ARSENE WENGER

in his own words . . .

Why play today when it’s Europa League on Thursday?

Television decides when you play and that’s it. Where it becomes more difficult is after the Europa League game in Belarus. We then play Sunday morning (home against Brighton in the Premier League, noon kick-off).

Are people trying to make your life difficult?

From Monday to Thursday, time will be short and especially from Thursday to Sunday. But you have to adapt. Maybe we have to make some decisions in BATE Borisov that will give us a chance to recover between the two games.

Would it help not to play in the Carabao Cup?

You cannot sacrifice any competition with the pressure that every club is under now. You know that you could pay the price because in the League Cup, you play the semi-finals — home and away — in January and you have the FA Cup, the Premier League and sometimes you lose players in these competitions.

Kieran Gibbs said going to West Bromwich will make him a better defender. What did he mean?

You should ask him. He will have to defend more maybe. They are a team who focus more on defending. We are a team that goes forward. He is an intelligent player who knows how to defend well.

What can he learn that he hasn’t with you?

Learning is an attitude in life. It doesn’t depend on your geographical state, but more of your attitude in your brain. Are you ready to question yourself to see if you can improve? Of course you can improve every day until the last day of your life.

Will Gibbs realise the grass isn’t always greener?

Once a player makes this kind of decision you wish him well and focus on your squad. In an ideal world you want everybody to be happy. If everybody is happy, it is perfect. Gibbs did not ask to leave, it was a mutual decision. He wanted to play — he’s 27. You want to play at that age. It was a difficult decision.