Wenger fires salvo at pundits

LONDON. — Arsene Wenger has accused TV pundits of not doing enough research after Gary Neville’s stinging attack on the Arsenal manager. In his role as a Sky Sports pundit, the England coach branded Wenger “arrogant or naive” during coverage of the Gunners’ goalless draw against Liverpool on Monday night.

Wenger hit back on Thursday, claiming experts are not doing the preparation to justify their assertions. Wenger said television pundits should back up their opinions with facts rather than giving their life story as former professional players. No names were mentioned, but the clear context was the words this week on Sky Sports of Telegraph columnist Gary Neville, who described Wenger as “arrogant or naïve” for not signing more powerful midfield players.

Neville was contrasting the Arsenal midfield of recent years to those between 1998 and 2004 that won three Premier League titles and competed for domestic dominance with his Manchester United team. “I think it’s arrogance — I really do,” said Neville. “To think that you are not going to adapt your team, to change to impact on the other teams that you’re playing against and their strengths.”

Wenger’s ex-captain, Thierry Henry, told Neville it was “belief” rather than arrogance. Neville countered that it was a “misheld belief” because Arsenal keep failing to beat the very best. Wenger rejected the “arrogant” label immediately after Monday’s match and, having clearly thought the issue through this week, responded in much more detail to what he regards as a flawed criticism.

He then revealed some of Arsenal’s own internal statistics that show that Francis Coquelin has been the best defensive midfielder in Europe during 2015 and that Arsenal have also collectively had the Premier League’s best defence.

“The only thing I want is that when people have opinions, it is documented and worked out before,” said Wenger. “Especially when it is football specialists. Since January, we have conceded less goals than anybody else. I don’t know what people see. Coquelin has the best defensive statistics and numbers in Europe.”

When asked if he was specifically talking about Neville and Jamie Carragher, Wenger said: “I mean in general. It is not just about talking. I accept you can be right and I can be wrong. But what you do not want is just an opinion that comes out just because you feel like that’’. — The Telegraph.