Full Transcript Of Wenger's Press Conference Ahead Of Liverpool Game

Arsene Wenger faced the media ahead of the game against Liverpool. This is the full verbatim transcript of his press conference. Enjoy and don't hesitate to share with your friends on social media.

Arsene Wenger faces media ahead of Liverpool clash

Good morning Arsene. Could you start with your early team news ahead of Monday’s game?

Well, we have nobody back from the players who did not play against Crystal Palace and all the players who were at Crystal Palace should be available for Monday Night.

It's Liverpool on Monday night. They are a team that has been quite active in the transfer window. What have you made of their start in the premier league? 

They had a good start because I believe that at Stoke, they scored very late. A draw would have maybe reflected better the game and you have seen their last game on Monday night what happened there.

Just finally from me, what are your standout memories of last season’s game against Liverpool at the Emirates?

At the Emirates, we had a very convincing performance and everything clicked on the night. We played with a good pace and we were very efficient offensively, so it was a good game.

I know you talked after the game about Alexis Sanchez last weekend, but does he continue to surprise you that he is contributing what he is. By your own admission, he is not yet fit completely and when will he be 100% match fit?

I think on Monday night, he will not be short. He will not be far from 100%. It's surprising because when he has not the basic fitness, he has the mental resources to dig deep and to be combative and fight. And as well, he has the talent.

Do you feel you are starting to get the complete benefit of Mesut Ozil's experience in the premier league now? Do you sense there is an upward progression?

I feel so. I feel that Mesut is now completely committed to the club. Maybe in the first year, he didn't know really, he came from Real Madrid here. For how long, will it work for him or not, will he enjoy it or not. I believe now, he is completely on board, committed and focused on the results for the club.

I know you are not always a great one for statistics, but Arsenal haven't lost their first two home league games in your lifetime, so history is very much on your side on Monday.

Of course. You know that if you want to have a successful season, at home you want to be strong. We missed our first game and we had to look at ourselves and I believe we responded well at Crystal Palace. Now, it's going on with that and go back to our usual strengths we have at home.

 

Jack Wilshere you were telling us before that everything seems to be going well with his recovery and that in fact, it is perhaps quicker than you initially thought. Does he have any chance if not this weekend of being available at all before England comes around?

No. I would believe that is a bit too optimistic vision to think that he will be available for England. It's too early.

So realistically, we are looking at perhaps the weekend after...

Before the international break is not realistic.

Okay. La Liga starts this weekend. I just wondered. Not necessarily asking about players to watch because that might reveal some of your transfer targets, but what do you look forward to about La Liga? What makes it special to you?

Honestly, to watch Barcelona and Real Madrid because they have overdominated the league. The league could beat a trend that it could be if the money is not well shared amongst the clubs because I read at the start of the season that last year, Barcelona got 150 million Euros and the last club in the league got 4 or 5. So, the imbalance is too much. If the money is well shared, it means some clubs have more resources, but of course, there are two dominant teams now in Spain.

Still in the transfer window, of course, I have to ask this question. Are you any nearer to signing anyone? Do you expect to make a signing between now and when the window shuts? And do you...

I expect like you, but at the moment, we are not close.

And do you pay any attention to surveys and reports saying that Arsenal are perhaps the club that should sign someone more than anyone?

Look, I listen to everybody, but my job is to make decisions. To select and make decisions and even if I look everywhere and listen to everybody, at the end of the day, I have to make the decisions. If I just listen to people's opinion, many players we have signed here starting with Viera, Anelka, Henry, would not ever have signed here. At the end of the day, I have to make the decisions.

And just one last one from me, the new offside rule. I know we've asked you about it before. You did talk about it, but we saw a classic example of that perhaps on Monday night with...

It was very classic, yes.

Does the interpretation of it, the changes that there are mean you might have to switch tactics at all or does it change your thinking?

Honestly, no. I believe that the rule is quite clear. If the guy who is in an offside position takes action, he is considered to be offside and that was in fact--we have been explained the case with a similar example to what happened on Monday night, so it was quite surprising. But then again, I come back to what I think should be the next step with the use of the video. Goals scored regular or not. Go upstairs, ask the opinion and this is a clear case where without wasting time, you could make the right decision. I can understand that the linesman cannot see it, but you have to check the regularity of the goals because it's too important.

Good morning Arsene. We had Chelsea-City last weekend, yourself will play Liverpool on Monday. It's not often we see these big games so early on in the season. Is that good or bad for you as a manager to have the big tests so soon?

Look, I believe that you would want these games later in the season, but in England, we have so many big teams now that it's maybe more difficult to organize. When I was in Monaco, in Italy, they had a rule that said in the first 7 games, the top 4 could not meet before the first 7 games and I don't know if that rule still exists, but certainly, it was linked with that anyway in the first game, you sell out because it's new and that the big teams play. It was more down to financial resources than to sports resources, but the fixtures are like they are. You have to adapt and to win your games.

Supporters of several London clubs have united in the last few days to call for a public inquiry into the soon to be a West Ham stadium, the Olympic stadium because of what is a very heavily subsidized deal for West Ham.  I just wondered what your thoughts are on that and as a rival manager, do you feel it’s maybe an unfair advantage the subsidy they've had?

Look, it's very difficult for me to speak out on that because I don't know very well the case. I think any decision like that should be explained to the people of course, because it's a public interest and the case should be clearly explained to what happened. But I don't know did West Ham get an advantage or not. It's good in my opinion that Olympic stadium is utilized after for some need and for a club after, is West Ham being advantaged or not, I don't know.

Since the Emirates cost a lot of money and...

Yeah, but we have the advantage as well to own the stadium, and West Ham will not have that advantage.

And one final one from me, Joel Campbell. Can you bring something to say on his future at Arsenal please?

Look, at the moment, he is here. And personally, I would like to keep him and I will have to sit down with Joel because I rate him highly as a player and personally if he stays here, I'm very happy.

Just going back to the transfer market, how difficult for you as a manager is it the fact that the window is open during the season? Or is it a good thing as Mick was saying that you can watch other teams in action and see players, perhaps transfer targets. Where do you stand on that?

I stand on the fact that when the championship starts, the transfer window should be finished. As simple as that because it's too easy to say when we play 3-4 games and see what we miss, and after, we correct it quickly with a lot of money. I think it's too big an advantage for clubs who didn't work well during the transfer window.

How difficult is it though? In all your years, is it the most difficult transfer window right now?

It is difficult because everybody wants to--there is more money in football, more clubs with big resources and less players available. So, I would say the funds are there more than the players who could strengthen your squad and that is a big problem because people know that you have the resources and they want you to buy players from clubs who do not need your resources and are not necessarily wanting to sell.

Just going back to that 4-1, how much confidence can you draw from that result going into this game?

4-1?

Yeah. The meeting with Liverpool last season. The 4-1 victory.

Well, it's a different team. I think what wasn't very important--your confidence is linked with your last result, and at Crystal Palace, we responded well. You could see they were a bit edgy at times, but we responded in a very strong way and from that, we should have enough confidence to go in a positive way against Liverpool.

                                   

                                           

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Just finally from me, Per Mertesacker said that he feels that fans deserve a good home performance. Do you reckon with that?

The fans...

Deserve a...

Of course. I believe that fans deserve a good home performance and away performance and we are here for that. Our job is to make people who love this club happy and when you don't do it, of course you feel guilty.

Arsene, you were talking about player availability. Rightly or wrongly, you've been linked with a striker all summer, Man United have been linked with a striker, Tottenham as well. Is there a shortage of some top class number 9's you would think in the game?

There is a shortage in the world. It confirms what I just said that there is a shortage. There is a difference between financial power nowadays and the availability of top class players.

You always say it's not like a supermarket where you can go in and pick what you want. Do the fans have to lower their expectations a little bit about what is realistic in the market?

Look, it is simple. It is like for any deal. You want to buy something, you go to see the owner. If he doesn't want to sell, he doesn't want to sell. You cannot buy. And in our job, it is exactly like that. When the players are not free, you cannot buy them because it's the club who decides who owns the contracts who decides and that's what is happening. And in Europe today, you have maybe 15 clubs who have huge financial resources and don't need money at all.

Has it been frustrating though for you for that reason?

No, for me, no because I'm always more focused on developing the team and the players we have and getting everybody on board inside the club and develop the players as well than always thinking to buy. I'm not against buying when it is really a plus for your team. If it's just to buy a player at the level of players you have to make people happy, I am not ready for that. If it's somebody who brings something you don't have in the squad, of course you want to do it.

What do you make of the Pedro deal? Chelsea came from nowhere to...

It was a surprise to me because I thought he was landing at Manchester, he finally landed in London and because the story came out for such a long time that he goes to Manchester and suddenly in 24 hours. But we have seen that before on the transfer market, certainly. I don't know what happened exactly.

Certainly, you've got a lot of players in that position, but where you offered him at all?

No, because we have many players on the flanks, many, many players.

That experience with United whether they pulled out or they didn't get a deal done. Does it just show generally how hard it is to get a deal over the line?

It is hard believe me to get a deal over the line, but it's difficult as well if you are not completely inside the deal to know exactly what happens and after, did the player not want to go, did Man United not really want to spend more or not, I don't know.

So, is it then the case that all the players who have moved to Spurs, Chelsea, Man City, Man United this summer, you don't think any of them would improve the Arsenal squad?

I don't know that. I cannot deny that, but what you want for any player is there need to buy in this position? Is this player making your squad stronger? And you have to say yes or no, and I think we have every position strong players.

So, when you see the other teams strengthening, does that by reflection make Arsenal weaker while all your rivals are stronger?

Yes, but I was asked this question 2 years ago when some clubs buy 10 players, how do you feel, you have no chance now. And what we want is to focus on your own strengths and make sure that you develop your team and the cohesion, the style of play that everybody knows are important qualities. We live in a society that is hungry for news. And news is good, I can understand that, but you have to be absolutely convinced that it strengthens your team.

                                   

                                           

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Do you feel then that the club is doing everything possible to get that extra type of quality player, so if the deal doesn't come off, you could say we did everything we could to get the person?

Of course. What is our target every day, every morning, from morning to night, we try to be as good as we can in every single department of our club.

Arsene, I know it's early days, but how important is Monday's game bearing in mind that some of the other big teams have started so well?

Look, not all the other big teams started so well. Some of them started well, but for us, it's an important game because we know a successful season is linked with our home strengths, and normally, we are strong at home and this is an opportunity to show it.

The 4-1 win last season has already been mentioned, but how much of a different perspective the new signings at Liverpool this season?

I don't know. It's early in the season. After 2 games, I don't know how strong Liverpool will be. I just think we can be very strong and we want to show it in our next game.

James Milner has already described you as looking sharp this season. Would you agree with that looking at the last 2 games?

Who?

James Milner.

Yeah. I think he is a good signing for Liverpool because he is a team player, he is a talented player as well. He can play in different positions and he's a very motivated player.

He has described Arsenal as looking sharp. Would you say that that was correct?

We looked sharp at Crystal Palace yes, but we didn't look sharp against West Ham, and hopefully, we have made that step now.

Again, it's a bit too early to say, but do you think Monday's game could be a good indicator to whether you are genuine title contenders this season?

Look, it's for us a very important game where the result will of course be vital, but it's not definite. It's not the result really that will decide that, but for is in our head, we know it's a very important game for us.