Cech to answer Wenger SOS
Arsenal manager to pick No 1 for Lincoln Cup tie Frenchman steps up call for video technology
through a really difficult period, but at the same time I know Arsène and he is not the kind of person who will throw the towel in and walk out of this situation.
“He will fight for it because he is proud and he will give everything like he has been doing for the club. It is true that people are doubting his capability to manage the team, but I think you have to look at the players and, in some situations, they have been letting Arsène down a lot because coaches have responsibility but players have responsibility as well.”
Wenger, meanwhile, has warned the football authorities that they will eventually face legal action if the long-awaited introduction of video technology for referees is delayed for all major competitions.
The Football Association will consider trialling the use of video to help referees on key decisions in their competitions next season.
Wenger felt that Arsenal’s chances of staging an unlikely comeback against Bayern were ruined by refereeing mistakes and he also believes that errors by the match officials played a huge part of Barcelona’s dramatic comeback against Paris StGermain. “The fans and television companies pay a lot of money and they spoil the package because they don’t do the maximum to give a fair spectacle,” he said. “We live in a society that is legalist and people pay more and more. If Uefa and Fifa don’t take that step to go for more justice, they can’t offer what we saw for us against Bayern or the night after. It is indefensible.”
Wenger remains adamant that positives should be taken from Arsenal’s first-half performance in the 5-1 defeat by Bayern and also what he called the “fantastic” backing from supporters even after a small pre-match demonstration calling for him to go. Another protest is expected at the Emirates today, when Wenger is likely to pick a strong team, although a sickness bug has affected Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi and Mesut Özil.