Wenger - My team selection process

Arsène Wenger has revealed the thought processes behind how he selects his starting XI for each game.

The Arsenal manager has taken charge of 1,056 matches since he was appointed in September 1996.

Wenger thinks about his line-up a lot in the days leading up to a match but normally waits until the day of the game to announce it to his players.

“I always have eight or nine players of my team in my head the day before the game, but there’s always a doubt on one or two,” the boss told the Arsenal Magazine.

“You try to make it as scientific as much as you can, but it’s intuitive as well because you have to think if the balance of the team is right or if one player was a bit better in the last training session.

“Has one player got a bit of a cold maybe? When two players are together in your mind, competing for one position, every single detail can go for one of them - experience, confidence under pressure - everything can make a difference.

“I always have a final chat with the medical people to make my mind up and make sure that everybody is alright. I do that on the morning of every game. Then I make my decision.

“Anyway, you always have your team in your head, for the whole week. You never go to bed without thinking about what the next line-up will be.

“You live with that always. That can create uncertainties, because you think about it every day. If you don’t know on Friday night, you will not know on Saturday morning so you have to decide in your head early, and go for it.”