Wenger Calls for Arsenal to Defend Pride For Bayern’s Come Back

Wenger Calls for Arsenal to Defend Pride For Bayern’s Come Back

Amid mounting pressure over his position and with the club approaching full-blown crisis, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has issued a rallying cry to his troops to defend their pride ahead of today’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

It’s been a tough few days for Wenger, whose side now sits outside the Premier League top four after falling 3-1 to Liverpool over the weekend, while their Champions League dream all but ended after the 5-1 hammering at Bayern in the first-leg.

But the 67-year-old Frenchman has come out fighting, saying he and his charges have to defend the honour of the “best club in the world”.

In an interview ahead of the clash with Bayern Tuesday, Wenger deflected questions about Alexis Sanchez leaving the club in the summer after he was dropped for the Liverpool game, saying he was not answerable to player power.

“Alexis Sanchez has 15 months on his contract so the decision on whether he will be there will depend on Arsenal Football Club, not anyone else,” Wenger said.

 “It’s not down to the players to choose a manager. The players have to perform and the board chooses a manager. If I ask you if everyone in your company is behind you, I will promise you I will find someone who is not happy. It’s your bosses who choose.

“I think we are the best club in the world and we have to defend the pride of it. I have to perform and we have to perform.”

On his own future, Wenger said he will not let “two weeks out of 20 years” sway his thinking as he approaches the final three months of his current deal, Sky writes.

“I take a bigger picture,” he said. “You do not make this kind of decision focusing on one result or two bad results.”

Arsenal face a crucial week of cup football as they entertain fifth-tier Lincoln City in the FA Cup immediately after the Bayern tie.