• Premier League

Hurting Wenger refuses to blame Giroud for Arsenal woes

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted he did not blame Olivier Giroud after his side's Champions League defeat against Monaco on Wednesday and still believes his side can turn the tie around.

Wenger and his team have come in for some severe criticism since their 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the last-16 of the Champions League, with Giroud especially under fire after he missed some big chances to swing the tie in Arsenal's favour.

"He is like everyone else, disappointed," stated Wenger ahead of his side's game against Everton at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. "I hope it will not affect him, but he is a strong character. Personally I don't blame him at all.

"We lost as a team, we fight for each other as a team. He worked hard for the team on the night. He didn't miss the chances on purpose, he wanted to score the goals, but it can happen.

"There is nobody to blame individually. It's not because he is the striker who missed a chance. He had his chances and he missed it. On the night, everything went against us. The fact that we missed some chances was only one of the characteristics of the night.

"I think I said what I had to say after the game. I maintain exactly what I said, there is nothing more to add. What is important now is to respond well. We are on a strong run in the Premier League and we have to respond to the disappointment in a strong way on Sunday, that's all we can do.

"I expect a strong response against Everton. It is a different competition, we are back into the top three in the Premier League and we have an opportunity to stabilise this position and we want to take it."

Wenger went on to suggest part of his job is to handle huge swing of emotions that surround his team on a weekly basis, with each defeat hailed as a crisis and every win viewed as a step towards a new dawn for the club.

"Look, we have to live with that," said Wenger as he reflected on the expectations around his side. "We are a big club and that means we are a club that interests many people and it gives us a stronger responsibility.

"When you come out of a disappointing game like Wednesday night, you don't expect people to applaud. It is absolutely normal that we get criticised. What is hurting is the defeat more than the criticism. I do not say I'm immune to it. I love to win and when I don't win, I'm hurt, of course."

Wenger urged the club's supporters to stand by his team and hopes they come forward in the tie with Everton.

"You are not a fan for one game, you are a fan of this club," stated Wenger. "No matter how good your team is, you play 55 games a year and you have moments where you are disappointed.

"Look, we have played over 180 games in the Champions League and we have fought very hard against Besiktas just to qualify at the start of this season.

"You could see that Besiktas is a good team as they beat Liverpool [in the Europa League on Thursday]. So we have won some big games. What is frustrating is we go out in the last-16 for the last four years, but twice against the future winners of the competition.

"We have to keep a balance. We are third in the league, we are on a good run and there is no obvious reason not to support the team. We want to finish this season in a strong way. We are still in the Champions League, don't rule us out too quickly and we are on a good run in the Premier League."

Arsenal's defeat against Monaco formed part of a terrible week for English clubs in European competitions, with Manchester City well beaten in the Champions League by Barcelona and Tottenham and Liverpool dumped out of the Europa League on Thursday.

"It has been a terrible week for English clubs in Europe," reflected Wenger. "I have no rational explanation for that. It is a shock and is there any rationality behind that, I don't know."

Wenger also offered his views on the prospect of the World Cup final being played on December 23 in Qatar in 2022, as he suggested the disruption to Premier League clubs may not be as troublesome as some have suggested.

"I am already every day of my life watching a football game, so that date is not a problem for me," added Wenger with a smile.

"I don't think it will impact too much if you have to reorganise the Premier League. If a World Cup is successful, then that is important. It is a festival of football and it has to be organised in decent conditions, which would not have been the case in the summer.

"If we are to play the World Cup in Qatar, it would not be safe for people to attend in the summer. That is why this is the only sensible decision to make."

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