Crisis? We’re in ‘fantastic’ shape, insists irate Arsène Wenger

Wenger has excused 11 first-team players from the match against Olympiacos
Wenger has excused 11 first-team players from the match against Olympiacos
FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/EPA

Defiant and undaunted, Arsène Wenger rounded on his critics last night, launching a staunch defence of his approach and his record.

The Arsenal manager suggested that his side were in “fantastic” shape on and off the pitch and insisted that his detractors were merely jumping on a bandwagon.

Arsenal were jeered from the Emirates Stadium pitch after the 2-0 defeat by Swansea City on Saturday that left the club tenth in the Barclays Premier League and made this their worst start to a season under Wenger.

The Frenchman suggested in the aftermath of a loss that prompted talk of a crisis that his players were suffering from a packed fixture schedule, an assessment that was dismissed by a number of observers, including Phil Neville, the