Read extra quotes from Arsene Wenger's press conference as he looks ahead to Thursday's game against West Brom:
on getting the right result against West Brom…
The team were very down after the Palace game because we had felt that had done the most difficult thing and to be caught out just before the end of the game was very unfortunate but the quality of our game is good. We have to add that little small margin that makes us more efficient than the last two games, where both times - against West Ham and Crystal Palace - the players were in front. We have to be a bit more clinical and efficient.
on Leicester getting Champions League football…
It is a fantastic achievement. Nobody expected that. That makes many people happy and it confirms that it is not only down to the amount of money people spend in football. Sometimes, it upsets the natural hierarchy that everyone has in their head in the Premier League.
on links with Riyad Mahrez…
No, and even if there was I would not speak about that at this stage of the season [out of] respect to Leicester.
on Alexis and Ozil’s contracts…
These two players have two years on their contracts at the end of the season. We are not in a hurry. We are talking and the players are very keen to stay.
on if Wilshere has enough time to get into Euro 2016 squad…
Yes, because he has not played three games already. The European Championship starts on June 10 and until then is nearly two months. If you look at his fitness at the moment, in two months he should be perfectly fit.
on if Hodgson would be taking gamble with Jack…
No, if he has no setbacks he would not be a gamble.
on needing the fans in the run-in...
That is ideal, yes. You do not want to play in a negative environment, if we do we can still perform. We are responsible for the performance of the team and it is true that at the moment it is not a highlight but we have to take a distance with that. I hope in the next years Arsenal will always play in the top three and hopefully people won't get disenchanted and have to agree with less.
on if he has any regrets…
Every time it doesn’t work, you question yourself. That is part of your job. Of course in the end it’s always down to me, so I have to stand up to that.
on if unpredictable nature of this season has added to his frustration…
Yes - you look at the games. Last night, when the teams are committed like Newcastle, it’s a difficult championship. You have regrets at the end of the season. If you look at the games against Crystal Palace and West Ham, we were not efficient enough in the quality of the game we produced. That always gives you regrets.
on if he’s been surprised by Leicester and Tottenham’s staying power…
Yes, they have done well. But the season is not over.
on if there are more twists and turns…
Yes, of course. You could see that in the last game against West Ham. It’s far from over. It depends now on who you play, what kind of commitment you face. It’s my job to get the team focused 100 per cent and committed 100 per cent.
on if he’s seen that in training…
Yes, of course. You analyse well the Crystal Palace game, the players gave absolutely everything.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
