Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has now held his pre Crystal Palace press conference and some familiar names feature in the questions.
Speaking to the Official Site as he met with the media, the gaffer explained that the Video Assistant Referee system had certainly created a talking point since it had been trialled.
‘Look, what you want is to improve the system that exists at the moment and we will contribute to improve it. There are some hiccups at the start of the functioning certainly and we need to clear up the way it works, yes I agree. Is that enough to renounce? I would say no, I am still a fervent supporter of it and I believe we have to move forward with it and improve the system certainly, but we have to go with it. You cannot imagine that in the future it will not be used, we will have to find the proper way to do it, but it has to go that way.’
Moving onto Crystal Palace, Wenger said he remained confident going into the game even with Arsenal wobbling of late.
‘I am confident yes, but it is down to our performance. Crystal Palace were in a good run before we played against them and since they have had positive results again, so we just have to focus on our performance and make that we win the game.’
With further struggles this year given results, Wenger was asked directly if this would be his last season in charge.
‘No, that`s not the way I respond. I agree completely that 2018 until now has not been very positive but I am long enough in the job to know that what is important is how we respond to it and to focus on the performance. My personal situation is a bit secondary to all of that, what is important is how the team responds and what we make of 2018. We have many challenges, it is difficult at the moment, but as well very exciting because we have many challenges in front of us and we can come back in the Champions League. We of course play the semi-final next week and after we have the Europa League as well, which is another target, so we have to very quickly get over this transfer period because for us especially this period has been more disturbing than ever. Why? Because we have big players that are at the end of their contract and that is the first time that it happens, that we have such influential players close to the end of their contracts and it has been more destabilising than ever.’
As for team news, Wenger went on to say that we could hopefully welcome a couple of players back to contention this weekend.
‘From the last game at Bournemouth, we have some uncertainties with Maitland-Niles, who was sick yesterday with flu. We should have Koscielny back, we should have Monreal back available for Saturday. Maybe Ozil will be back as well. That`s the good news.’
He also confirmed that Olivier Giroud was a week away from making his return.
