Gunners bristle at Deeney’s dig

IF Arsenal had defended their goal on Saturday with quite the enthusiasm that Arsene Wenger and Jack Wilshere defended their character last night maybe Troy Deeney would have kept quiet. The Watford striker has stung the Arsenal contingent, from staff to squad, with his cutting accusation that they lacked ‘cojones’ in their 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road. A case of the truth hurting, perhaps, but at least there was a semblance of fighting spirit on the eve of their Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade tonight. Deeney’s comments were put to both Wenger and Wilshere, with the latter in particular taking exception. ‘As a player if you’re attitude is questioned, it’s horrible,’ Wilshere said. ‘I look around this team and you can’t question our character. People try and put us down, they always have. I don’t think the comments were justified. ‘When we look back at the Watford game (in which Arsenal gave up a 1-0 lead) we look back at ourselves and what we did wrong. I don’t think we can look back and question our character. ‘I am sure individually players are disappointed – no one wants to hear those comments. All we can do is bounce back with a good performance.’ Asked if the comments hurt, Wenger said: ‘Yes, but I know who my players really are. In the last seven games before Watford we had six wins and one draw. After that, the comments, that’s part of the modern game, you have to realise that. I love my players and I trust their strength of character to respond quickly.’ A degree of fortitude will be necessary tonight in Belgrade’s fiery home of the Rajko Mitic Stadium. It is where Arsenal were knocked out in the 1978 UEFA Cup three round, and by a quirk of fate the current Red Star squad includes Vujadin Savic, whose father Dusan scored in the first leg of that tie at Highbury. ARSENAL (probable 3-4-2): Cech; Debuchy, Elneny, Holding; Nelson, Coquelin, Willock, Maitland-Niles; Walcott, Wilshere; Giroud.