Friday, 26th October, 2012
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he has to make tough choices when it comes to choosing what teams to put out for each competition.
The Gunners are currently in the middle of a period of fixtures which will see them play seven times in 21 days, an average of once every three days – and Wenger is clear that he is going to have to juggle his squad and promote some competitions above others.
At the bottom of the Frenchman’s list is, quite clearly, the League Cup, which Wenger insisted cannot be compared with Champions League participation through a high Premier League finish, which must be given full priority.
"I believe it is easy to understand – you ask any club in the world, do you want to win the League Cup or be in the Champions League next season? And they will all give you the same answer", he told Arsenal’s official site.
"Of course we want both, but sometimes we are in positions where you cannot do both, when you have a short squad, you have to make a choice", continued the Frenchman.
"We play now Saturday, then Tuesday at Reading, then we play Manchester United on Saturday and go to Schalke.
relatedNewsStory"At some stage you have to make a choice and in that choice sometimes you have to put priorities in."
Wenger’s words tally with those uttered by assistant manager Steve Bould in the wake of the club’s 2-0 defeat against Schalke in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Bould has insisted that the Arsenal side look "jaded" and suggested it may be to blame for their lack of creativity against the Germans.
