WENGER AND MOURINHO
Arsene Wenger promised to shake Jose Mourinho by the hand
when the old foes meet again at Old Trafford and dismissed the theory that the
Manchester United manager has a psychological hold over his team.
In the stormy series of duels
between his Arsenal side and Mourinho teams, Wenger has been victorious on only
one occasion, in the FA Community Shield in 2015.
The Frenchman has drawn six and lost
eight against his arch enemy but Wenger said: 'We didn't always lose. We have
beaten them. There were many draws. I have won against every manager in the
world during 20 years.
WENGER VS MOURINHO IN
THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Games: 11
Mourinho
wins: 5
Draws: 6
Wenger
wins: 0
'I don't have to describe our
relationship. He will fight for his team and I will fight for mine.'
Asked if they would shake hands, he
smiled and replied: 'I will respect the ritual so important in the Premier
League.'
But Wenger went on: 'I do not make
it a competition between two managers. It is between the two teams. It is
Arsenal against Man United. We have won and lost games on both sides. You do
not play against a manager, you play against a team and you analyse their
strengths and weaknesses.
'What makes it for the audience is
the quality of the game. We have seen some games this season not respond to the
expectation level.
'This game will be watched all over the world and what's important is that the
quality of the game is good. That is down to the player on the pitch.'
Mourinho was criticised for his
tactics earlier in the season when Manchester United travelled to Liverpool for
a much-hyped Monday night clash which ended in a goalless draw.
This game was surely at the
forefront of Wenger's mind when he spoke about entertainment for the television
audience.
His argument in the duel with
Mourinho has always been about the quality of his team's football, while the
Portuguese, who has won the Premier League three times since Arsenal's last
title, never tires of wondering aloud how Wenger can manage without the
pressure of delivering trophies.
This year, his team has the edge in
terms of recent form and league position. Victory at Old Trafford in Saturday's
early kick-off would lift Arsenal to the summit, if only briefly.
'A win would strengthen belief,'
said Wenger. 'Some wins have been decisive for us at Old Trafford but this
would only be a strengthening of our position in the league.
'We are on a very strong run of 16
unbeaten games. There was a little hiccup against Tottenham at home. We had an
opportunity to go top which we didn't take.
'They are not so far away. With
three-pointers everything can change very quickly. We have played only 11 and
of the big clubs there is no one definitely out [of the race].'
Arsenal clinched the title at Old
Trafford in 2002 but have not won there in the Premier League since 2006 when
Emmanuel Adebayor scored a late winner.
Last season, they were beaten 3-2
with the first two United goals scored by teenager Marcus Rashford who was
making only his second senior appearance.
'He took everybody by surprise
because nobody knew him,' said Wenger. 'It was a key game. We did not respond
on the day, one of the few away games in the whole year when our performance
not at the level.'
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