Arsenal vs Liverpool: Full transcript of Wenger's pre match conference ahead of Liverpool game

Arsene Wenger faced the media on the 2nd of April 2015 for his pre match press briefing ahead of the game against Liverpool. he talked about injury updates, contract updates, transfer updates, Steven Gerrard and much more. This is the full transcript of his press conference. Enjoy.





Good morning Arsene, let’s start with team news. Jack Wilshere, Mikael Arteta, Abou Diaby, and Mathieu Debuchy all involved on Tuesday.

Yeah they have all been involved, and it went well. No problem after that, coming out of the game, so that’s good news. They are back available in training a bit short of top competitive level certainly, but that’s a bit normal. They’ve been out for a long time, but I was quite surprised by how fit they looked and by the quality of their performance, it was good.

How important would their experience be during the run-in?

You want everybody available and back in the final months to compete at the top level. You know the consistency will play a big part in the success of the team, and to have everybody available can help.

In terms of the other team news, how is Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck?

Chamberlain is still out and not available, and Danny Welbeck came back with a slight knee injury. It looks like he has a little chance to be available for Saturday still.

Finally from me, it’s Liverpool on Saturday, another big game against a team very much in form.

It’s a big game and an opportunity for us to continue our run, that’s what we want to do. We are on a strong run, and we want just to focus, to win our games, win the next one, and Liverpool is a big opponent, but we play at the emirates and we want to do it.

In terms of Danny Welbeck, everyone in this country was absolutely raving about Harry Kane for about the last 10 days on international duty, but Danny got man of the match on Friday against Lithuania, 6 goals in 5 games. Isn’t he a bit being overlooked?

Maybe, but I don’t overlook him personally because he played many games for us, and i think he’s an important player who contributes a lot, not only as you said scores goals, but as well contributes a lot to the team work. He’s a team player and I believe technically, he has improved a lot. When you look at him now, I believe technically, he’s much more mature, more composed in front of goal, the quality of his runs is getting better and he has huge attributes.

Do you think it would be harsh if he was put to one side in England to accommodate Harry Kane?

We are not there yet. I think Harry Kane played one game, and it’s good for England to have many options and to choose the best one. Welbeck until now has always been in the chosen best ones and I don’t see how on Friday night Roy Hodgson could change his mind.

After the previous 3 international breaks, you haven’t won the premier league game that followed. Admittedly, one of those games was Manchester united, another one was Manchester city. Is there anything in particular that you want to try and address about how you cope with the international break?

No, we had some injury problems, but our performances were alright against Man united. We put in a good performance, and I believe 9 times out of 10 the outcome of the game is down to your performance, and that’s why we just want to focus on that. We are on a much better run, stronger run than before, and we just want to keep that in our mind, and get out there and play a top level game.

What’s achievable in the run-in? Are you still having aspirations of winning the title?

Look, we have the aspiration to win the next game, and that’s quite good enough. After that, win the next one.

                                                

You’re not ruling it out though, it’s mathematically possible.

What is mathematically possible you have to try to achieve, but that doesn’t depend only on us. What does depend on us in the final run is our performances and our results, so let’s focus on that. After that, if everything goes for us, you never know, but we can only master our own performances, so let’s focus on that and be realistic and continue to earn the right to win the game.

Did you get a satisfactory explanation from Mesut Ozil about being seen in a night club after not playing against Newcastle?

Yes.

What did he say?

He went out for half an hour to a birthday of his friend to wish him well and went back home.

There have been disciplinary stories that just happened before. Wolcjiech smoking in the showers was written about, Jack Wilshere pipe was written about. Are you going soft on your discipline in your old age?

I’m not going soft on discipline, but I find people when they’ve worked for us, and they don’t respect the discipline and on that front I feel you cannot stop anybody from wishing happy birthday to a friend when he’s in his own country.

Arsene, a lot has been said about Raheem Sterling and his contract. How much of an influence would that play in this game, and what did you make of his performances this week?

Well, Raheem Sterling is a top player, and I think everybody knows that in the country now, and he’s a very important player for Liverpool of course.

Do you think what has gone on about contract negotiations will have an effect on the game?

I don’t want to interfere in that, especially 48 hours before a game like that. That’s down to Liverpool, and I don’t want to interfere with that. It’s not my problem.

Five former England managers have signed up to Dykes proposal that English born players move from 8-12 in the premier league squads. Would you support that?

Look, that’s a long debate. I believe we are in a top level competition and that you earn your rights for the quality of your performance rather than your place of birth. Secondly, I’m happy and would like to contribute to the quality of English national team, but you have 2 questions that you can raise before that. What is the heart of the problem. 1^st of all, between ’66 and ’96, we had no foreign players in England, and it didn’t improve too much the performances of the national team. The second case is if from the age of 16 to the age of 21, the youth teams in England would win every single competition in Europe, you could say yes, there is something that you have to do because they do not get the chance at the top level. That is not the case. In the country, I think between 16 and 21, the English youth teams until now have not performed. That’s the heart of the problem. Let’s get better at that level, and then if there is a problem to integrate these players into top teams, we have to do something about it. I think today, you have to be very brave to integrate the young players in the top teams because the pressure is very high, but I still believe if the players are good enough, they play. We speak about Sterling, about Kane, nobody stops the quality, no matter where they are from, so let’s focus on that first and apart from that, I support every single measure that improves the English national team, but it has to be efficient, and sometimes what looks like a good solution is not necessarily the right one.

Do you get nervous about games against Liverpool more than probably some of the other matches?

Look, Liverpool is a good side who has always had good games at the emirates and at Liverpool as well. I have big respect for the club, but i’m just focused on the game and focused on producing the performances that we have produced recently and make sure the right commitment is there to win the game.

Arsene, going into Saturday, Liverpool are 9 points behind you. How conscious are you of denting their hopes for the top 4?

I’m not too much in the mathematics now, we do that after the game and what is important for me is for us to win the game and produce the performances. At the moment when I’m in front of a game like that, I just want to make sure that we have the quality performance and have a continuity with what we produced recently you know after the international break. It’s always important that you come back and straight away you’re on it.

Arsene, you said before that you enjoy this part of the season when things start to get even more important. Obviously you’ve qualified for the champions league 17 times in a row now. Do you think that record gives you and the players confidence that you can do it again?

It shows that we have the consistency to deal with the problems, but every year it’s different, and every year, we have new problems. At the moment, we are in a strong position, so we have an opportunity to strengthen it, and that’s what we want to focus on.

                                               

Arsene, Abou Diaby came through that 45 minutes. You said you will talk to him about a new deal in March. Has a decision been taken now?

By me, yes. I had a chat with him and told him how I can envisage the future. He has to make a decision. Of course he understands completely that he has to perform and to show that he can be present on a consistent way. I will see where we go from there.

So what exactly does that future look like? Does that mean you are going to offer him a deal or what?

I won't like to go into details because we have to meet again to see where we go from what I told you.

So it’s a case of how well he performs between now and...

It has to be linked a little bit with his presence.

Going back to Raheem Sterling, part of the interview yesterday, he said he was really flattered to be linked with a move to Arsenal. Do you have any interest in signing him?

Look, I do not want to speak about any move. We are not in the transfer period, we are in front of a big game. I respect Liverpool, and I do not want to go into any supposedly move for one of their players.

One other player Paulo Dybala, the Palermo striker, president Perini said you have made an offer for him?

Ask him to show you the offer.

Is there any interest in that player?

No.

Not at all?

Not at all.

  

Is Jack Wilshere likely to be in this weekend, or is it too soon?

Look, Jack or Diaby or Debuchy, will I involve any of them, I haven't decided yet.

Any word on Arteta's future?

No.

Are you confident that it will be resolved in a positive way for the club?

Yes.

                                               

Same with Rosicky as well?

Same for Rosicky as well, yes I I'm confident.

If you beat Liverpool, and Manchester united get the result they need, is that top 4 decided?

I don't know, I'm not in that 'if' mode, I'm just in the mode of 'it's a big game ahead of us and let's prepare well'

Are you surprised that Liverpool haven't made more of a challenge this season with what happened with losing Suarez?

I don't know. They had changed their team as well, and it took them time to settle and without Suarez, that is completely normal.

It’s a key game against Liverpool. Other key games are coming up, Chelsea at the emirates and Man united away, is 84 points going to be enough to seal the title?

I don't know. 82, it could be short.

This could be the last time you would come up against Steven Gerrard on Saturday. Can you just talk about him? Is he probably one of the best midfielders you've faced in your time here in England?

Yes of course, and for a long period when Liverpool was in trouble, everybody looked at Steven Gerrard 'do something for us' and you can say 9 times out of 10, he did it, and he is a huge player and what I like as well, what you don't see anymore a lot is he has shown a great loyalty. For a whole career, he played at Liverpool, and it’s very difficult to see now because he had the caliber to play anywhere in any big club and remained loyal and faithful to Liverpool, and I have big respect for that.

                                               

What do you think makes him stand out of everyone else?

I think when you looked at his qualities; it was difficult to see what he hasn't got in the locker. He was quick, he had a good long pass, he had a good technique, he could score goals, he's a dream midfielder, so overall, I believe he had every single quality that you dream to have when you play in midfield.