Arsene Wenger has defended recent comments about the media and says he was not talking about Tottenham specifically, heavily implying they made the ‘drama’ possible.

Wenger recently took aim at the football press for how they treat Arsenal despite the club’s successes.

In a move that should surprise nobody, his comments were interpreted as a dig at other clubs and put to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, who rose to the bait and hit out at the Arsenal manager.

In his latest press-conference, Wenger defended himself.

“I just complained that we are always in the hot spot. I’m not happy with that because I don’t speak about Tottenham at all, I didn’t even think about that,” he said, as reported by Football London.

“I respect the press and stand up for what I say, but I don’t expect to be questioned.”

Firstly, let’s remind ourselves what Wenger initially said.

“Look, we have been in a few finals,” he said in his pre-Chelsea press conference last Tuesday. “Has it changed your [the press’s] mood? No.

“You celebrate some teams who have not been in a final for 25 years and yet you kill us even though we’ve won the FA Cup three times in the last four years. It’s like that, we have to live with that.”

He does not mention any club specifically. Rather, he seemed to exaggerate to get his point across: that the standards used to judge Arsenal are constantly changing  but always higher than most others.

Yet, some sections of the media saw the opportunity for some drama. Shocking, I know.

All of a sudden, Wenger’s comments were no longer an attack on the media, but one aimed at our rivals, namely Liverpool and Spurs.

Pochettino’s response to this was (via the Daily Mail): “I’m so young and only five years in the Premier League, in two clubs Southampton and Tottenham, but there’s no point to talk about another team.

“Praise? Of course we receive praise. Football is not only to win trophies, it’s the circumstances of different clubs.

“For me he is and will always be one of the best managers in the world, I respect him, but I think he needs to talk for himself and for Arsenal.”

Perhaps Wenger should have known better to utter such a ‘provocative’ statement in the first place, knowing how the English press tends to work. They often spend all day throwing matches at a variety of situations and then feign faux outrage at the ensuing fire that develops.

Nonetheless, Wenger’s comments were true.

Arsenal were relentlessly criticised for not winning silverware for years. When they finally did, it wasn’t good enough.

A lot of clubs seem to get a free pass when it comes to trophies.

Arsenal’s size and history means there will always be big expectations, but some credit would be nice.

It would also be nice if the press took responsibility for the dramas they start, but that, like Tottenham winning silverware, is not happening any time soon.