Arsene Wenger spoke ahead of his 67th birthday on Saturday and took the opportunity to have a pop at his critics who blame his age.

As Wenger pointed out, his age has nothing to do with his achievements or lack thereof. However, whenever we go through a bad patch, this is one of his attributes that’s always called into question. As if, when people reach a certain age they suddenly become completely incapable.

“It’s like being a player. Once you get to a certain age, you have a bad game and [the critics] think ‘you have to go’,” he told Arsenal’s website.

“That’s why the demands are even higher than before.

“Your age quickly becomes a psychological excuse to get rid of you. I live in a competitive world and it’s down to what I produce that has to be judged. My age should not interfere with that. But if you don’t do well, the age quickly becomes the problem.

“I believe that you forget your age [yourself] if you are in good health and all the rest inside you is a love for competition and a love to improve every day. That is the most important. After that, age is age. You have to live with that.”

Wenger is probably fitter, healthier and sharper a lot of people half his age and using his age as an ‘explanation’ is naive at best, offensive at worst.

As the boss says, players are treated similarly when all you have to do is look at stars like Thierry Henry to know they’ve still got it. Of course, they may lose a bit of pace but the quality remains.

Anyway, happy birthday, Arsene.

Hopefully, we make it good one with a win against Middlesbrough.