English Premiership
Hell holds no fear - Wenger
2011-09-10 11:44
London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confessed that the last few traumatic weeks have been like living in hell.
The 61-year-old Frenchman's close season and early part of the campaign has been the most turbulent period in his 15 years in charge with even his future at the club being cast into some doubt especially after the 8-2 hammering by Manchester United a fortnight ago.
The long drawn-out sagas of selling captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri did not help and he was also viewed to have made some panic transfer deadline day acquisitions as he changed his policy of buying young players with bringing in several more mature heads.
"In my job, you expect to suffer. So that's why when I go to hell one day, it will be less painful for me than you, because I'm used to suffering," said Wenger, who has failed to deliver a trophy to Arsenal since the 2005 FA Cup.
"I could write a book about the summer. It was the most disturbed we have had since I have been here.
"The book would be quite an interesting read. Not because of me, but because of all that happened. It was unbelievable."
Wenger, who has guided the Gunners to every domestic trophy but is still in search of a Champions League victory, admitted that the United match had taught him something - that he needed to change his transfer policy.
"When you sit at Man United and you experience what we did, and you only have players without experience to come on, you have to change," said Wenger.
"I felt that in a situation like that, you don't help the young players.
"In a storm like that, if you bring on players of 18 like (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain, it doesn't help them.
"It's too much to put young players on in a game of that magnitude without experience."
Wenger will look for a morale-boosting win over newboys Swansea later on Saturday and a sign that they are putting behind them the early season blows.
"It was a massive blow to us (the Manchester United scoreline) but at the end of the day the big scores in football have no real meaning quality wise," said Wenger.
"It is difficult to swallow because it is a kind of a humiliation, but it's a one-off.
"What's important is how we respond against Swansea.
"I want to achieve more than top four, but let's win the game first."