Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who has come under fire once more following the 3-2 defeat to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium last Saturday has told his critics to wait till the end of the season before passing judgment on his team.
Wenger was booed by traveling fans as he boarded the train back to London following the Stoke loss, and has now asked for patience as they prepare to take on Galatasaray in the Champions League Tuesday night.
“The response after a defeat is always very important,” he said while speaking to Sky Sports.
“What we want is to come back quickly to a strong defensive performance, to what we had before the game (on Saturday).
“We showed a lack of experience defensively (at Stoke), but we could have scored four or five goals in this game and the team response during this game was quite strong.
“For the rest, you expect that everyone is disappointed after that result, but the Premier League is difficult.
“We want to be judged at the end of the season, not after every single game where it is normal that emotion is always very high.
“So let us get our stability back defensively and see at the end of the season where we are.”
Wenger insisted that the constant abuse from the fans is not wearing him down as the team travel to Istanbul knowing that a victory for them and a loss for Borussia Dortmund will see them top of Group D.
“We have to cope with that (criticism), we are professional footballers. I am a competitive person,” added Wenger.
“What is important is the next game and responding in a strong way, to play to win the game.
“It is part of our job here, you cannot always look for excuses. We are down. Everyone feels it. When you have a disappointment you respond in a strong way, that is what competition is about.
“You cannot say there is a guarantee to anybody you will never lose a game. Many teams will lose at Stoke, you have to be realistic as well.”
