Pundits ´brainwash´ people, says under-pressure Wenger

Under-pressure Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says pundits can “brainwash” football fans with their judgements.

Wenger revealed he had reviewed his side’s 5-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich three times, as well as watching Barcelona’s dramatic Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

And the Frenchman says doing that has reminded him why he tries to keep an objective view on any criticism he receives.

“I watch many games,” said Wenger. “For example on Friday night I watched the last 20 minutes of Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona again.

“It is interesting once you see all the conclusions that come out of the game. The same people that speak after the game said with 10 minutes to go that PSG were absolutely outstanding and 10 minutes later they were absolutely rubbish.

“It is always interesting to take a distance, because people keep your eye and brainwash you with what you think is right. 

“We are in the semi-final of the FA Cup. How many times have we been? You have to accept that nothing is good enough, you have to live with that. 

“Get out of that heated atmosphere and look at things in an objective way. Sometimes it confirms what people say. Sometimes it doesn’t. 

“It is down to me to take the right distance – people are right and people are wrong as well. I managed about 2,000 games and might know a little something about the game as well. 

“No matter what happens in the future you will always lose games. I can’t guarantee we will win all the games.”

Into the @EmiratesFACup semi-final #AFCvLCFC pic.twitter.com/Q7twzP8CjN

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) March 12, 2017

Wenger acknowledges it is impossible to block out all the discussion and debate in the modern game.

“You cannot live in an isolated world, because when you are a football player, even if you don’t read, people tell you what people say,” he said.

“Like in your job as well [as journalists], when you write an article people say ‘that’s rubbish’, ‘that’s great’ or ‘that’s not great’.

“You cannot live in a world where you cannot be influenced by everything.

“Maybe 30 years ago, the guy who lost a game has one ¬journalist who went with the players to the pub and had a beer after. And sometimes two and three, four, five or more.

“The importance of the game has become bigger. You can’t ¬escape any more. No matter where a player goes today it is talked about. You have so many news channels.”