Wenger reduced to lying to cover Arsenal's inadequacies

Wenger commenting on yesterday's defeat.

"We went to Fenerbahce, who had never lost a Champions League game at home, with a midfield of Under-21 players."

As soon as I read that I knew it smelt fishy, so I did some research. I was right. Fenerbahce have lost a Champions League game at home - they got walloped 4-0 in the group stages by AC Milan in November 2005.

Fenerbahce also lost 2-0 at home to Feyenoord in the qualifying phase three years before that. In 2001-2002, Fenerbahce lost 3-0 at home to Barcelona - in Group F. Closer examination shows they also lost 1-0 at home to Lyon in the same group. Further scrutiny exhibits yet another home defeat, 2-1 to Leverkusen.

You may feel I am being pedantic, nitpicking over Wenger's comments, but this condescension should be of concern to supporters. Right now, Arsenal need a manager who is prepared to acknowledge the team's weaknesses - not patronise by obfuscating statistical truths.

A few so-called fans are calling for Arsene Wenger's head this morning; no doubt this is an overreaction. However, Wenger has to be very careful not to alienate supporters completely with his post-match comments - otherwise he will simply rev up their displeasure and deepen any resentment that is building.

It's clear that Arsenal are going to have a very rough November. There are home games to Man Utd and Aston Villa - the result of which could end up being hugely important when the points are totalled at the end of the season. Then Arsenal travel to Man City and Chelsea. Four tough games against teams that are all significantly stronger and more talented than the club has so far faced this season.

The injuries are stacking up, the morale is as low as it's ever been under Arsene Wenger, and continued failure will not be tolerated by supporters unless Wenger can, at the very least, deliver concise and meaningful solutions to the problems inherent in the squad.

Wenger went on to say:

"I believe it (attacking) is the best way to win trophies,"

"Who plays the best football? Brazil. So why should there be opposition to that style of play?"

Arsenal are not playing like Brazil. Sifting through yesterday's squad it's clear that Alminua is no Julio Cesar, Denilson is no Kaka, Alexandre Song is no Mancini, and Bendtner is no Robinho. Brazil can keep the ball for 2 minutes and hold on to a 4-2 lead - they can keep it for 20 minutes.

Yes, attacking is the best way to win trophies, but not the only way. Liverpool, AC Milan and Porto have all won the Champions League in recent years playing anything other that attacking football. Defence is king in the Champions League. What's deeply hypocritical about Wenger's comments is that Arsenal made the final in 2006 by playing 4-5-1. Fantastic attacking football did not get Arsenal to the Champions League final. It was 1-0 Real Madrid, 0-0 Real Madrid, 2-0 Juventus, 0-0 Juventus, 1-0 Villarrreal, 0-0 Villarreal. 4 goals in six matches was enough to get Arsenal to the Champions League final - George Graham would have been proud, and had Arsenal won the trophy that year the fans woudn't have given two hoots about how they got there.

Domestically, Chelsea won the Premier League title by boring us all to death under Jose Mourinho, and right now Arsenal fans are more than ready to be bored every now and then if it means a couple of 1-0 victories contributing towards a sustainable title challenge.

"We have to be strong enough to keep on with the way we play and we can win the Premier League and the Champions League. I am confident because we have a very strong, united spirit and we want to do well."

Arsenal cannot win the Premier League and have little-to-no-chance of winning the Champions League - it's a cup after all, but anyone who watched the performance at Stoke yesterday will know there is not a united spirit at the club. The players may like eachother, socialise with eachother, but on the pitch the self-belief has all but disappeared. There's no way these players trust eachother, and they don't fight for eachother - and even if they did, they'd still lose too often because the quality is absent.

One gets the feeling that this insistence that Arsenal can win major trophies this season is piling unnecessary mental pressure on a team that has already proved beyond any reasonable doubt they are unable to cope with such high expectations.

The brutal facts are, Wenger has pushed the youth policy too far. Last season, the balance was delicate, but sustainable. However, the departure of more key players has tipped the squad over the precipice - and sadly there is no returning from that, because some players simply aren't good enough and may never mature into the players we want them to be. Wenger needs to recognise that fact, fast - or the club will haemorrage more players and there will nothing left but kids - and not the good ones.

Those asking for Wenger's head need to back down. The players need our encouragement and shouldn't have to read negative stories about the manager's future coming from their own supporters. Wenger has dumped his players in it something rotten, so don't blame it on them. Some of them should be playing better, no doubt, but it's clear that there are too many weaknesses for the team to function consistently and collectively.

Wenger has surely earned our continued support. Take some time to remember what he has done for the club, a lot more than a few ruined Wednesday or Saturday evenings that's for sure. However, the supporter's patience with Wenger should not be inexhaustible. Unless Wenger can pull the team out of this quagmire, we should be looking for a serious sense of perspective - an admittance of what we already know, that the squad is unable to compete, allied to some assurance that there will be some rigourous changes in the short-term future.

Going forward, there are so many good young players at the club, that there is still room for the youth policy to succeed in some shape or form, but not as it is at present.

Unfortunately, if the manager continues to distance himself from supporters, and in such patronising fashion - stubbornly failing to recognise his mistakes and the faults resident within the team, then it will be a sorry end for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal Football club. We're quite a distance from that - and personally I believe enough in the boss to ensure there will be a happy ending, but make no mistake, there is a clock - and it's ticking.