Wenger enjoys romantic break
Under-fire boss was close to his lowest ebb after Champions League defeat but revelled in the occasion at non-League Sutton
League last week, yet the 67-year-old clearly revelled in the romance of Sutton’s story.
The tunnel area was chaotic, unaccustomed as the National League hosts are to the sheer volume of people in attendance, yet Wenger made time to speak to the Sutton players, who collected in a horseshoe around him, hanging off his every word.
Wenger identified specific aspects he enjoyed from the performance of several individuals before conducting his media duties outside the dressing rooms, continually interrupted by supporters craning their necks downwards to catch a glimpse or even by stewards star-stuck by his presence.
“Sutton kept going and we were never in a position where we could afford to have a little breather in the game,” he said. “We had to keep our focus and I must give credit to the players, who were professional and did just that.
“If we had come here in a relaxed mood we would have gone out, because they produced quality.
“I come from a club that is smaller than Sutton, so it reminds me of my childhood. The changing rooms for me were fantastic — the closer you are, the more united you are when you go out there. When you are too far from each other in the dressing room, with everybody having a chair, it is not so good. I prefer this... much more together.”
Whether the FA Cup can prove Wenger’s salvation at Arsenal once again remains to be seen. Winning the competition in 2014 ended a nine-year trophy drought and retaining the trophy a year later masked another flawed Premier League title bid to the extent he could effectively sell the argument progress was being made.
A home quarter-final draw against non-League Lincoln City keeps Wenger on course for another Wembley date but a cup run alone will not be enough to silence the debate about his ongoing value to the club. As if to sum up the division, one banner unfurled in the away end read, “Monsieur Wenger will always know more than you”. Another exclaimed, “Every good story has an ending”.
The furore over whether Wenger will extend his current contract can subside for the next 10 days, as Arsenal enjoy a free weekend due to Southampton’s engagement in the EFL Cup Final against Manchester United.
v Man United
M’boro v Huddersfield/Man City
v v Lincoln City To be played: March 10-13
Each tie will be settled on the day, with no replays. Drawn matches will go to extra time and penalties. A fourth substitution can be used in extra time.
Yet Arsenal resume with a daunting League trip to Liverpool on Saturday week, when another damaging defeat would place Wenger’s position under the microscope again.
The manager has plenty of time to ponder his team selection but Perez enhanced his case to be involved with another effective display, the 28-yearold Spaniard nudging this tie in the Gunners’ favour by finishing a clinical counter-attack to give the visitors the