Arsene Wenger Talks Jose Mourinho, Barcelona, More in Arsenal vs. City Presser

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger pointedly refused to offer beleaguered Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho his backing when he addressed the media ahead of Monday's crunch clash at home to Manchester City.

Per the Mirror's Alex Richards, he claimed there was "no chance" the Blues—16th in the table—would go down because of "the quality of their team." When asked whether their manager would make a difference, he replied: "Yes, that as well. They are in a difficult spell but they are not in a relegation battle."

Wenger was then pressed on his sympathy for the Portuguese, responding: "Look, I just gave you a good answer."

The London Evening Standard's James Olley saw a notable contrast in Wenger's discussion of Mourinho and his past support of other under-pressure managers:

His refusal to support Mourinho isn't overly surprising, however, given the long-running feud between the two, as detailed by Sky Sports, stretching back to Mourinho's first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2007.

Indeed, after so many barbs traded back and forth over the years, an olive branch would have been far more unexpected despite Wenger's track record.

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Wenger also opened up on the club's drawing of Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16.

Per Richards, he admitted the Catalans were "the best team in Europe at the moment" but insisted "we have a chance to knock them out." The Gunners will be buoyed by their 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the group stage, and Wenger added: "We have to be inspired by the Bayern result at home. It’s difficult but very exciting as well."

Few were surprised when the Gunners drew the most difficult opponent possible on Monday. Football journalist Rafael Hernandez felt a sense of deja vu:

However, Hernandez also believes Arsenal have reasons to be optimistic ahead of the tie:

The Gunners are certainly capable of getting a positive result in a similar manner to how they beat Bayern, though a lot could depend on their injury situation in February and their recruitment—if there is any—in January.

Wenger reiterated the club are open to doing business in the transfer window but conceded it was by no means a guarantee they'll be able to sign anyone, per Arsenal's official Twitter feed:

The Frenchman did not have any long-term injury news, but gave the latest update ahead of the clash with City. Per Richards, he said: "Everyone who played against Aston Villa is fit. Alexis Sanchez has a slight chance. He’s not in full training but is running."

On Arsenal's opponents, he explained the importance of getting a result against their title rivals:

"

It’s a massive game that you play at home and of course you want to win. Over Christmas we play many home games and it’s important to be in a strong position after Christmas.

It’s a tight game, we look at the numbers and we’re very close. Man City has huge potential—We will need a top top level team performance.

"

He elaborated: "We are in December. We are not fighting for the Premier League on Monday night. But we will be looking to nullify them. You cannot ignore the individual quality they have up front. You look to nullify their quality and attack yourself."

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Key to Arsenal's attacking threat on Monday will be Mesut Ozil, who was the subject of great praise from his manager:

"

Ozil is main provider in our team, in the league. Players who can make you score have something special on the vision front and the technical front. In his way, an exceptional fighter. He covers distances and now runs into the box. He has become an absolutely unbelievable player.

"

The German is well and truly on top form this season, and as Squawka Football noted, he has been at his creative best:

If Ozil is able to produce yet another majestic performance on Monday, the Sky Blues' vulnerable defence could be in for a long night.

The Gunners could struggle at the back themselves, though, because of the absence of holding midfielder Francis Coquelin, as they have no other player in the squad capable of performing his role to anywhere near the same level of effectiveness.

Wenger is correct the game will by no means hand the winner the Premier League title, but it remains an important clash, and if one team comes out on top, it will certainly give them the initiative in the title race.