Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was branded as arrogant by former Manchester United defender Gary Neville on Monday night.

The former right-back, now working as a pundit for Sky Sports said that Wenger’s transfer policy has been either naive or arrogant in recent years, as the Arsenal manager has failed to bring in enough physical players.

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Liverpool on Monday night and after the game Wenger insisted not signing a holding midfielder has nothing to do with being arrogant.

“I don’t know what that has to do with arrogance,” Wenger told the media. “You find all kinds of attributes from this. I’m here so I’m quite used to it and I try to do my job well, which is all I try to do.”

After signing the likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Sol Campbell it seems ridiculous to suggest Wenger sees no value in having physically imposing players in his squad.

However, since the breaking up of the ‘Invincibles’ side the manager has tried to play a more possession based game, like the one seen more often continentally. The smart money would suggest that moving to having more technical players in the side was a decision based on wanting to succeed in Europe as well as at home.

That hasn’t come and, as long as it doesn’t, Wenger will face heavy criticism.

 

“Everybody has their opinion and everybody is entitled to have an opinion,” Wenger said. “I could prove to you that it’s not necessarily right, but let’s not go into that debate tonight.

“When you don’t win, you’re wrong and people always find reasons why. Are they the good reasons? I think I have enough experience and intelligence to know when it’s right and when it’s wrong.”