Wenger to continue coaching

LONDON — Arsene Wenger wants to continue coaching next season, even if it’s not at Arsenal. The 67-year-old Frenchman’s contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season. He has yet to commit to extending a reign that began in 1996, saying a decision is expected by April. “No matter what happens I will manage next season,” Wenger said Friday. “Is it here or somewhere else that’s absolutely for sure?” The pressure has intensified on Wenger since a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, leaving Arsenal facing a seventh straight elimination in the last 16. Arsenal has never won the European Cup and has not won the Premier League trophy since 2004. “Even if I go, Arsenal will not win every single game in the future,” Wenger said. “That’s part of it, you have to accept that. As much as it hurts to lose games.” Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke told The Associated Press last year that the club is “all very high on Arsene,” but sections of the fan base have been calling for Wenger to leave for some time. “That’s an eternal debate when you are somewhere for a long time and there is a big disappointment,” Wenger said. “What’s important is the club makes the right decision for the future.” Wenger maintained that he has had “many opportunities to go somewhere else” during his Arsenal career but was committed to the north London club, overseeing the move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury in 2006. “I care about this club and I care about its future and I think it is very important the club is always in safe hands,” Wenger said. “Is it me or somebody else? “If I said March or April it is because I didn’t know. I do not want to come back on that. We have other priorities at the moment. “I hate defeat and it’s hard to take, but I have the strength and experience to come back from that,” he added. What made the Bayern defeat all the more bitter for Arsenal’s supporters was that it meant, barring an extraordinary second leg, the Gunners will be knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League for the seventh year in a row. That domestic title drought looks set to continue, with Arsenal currently 10 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea. But Wenger warned Arsenal fans, many of whom have been heavily critical of him in recent times, that the club’s form will not improve spectacularly just as a result of him leaving the Emirates Stadium. “We have to focus on the real problems and they are the way we play football, not my future,” he said. “It is always important not to look for wrong excuses in life. He added: “I am used to the criticism. I think in life it’s important to do what you think is right and all the rest is judgment. I am in a public job and I have to accept that, but I have to behave with my values. “As long as you do not win absolutely everything, there is always something wrong. You have to accept that as you want to go to the next level. “If everything is not perfect, not all is wrong.” Meanwhile Wenger dismissed reports of a dressing room bust-up immediately after the heavy loss in Germany. “The main emotion is that everybody is disappointed and we need to focus on the next game,” he said. “We can’t influence the last game, we can only influence it the next time we play Bayern at home.” Arsenal is fourth in the Premier League and next plays Monday in the FA Cup against fifth-tier club Sutton in south London. — AFP