Arsene Wenger Hits Back After Gary Neville Blasts Arsenal Transfers and Stars

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger responded to some sharp criticism from former Premier League star and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville on Monday, in which Neville used the words “naive” and “arrogance” to describe the Gunners boss' approach to the transfer market in recent years.

Speaking after the goalless draw against Liverpool, Wenger played down Neville's comments, stating they're nothing but an opinion, via the Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis:

"

Everybody has his opinion. I could prove to you that it's not necessarily right.

[…] You find all kind of attributes for me since I've been here. I try just to do my job well for 20 years. I leave judgement to everybody else, the assessment of the quality of my work.

When you don't win, you're wrong and people find reasons. Are they good reasons? I have enough experience to know when it's right and when it's wrong.

"

Neville blasted Wenger and some of his players during a segment before the match, in which he blamed Wenger's decision not to sign strong, physical players to complement his stars as a reason the club hasn't won the Premier League title in over a decade.

The pundit reminded Wenger the club once fielded the likes of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, and a lack of players who fit that mold is holding the squad back, via the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel:

"

I think it’s arrogance. I really do.

To think that you are not going to adapt your team, to change to impact on the other teams that you’re playing against and their strengths.

It is either naive or arrogance, because they keep losing this way. (If it is) belief, it is misheld belief.

[…] All of a sudden the most significant signings between 2004-09; I can't think of a word to describe that bunch - I could but it wouldn't be usable on television. Certainly not what I would call what you want to win you a league.

"

Here's the segment in its entirety:

But Neville wasn't finished there. After the match, he shifted focus to specific players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, writing for Sky Sports:

"

They're fantastic players but do they take responsibility for their team-mates? No. 

I don't think I've ever seen Mesut Ozil take responsibility for the rest of his team. I've seen him have good games, where he passes the ball well, gets involved and gets assists but doesn't get enough goals. 

Alexis Sanchez is someone that plays in moments and is tenacious. If you look at that back six tonight, Cech is the only experienced one. The experience was in the front of the pitch, Olivier Giroud, Sanchez and Ozil – they're not the type of players that will take responsibility for the players behind them. I was so surprised tonight at the poor quality Arsenal showed on the ball, they gave it away time after time.

"

While Neville's assessment of Arsenal's squad and Wenger's approach to signing midfielders was harsh, the former Manchester United star received a lot of praise on social media for his analysis. The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg thought he got it spot-on:

Of course, no manager likes to hear the words “naive” and “arrogance” used to describe any facet of his job, whether it's tactics or transfers, so Wenger was never going to take these comments lying down.

Arsenal may not have won the Premier League title since the glory days of Vieira, but the Gunners were somewhat held back by the construction of the new Emirates Stadium in the last decade and have found success in the FA Cup the past two seasons.

And while Wenger has faced criticism for his approach to the transfer market in the past, you'll be hard-pressed to find too many Arsenal fans who aren't happy with the signings of Ozil and Sanchez.

Both struggled on Monday but have proved their value in the past, and if the Gunners are going to be serious competitors for the Premier League title in 2015-16, both will have significant roles to play.

The summer transfer window hasn't closed yet, either, so there's still time for Wenger to add some bite to his midfield in the form of competition for Francis Coquelin.

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