Southampton vs. Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Talks Pep Guardiola and More in Presser

Arsene Wenger has criticised Pep Guardiola for revealing so early in the season that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of 2015-16.

It was recently confirmed that Guardiola would depart the Allianz Arena in the summer and be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, sparking numerous rumours that he may be on his way to the Premier League, perhaps to take over at Manchester City, per Jason Burt in the Telegraph.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's Boxing Day clash at Southampton, Wenger admitted that he disapproved of Guardiola's departure being announced with so much of the season still remaining, per Alex Richards in the Mirror:

"

I think personally I don’t like that managers come out so early—it’s not so good for their own team or for others who are going through a difficult patch.

We want this league to be the best, but also the right balance. You need 40-50 per cent foreign managers, but also local, like Eddie Howe—you do not want to kill that. It’s important to have the balance right because they bring different ideas.

[Guardiola's] a top quality manager, no one would dispute that. Not for what he’s won…Bayern won before, Barcelona still wins together. I think of his positive attitude, that he wants his side’s to play in a positive way.

"

Wenger commented on Jose Mourinho's recent departure from Chelsea, but he refused to stick the boot into his old foe, per Richards:

"There’s no need to add anything. I don’t want anyone to lose their job. I think it’s always sad when people lose their job."

He also backed Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, insisting that ongoing speculation surrounding the Dutchman's future is premature, per the Evening Standard's James Olley:

On his own team, Wenger believes that Arsenal are currently headed in the right direction as they sit just two points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City ahead Saturday's clash.

Monday's impressive 2-1 home win against Manchester City saw the Gunners keep pace with the high-flying Foxes and move four points ahead of the Sky Blues in third.

They also moved up in Bleacher Report's European rankings, per lead football writer Sam Tighe:

Having lost on the opening day of the 2015-16 season to West Ham United, Arsenal are now firmly in the title race at Christmas and Wenger believes it has been a good year for his side, per Richards:

"

We lost our first game at West Ham so we weren’t sure we’d be here at Christmas. Football is pragmatic, no one can predict what will happen in the next 17 games for example. We go with the same attitude and spirit.

If you look back at 2015, we have been consistent overall and have had quite a positive record. Stabilised our defensive record and improved against strong teams. We’re going the right way.

"

A victory at St Mary's on Saturday would be a fourth league win on the bounce for Arsenal and could perhaps see them move up into top spot in the English top flight if Leicester slip up against Liverpool.

While Southampton away is undoubtedly a tough fixture, Ronald Koeman's men are currently enduring a poor run of form having claimed just one point in their last five games, and Arsenal are surely favourites for the festive meeting.

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have been instrumental in the Gunners' impressive form this season, but unfortunately the Chilean forward is not set to make his return from injury at the weekend, nor will any of Arsenal's other sidelined players, per the club's Twitter feed:

The Arsenal manager said that Ozil and Sanchez's contract negotiations—the pair are reported to be on the verge of signing new deals, per Don Balon (h/t Metro)—will be dealt with later in the season, per Olley:

Following their defeat of City, Arsenal are now arguably the favourites for the Premier League title given their impressive recent form and the quality they have in the side.

They now have three key matches approaching in eight days which will be vital in building momentum going into the second half of the season, and a victory over Southampton on Saturday would be an ideal start.