Under-fire Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger came out fighting , insisting abuse from his own supporters will not break him.
The Frenchman was criticised by disgruntled fans, who want him to leave the club, following Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Stoke City.
Internet footage of furious Arsenal fans aiming a torrent of abuse at Wenger as his side boarded a train back to London went viral over the weekend — scenes that Gary Lineker yesterday labelled as ‘disgustingly disrespectful and totally inexcusable’.
It has also been claimed that fights broke out between pro and anti-Wenger fans as tensions flared over the club’s poor run of form.
But Wenger has hit back ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray here, claiming he is man enough to take it.
When asked if such abuse was wearing him down, the Arsenal manager defiantly responded: ‘No, not at all. We have to cope with that. We are professional footballers and football people. I am a competitive person.
‘What is important is the next game and responding in a strong way. It is part of our job. We cannot always look for excuses. We are down. Everyone feels it.
‘When you have a disappointment you have to respond. You cannot guarantee you will never lose a game. Many teams will lose at Stoke. You have to be realistic and the response after a defeat is important.
‘This is my 180th Champions League game and that shows something. Many of those were for this club.
‘We want to be judged at the end of the season, not after every game when emotion is high. Let’s get our stability back and see where we are at the end of the season.’
On the incident at Stoke-on-Trent train station, Match of the Day presenter Lineker tweeted: ‘Just saw the Wenger abuse video. Disgustingly disrespectful and totally inexcusable, regardless of any football results.’
Wenger, whose side have a chance to top Group D if they beat Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund lose to Anderlecht, wants a much sounder defensive display than the one against Stoke.
The returns of right back Mathieu Debuchy, who will make his first appearance in three months since recovering from a damaged ankle, and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has missed three weeks with a hip injury, will strengthen the side.
However, 13 first-team players are missing as, in addition to their lengthy injury list, Arsenal have left Kieran Gibbs, Danny Welbeck, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez, who has been carrying a slight groin problem, in London.
That means six youngsters: Chuba Akpom, Gedion Zelalem, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Stefan O’Connor, Alex Iwobi and Glen Kamara could be given a chance to impress.
Wenger said: ‘What we want is to come back quickly with a strong defensive performance. Against Stoke, we had a bad start and were punished for it.
‘We showed a lack of experience defensively, but we could have scored four or five. The response during the game was strong and everyone is disappointed.
‘We don’t have to come here to qualify and so do not play under too much pressure.We want to win, of course, but what we also want is a different defensive response. I am sure we will get it.’ – Daily Mail