Arsenal’s Wenger scores one over Liverpool

Arsene Wenger got a pleasant surprise ahead of the showdown against Liverpool when he was named Premier League manager of the month.

Reviled by some fans as Arsenal look certain to end a seventh season without a trophy, the Frenchman has scored one up against Kop idol Kenny Dalglish who ended Liverpool’s six-year trophy drought with a League Cup triumph last Sunday.

Wenger’s Arsenal side suffered a heavy Champions League defeat by AC Milan and crashed out of the FA Cup, but were unbeaten in the league in February.

“If you had read the newspapers in the last two weeks, you must say there is a mistake. I thought they were speaking to somebody else behind me,” he said.

“It was a complete shock to me. I couldn’t understand that at all.”

But the manager of the month award is also based on league form – and Arsenal picked up 10 points from their four matches.

They drew with Bolton but followed that with wins over Blackburn, Sunderland , their FA Cup conquerors, and last weekend’s astonishing 5-2 North London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur to climb into the top four.

Wenger’s 12th manager of the month award is testimony to the resilience of Arsenal who got off to the worst possible start to the season when they were handed an 8-2 mauling by Manchester United.

The wily Frenchman is now hopeful that victory against Carling Cup winners Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime can boost chances of an unlikely turnaround against Milan in next week’s second leg.

“We know that in the Champions League we have a massive score against us,” he said. “But, if we get a good result at Liverpool I think we have a chance.

“For us it’s important to confirm the game we played against Tottenham at Liverpool and then we can focus completely on the Champions League and have a real go.

“What we did in Milan was just not what we do usually in the Champions League and I am sure we’ll see a different Arsenal on Tuesday.

“In the Champions League at home we can score goals, we know that. For us now it’s important for us to go with big belief into the Milan game.”

Wenger – Returning defenders a big boost

Arsène Wenger says the squad’s returning full backs have provided a huge lift ahead of Arsenal’s end-of-season run-in.

Wenger has been without Bacary Sagna,Kieran Gibbs, Andre Santos and Carl Jenkinson through injury for significant parts of the season.

Although the squad’s utility men have filled in admirably, the Frenchman admits that having players comfortable in their roles is always preferable.

“I felt that for a long time we had to play players out of position and when we go into crucial games that is not ideal,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.

“You play a right back in the right back position, and a left back in the left back position and it gives you a natural balance.

“So far we are in a shape that is quite positive because we are motivated, we have good confidence levels and we have some players available who are used to playing in those positions.”

Wenger laments ‘painful’ losses

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits it was “painful” to see big-spending Manchester City raid his squad again last summer.

Wenger ultimately let Samir Nasri, 24, and full-back Gael Clichy, 26, go to Eastlands, following in the footsteps of striker Emmanuel Adebayor and centre-half Kolo Toure, who previously left the Emirates for City. After taking a chance on developing these youngsters with the Gunners, Wenger admits there will always be a sense of frustration at potential lost.

“At the end of the day when you sell a player, you cannot complain after because at some stage you say ‘yes we let him go’ and you have to do the right thing for the club, but it is always painful to lose players at 23 or 24 years old,” he said.

“The financial difference between us and teams like Manchester City has become too big to hope to keep the players for eight, nine or 10 years. Okay, we lost Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, other players before, but they had played for eight or nine years at the club.

“It is the first time now that we lose players at an age where they start to produce, like [Cesc] Fabregas and Nasri, who were both 24 years old. That’s where you start to become a football player.

“You need to be brave as well to put a player in at 18 years of age, and you need to make room for them, which means you not only need to stand up for the players you put in, but as well you have to kick somebody out.”

Meanwhile, ahead of Arsenal’s clash with league-leading City, Wenger refused to rule out a move for former captain Henry, who has been training at the club following the end of the Major League Soccer campaign with the New York Red Bulls.

“I do not always master all my thoughts, so [I guess] it has to come through my brain at some stage – but I haven’t been concrete on the case,” said Wenger.

“I haven’t even investigated that. I cannot tell you even if there is a chance because I haven’t even made any approach, nor to him nor his club.”