationals.'' - said Wenger.

''Jack is alright, he is back in the squad for Sunday.

''Laurent Koscielny has a little chance to be back after the international break.

''Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and Mesut Ozil are progressing very well, but of course they are not available before or straight after the international break.''

Wenger ''angry and disappointed'', says Arsenal defended poorly

Manager of Arsenal has aired his view on the three goals his side lost to Anderlecht in the Champions League return leg on Tuesday night saying they were poor defensively.

The Gunners took a 3 goal lead before the Belgian side rallied back to ensure the match ended in a stalemate.

''You have to give them [Anderlecht] credit because the fought until the end and we had a poor defensive performance from the first to the last minute today. - said Wenger in a post-match press conference. (Quoting from club website)

''We never felt comfortable and somewhere we got punished because of bad luck. 

''The first goal was offside but defensively our performance was not good enough to do it. 

 ''It's very disappointing but overall over the two games we got four points.''

Wenger blames Arsenal 2-2 draw against Hull City on luck

Arsenal manager has aired his disappointment after his side were held to a 2-2 draw despite having huge possession over visiting Hull City on Saturday in their EPL game.

The Gunners took the lead through an Alexis Sanchez solo goal but Mohamed Diame equalized for the visitors to end half time with one goal appease.

Arsenal.com

Hull grabbed their second as Abel Hernandez rose to a cross heading home to put his side ahead in the second half before Danny Welbeck  pulled a late equalizer for the Emirates side.

Quoting the Gunners manager on the club website: “It is a very disappointing result because we were very unlucky with the referee’s decision for the first goal.

“They had two shots and scored two goals but we had to keep going and that saved us a point in the end. It is a long time since we’ve dominated so much and not won the game.

“Look at the shots on goal; how many times did they come into our half? They defended well and we made it difficult for ourselves by giving them a second goal. Sometimes the team that takes the initiative doesn’t win. We tried our best and we can only look at ourselves.

“We have conceded too many goals and we have to look at ourselves defensively. Some other teams have bought many defenders and concede goals as well. I think it’s a matter of concentration.”

Ozil, Wenger trend on Social Media #Injuries

For the past 48 hours Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been trending owing to his famous attack at Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho during the 2-0 bashing of the gunners at Stamford Brdig on Sunday.

It's midweek already and you wonder why the Frenchman is still making the headlines despite the international break. Players having to leave for their respective countries to prosecute continental qualifying games.

Like every other player would for international games, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil did despite being reported to have suffered a tear in his right left in Sunday's games against the Blues.

Reports from Germany indicate that the player (Mesut Özil) has been will be out for between ten and 12 weeks with a partial knee ligament tear.

According to Guardian UK, The DFB announced that he had suffered a “partial lateral ligament tear in the left knee” and would be “out for 10-12 weeks.”

Are you still asking why they are both trending?

More worries for Arsenal fans and even Wenger himself with reference to lingering injury worries featuring the likes of Olivier Giroud and Mathieu Debuchy who are long-term casualties with fibia and ankle problems respectively while Aaron Ramsey is not expected to play before the start of November because of a hamstring strain. Theo Walcott, Serge Gnabry, Yaya Sanogo, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby are also out.

Are you still asking questions? Check Twitter

Wenger praises Diego Costa, says ''he's a killer''

 Arsene Wenger, has praised new Chelsea marksman Diego Costa for settling in quickly in the Premier League calling him a ''killer''.

Twitter/@Chelsea_zone

The former Athletico Madrid striker didn't hesitate to make his presence known to all, scoring eight league goals already for the Blues which includes one hat-trick.

Arsenal boss admitted Costa was on his radar last season, admitted that he expected him to take more time to adapt.

''I’ve never seen a player adapt as quickly as he has,'' said Wenger. ''He has done fantastically well. He has all the aspects of a striker that you like. He’s focused, always determined, ready for a fight and I’m very impressed.

''He has got players who can feed him like Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, who can find him with final passes. He’s a very efficient player. The timing of his runs and his determination, his killing determination – you feel he’s a killer. He has that in him.

Arsenal will have to face the ''killer striker'' on Sunday at the Stamford Bridge in a bid to either re-write history or otherwise.

Jack Wilshere makes Arsenal squad for UCL clash against Galatasary

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that Jack Wilshere is among the squad for the UCL Clash against Galatasary on Wednesday.

Arsenal.com

Wilshere has been a doubt for the match after he sustained an ankle injury in saturday's London debry against Tottenham, but reports have it that the England midfielder trained on Tuesday morning.

Wenger however confirmed that the player may not start but will play some part in the match.

''He is in the squad for tomorrow. Will I start him? I don’t know yet but he’s in the squad.''

Speaking on other injured members of the team, he said ''I left Abou Diaby out as well because he’s not completely there yet. 

Arteta and Ramsey who both sustained injuries during the London derby match, ''To be generous with time, four weeks. If all goes well, three. Arteta is the same, maybe a bit quicker. It will be after the international break," he said.

Theo Walcott who has been out since could also return next week quoting Wenger.

Wenger confirms Nigerian duo Akpom, Ajayi for Southampton Capital One clash

Nigerian youngsters Chuba Akpom and Semi Ajayi are among the Arsenal squad preparing to face Southampton in Capital One encounter billed for Tuesday.

@Fcnaija.com

Over the years Arsene Wenger has proven to be a manager who gives youngsters with prospects the chance to prove their mettle and these Nigerians have made the fold.

''You might see Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin and Isaac Hayden,''  Wenger told the club website when asked the complexion of the team to face the Saints at the Emirates.

''In the squad, we also have Chuba Akpom and Semi Ajayi as well. These are the players that are the closest. The Gunners’ boss added. 

Wenger said on Akpom, ''I'm happy that he has developed as a goalscorer, because when he was a younger kid, his problem was finishing. 

''That has gone now.''

Semi on the other hand is a defender 

Arsenal defender Debuchy undergoes surgery, to be out for three months

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that defender Mathiue Debuchy will be out for about three months having had a surgery on his ankle.

The French international injured his ankle during 2-2 against Manchester City at the Emirates and has since then been sidelined.

Gunners manager told the club website on Monday, ''He has had surgery and will be out for three months,'' Wenger said ''A reasonable delay is three months.

''It all went well, but it can be a week or two earlier or a week or two later, but it will be around three months.

''It is a blow of course, how big it will be we will only know afterwards because it will be down to how well we replace him. We bought [Calum] Chambers for that.''

Wenger's confidence in Ozil pays off as German inspires Gunners to victory against Aston Villa

Despite fans' fierce criticism of Mesut Ozil, Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger said he has never doubted the potentials of the Germany which is the reason why he didn't leave him out of the starting team against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Ozil grabbed the opener while he also set up new comer Danny Welbeck in the match that ended 3-0 in favour of the Gunners.

''Özil was at the point where you have to show him the confidence was there and he showed he can respond well under scrutiny,'' Wenger said.

''You never know how people will respond. Did I ever consider dropping him? Not really, no.

''His best position is playing in the middle [as he did at Villa] but I can find you ten more players in the squad who want to play in that position.

''This was the response we needed after Tuesday night. We scored three goals in three minutes and in the second half it was a possession game because Villa didn’t come on to us much.”

Wenger also praised Welbeck, who opened his account for the club, following his £16m move from Manchester United.

''Knowing the media, it was good for him to score early! He scored a similar goal to the one in Switzerland [for England] and the timing of his runs and ball retention was very good,” he said.

Wenger defends Ozil, says he would pay €50m for him again if....

A player like Mesut Ozil would make Arsene Wenger cough out €50 million if the opportunity presents itself again.

The Gunners manager made this statement following the criticism of the record signing for his below-par performances this term and disagreed that the player is being weighed down by the price tag. Instead, the Frenchman says it is down to the entire team to play well, not just Ozil.

''I would pay the money again. Of course. You expect the team to play well and not to put the responsibility on any one player to be a magician that does not exist any more in the modern game,” he told reporters.

''Of course I have to get the best out of him because of his price. But I feel that responsibility exactly the same for a player who cost €1. He did not pay the €50m himself.

''When I see a talent, for any player, I think ‘how can I get the best out of him?’. That is not linked with price. It is just a coincidence that the market is like it is.''

Wenger defends Sanogo, says he won't make promise on buying a striker before transfer market closes

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made it clear that he will not heap any unnecessary pressure on Yaya Sanogo after he failed to score for the side in the premier league game against Leicester City on Sunday.

The 21-year old was the point-man for the Gunners since fellow countryman Olivier Giroud could not make the team due to injury which he suffered during Everton 2-2 draw.

''You have been 21 and you have certainly played football. If you play up front and you don't score it's very quickly a problem. I don't think that problem will last very long and at the moment when you have a chance to play for Arsenal Football Club as a centre forward and you don't score, it's a problem for you. - Wenger said.

''He fought very hard today, you can say he didn't score yes and is it in his mind? Of course because he is a striker and he scored many goals as a young player.''

Speaking on the team's performance and possible transfers, Wenger stated that the newly promoted sides were no pushovers as they gave the Gunners a good fight but complained bitterly about the chances begging to be buried.

On buying a striker before the deadline:

''I don't know because it doesn't depend only on me.

''I don't know what happened in the last two hours apart from in the game against Leicester.

''We can talk and talk and talk about signing someone or not. Could we win the game today without anybody [new signings], yes. We have plenty of strikers even when we had Giroud. When we had Giroud, you asked me the same question so it's a recurrence as long as the transfer market is open to make everybody dream by thinking the solution is always somewhere where it's not necessarily obvious.''