Arsène Wenger, while clearly reluctant to get too involved in the dispute engulfing José Mourinho and his medical staff at Chelsea, took a moment to ponder how a fractured atmosphere can damage the wellbeing of a club.
“It is a problem inside the club that if you are not united it is more difficult. It is the trust and unity that makes the strength,” he said.
“Firstly I have not followed that as you know I do not have great interest about what is going on at Chelsea,” he added pointedly. “Secondly the rules are quite clear that when the referee gives an indication that the medics can come on they come on. It is the referee who makes the decision.”
Wenger’s own focus this week has been very much on his own team, who needed to absorb the setback of an unexpected opening day home defeat inflicted by West Ham. “Every defeat makes you a bit smaller,” he said. “But it is our job to take it into perspective with 37 games to go. We have the history behind us in the second half of the campaign last year that we have the quality to respond always and to be consistent.
“Let’s focus on our quality. Defeat is part of the season and of course that was not planned but we know it is how we respond to these kind of things that will make our season.
“It always hurts. We have analysed what happened to us but we don’t have to go overboard with what happened. It is a defeat and it hurts but that shouldn’t take our belief in our potential away.”
Arsenal visit Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Wenger reflected his team had been a bit lucky to win the corresponding fixture last season. He is looking for a reaction, and has no qualms about the form or confidence of Petr Cech, who endured a debut for forget last weekend.
“He is a great goalkeeper and needs to focus on the next one. He analyses it very well, he is a bright man and he knows that it is down to how well he responds to that.”
Wenger suggested the concession of the first goal might have been down to Cech’s desire to protect his team-mates. “Maybe he was wanting to save the team in a situation where the defending was not great.”
