Arsene Wenger's Top 10 Quotes of the Season

In what has been a very tumultuous season for Arsenal, no one has ridden the waves of emotion more than the club's embattled manager, Arsene Wenger.

When the club was in its worst runs of form, the Frenchman was forced to defend his boys though what were obviously half-hearted and hollow statements about his squad's quality and mettle.

And, of course, when all is going well, the manager is left to shower his team with plaudits and praise, going on about how his unit is finally coming together and performing in his glorious vision.

It may all be a bit banal and tiring for some, but the roller-coaster ride of this Arsenal season has produced moments from Wenger that are almost as entertaining as the team's on-pitch exploits. Thus, in the spirit of remembrance, let us look back on 10 of Arsene Wenger's top soundbites this season so far.

"Overall We Had a Consistent Domination"

Arsene Wenger uttered these powerful words immediately after the club's win just last weekend at Manchester City.

His statement shows just how much Arsenal controlled a side that were favorites to win the league not too long ago and which fielded two players who left the Gunners in search of silverware.

Wenger's squad truly took the game to the faltering Citizens, and his comments embody the healthy arrogance that accompanies a good run of form such as the one that Arsenal are currently enjoying.

"We Have Quality, We Have Spirit, Which I Have Never Questioned"

In the midst of their recent run of spectacular form, Arsenal have been masters of the comeback, frequently falling behind early in games, only to find a winner very late on.

One of the most spectacular instances of this spirit was against Newcastle, where the Gunners pressed relentlessly for the decisive goal and finally found it in the final minute of stoppage time through Thomas Vermaelen and his sheer will to win.

After a dismal run in January that coincided with the loss of every full-back the club has, to roar back with such ferocity and close the gap behind Tottenham Hotspur in third place, which Arsenal now occupy, was stunning and thrilling simultaneously.

Arsene Wenger's faith in his team was rewarded.

"I Can Only Apologize for the Score"

From one of the greatest moments of Arsenal's season thus far to one of the lowest.

In the club's worst league defeat in 114 years, Manchester United thoroughly demolished a depleted and demoralized Gunners side 8-2 in their Lion's Den of Old Trafford, humiliating Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

Faced with perhaps the most intense pressure from his then-substantial legion of critics to resign, the heavily defeated and embarrassed man could only apologize for making the supporters of a great club suffer utter torment at the hands of another who have consistently beaten them in recent years.

There was nothing else to do for Wenger but bow his head in shame and move on to the next match.

"Arsenal Are Alive More Than Anybody Thought Before the Game"

Ah, the 5-2 drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur. Personally, it is one of my favorite matches of this turbulent season, and the spark for the fantastic run of form that Arsenal has been on for the past several weeks.

Down 2-0 early on, Arsene Wenger was dangerously close to losing what relatively little popular support he had left. But then Bacary Sagna decided he had had enough, and his thumping header started off one of Arsenal's most thrilling and exhilarating comebacks in recent memory.

After the match, with the fans' mood at perhaps its highest point all season, Wenger made a powerful declaration of his side's intent to not go away and prove that they are just as strong as ever.

And how they have.

"I Do Not Give Much Importance to the Seven Goals...We Won and Played Well"

What a classy statement from the manager immediately after securing the club's biggest win of the season amid a period of real uncertainty about where the team would finish in the table.

It was the perfect match, really: Robin van Persie scored a hat trick, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain netted his first two Premier League goals and Thierry Henry secured a symbolic goal on his last appearance at the Emirates.

Arsenal were flying high once again and much of their lost confidence was restored. And yet Wenger merely says, "We played alright, scored some, got a result, and got the job done."

However, that is exactly what one wants from a manager who is attempting to motivate his team for a challenging run-in and a crucial tipping point in the season.

"Spending the Money Is Not the Target"

During various points in Arsenal's season, various groups of supporters have loudly and vehemently demanded that Arsene Wenger get his checkbook out and spend some money.

After the Gunners' dispiriting loss to Manchester United towards the end of January, those calls reached a crescendo, as the club had no full-backs and a seemingly barren pool of strikers to assist Robin van Persie.

Repeatedly, though, the manager rejected calls for him to change his frugal ways, insisting that his squad was well-equipped to challenge for a Champions League place.

And though his insistence almost resulted in fan mutiny, Wenger's wisdom has been borne out through a series of good results since that 2-1 defeat.

"There Is No Chance I Would Walk Away"

If not for the strong support he received from Stan Kroenke, Arsene Wenger may very well have been sacked early in the season for a string of awful results.

One of those, which ultimately led to the Gunners flirting with the relegation zone, came against a Liverpool side that many then thought would be contending for a Champions League place.

The two teams were a study in contrasts: The Reds had spent heavily in the summer to strengthen their team and prepare for an assault on the top four, while Arsenal were on the verge of losing their two best players and looked as if they would not remain in England's top echelon for another season.

Those evaluations were utterly wrong, and it is astounding to think that the Gunners' distinguished manager was on the verge of being unceremoniously dismissed just a few months ago.

"It Was the Perfect Script from a Perfectly Special Player"

It was arguably the greatest single moment of Arsenal's season thus far:

Struggling to break though against Leeds, Arsene Wenger threw on Thierry Henry in his second debut to rapturous applause from the Emirates faithful. With a classic instep finish, he slipped the ball past Andy Lonergan and into the far post as he has so often done during his Arsenal career.

Henry would later describe the goal as one of his favorites because it was the first he scored as a fan of the club. And the boss encapsulated why the legendary striker's goal was just so perfect in one of his best quotes of the year.

"It Was a Good Test of the Mental Strengths of the Club"

Wenger's most tired cliche has been played to death this year, and has at times been a hollow symbol of Arsenal's failure.

The manager has stressed the importance of "mental strength" for years, and it seemed to be most necessary during the immensely trying period that the team went through in the first weeks of the season.

As Wenger said after Arsenal's enthralling victory over Manchester City last weekend, the club has shown this toughness and resolve which is the hallmark of a successful team.

The Gunners have displayed genuine resolve to push through disappointment when past sides would have certainly crumbled under the intense pressure of expectation.

"The Whole Season Has Been Eventful"

Well, that's a bit of an understatement, isn't it?

Few would dispute that this has been the most tumultuous of Arsene Wenger's 16 years in charge of Arsenal. Supporters mutinied at various points during the season, the club sank as low as 17th place and Wenger himself might have been at risk of losing his job.

So, to say that this campaign has been "eventful" is something of a conservative evaluation of how things have played out for the Gunners this year.

Whereas disastrous events have riddled the club in past months, Arsenal seem to finally be realizing their full potential. Who knows, maybe Arsenal can still move up in the table.

Finally for today, if you are looking for quality analysis of both Arsenal and all things football, do check out my friend John Aggrey's blog—it's always a very interesting and insightful read. His piece on the Manchester City match really merits a look.

Follow @charliemelman