It’s become something of a rarity when teams come to the Emirates and try to play us at our own game, and the boss reckons Sunderland will be no different.

Speaking ahead of the match against Sunderland midweek, Arsene Wenger has revealed how he expected the Sunderland team to set up against the Gunners.

“Sunderland need a point to be safe so I expect them to be well organised defensively, sound at the back, and to try to use all the counter-attacks they can, all the set-pieces they have, to score goals. We have to put a high rhythm into this game and play with a high level of energy to win the game.”

Although honestly, this wouldn’t be a surprise and even though it can be infuriating to watch, most of the time these teams are just doing the best they can with what they have. It’s highly unlikely that a team like Sunderland could pass their way through us the way we could them if they left gaps. Therefore, throwing everyone and their mothers behind the ball is the only way they can keep us out.

The Wearside team only need a point from their remaining matches to stay in the Premier League this season and Wenger believes they’ll be stay up, saying, “Sunderland, for a few years now, have struggled until five, six games before the end. First Paolo di Canio saved them, then Gus Poyet saved them, and now Advocaat saved them, so always they just find the final resources to get out of relegation. Advocaat has used his vast experience to give them confidence again, and to get them to play. I think as well, players certainly questioned themselves and respond always with a few games to go.”

The Sunderland manager’s contract expires after this season and Wenger supports his decision to leave, if that’s what he truly wants, “Normally you want to continue, but you have to respect his desire as well. He has given a lot and he has been in this job for a long, long time, maybe he has the right to say no when he doesn’t want to stay.”

Touching back on the Swansea City match, the boss has described the loss as an ‘accident‘, saying, “For me the Swansea game was an accident. Having analysed it, it’s one of the games we deserved to win the most of all the games. We lost two in two or three years now, so you can say that’s an accident.”

Despite only needing a point from our remaining games to finish third, let’s hope there are no more ‘accidents‘ this season.