Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger spoke to the press today ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea this Sunday. The boss spoke about his record against Jose Mourinho while also discussing the similarities between Edin Hazard and Alexis Sanchez.
On supposed ‘bogey’ side Chelsea, the Frenchman stated:
“We have been close to beating them a few times. The result on Sunday will just be down to the performance on the day.”
The Gunners have beaten three of the “Big Four” teams this season, and Sunday is their chance to prove that they can finally overcome Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, whom they last beat in October 2011.
“We have passed many tests recently,” The manager said. “We have another test on Sunday against Chelsea that we want to pass.”
Wenger discussed how the game on Sunday will be an opportunity for the Gunners to prove how consistent they are and to cement their position in the second place:
“We have an opportunity to show our improvement is consistent. Our first target is to continue to win and strengthen our position.”
The Arsenal coach then praised Eden Hazard but insisted that Sánchez is competing very closely with the Chelsea man.
On the Belgian he said:
“Everybody would agree that he’s had a great season. He’s found maturity that he didn’t have before.”
While on Sanchez:
“It’s his first season so he will compete very closely with Hazard for Player of the Year.”
The Arsenal manager also reflected on how fruitful the year 2015 was for the Gunners and described Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester United last week as a “turning point”.
“We had a disturbed start to the season but since January we have done very well. We could do with 10 more games!”
“There was a turning point last week with Manchester United not beating Chelsea. Now we can get closer to Chelsea on Sunday.”
Meanwhile the boss also revealed the latest team news with things looking pretty good for the men in Red and White:
“Mertesacker is 50/50 for Sunday, Oxlade-Chamberlain is out, and Mikel Arteta is a bit short. Other than that, everybody else from last weekend should be available.”
Wenger then urged fans to respect Cesc Fabregas’ return on Sunday:
“The regret I have is that he wanted to leave here. This club and myself had a very positive influence on Cesc’s life. I want every player to be respected, and [I want] Cesc Fabregas when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday to be respected like he deserves.”
Finally the Frenchman refrained from commenting on his relationship with Mourinho.
“I don’t know and I don’t want to talk about that because what is important is when the game starts at four o’clock, to have a great game. That’s what English football needs, to know that Arsenal against Chelsea is a big game and is not about the relationship between the managers.”
The match on Sunday kicks off at 4pm at The Emirates.
