Arsène Wenger has insisted he will not abandon his principles in the wake of traumatic defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea which he admitted were "very painful" to endure, but called for patience and realism as Arsenal confront the prospect of a fifth successive season without silverware.
Arsenal are nine points off the top of the Premier League after Sunday's 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge and welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium this evening conscious that they must emulate the form of their 10-match unbeaten run that spanned December and January if they are to recover their title challenge. The club retains hope in the Champions League but Wenger will not be swayed from his policy of developing young talent rather than spending lavishly in the market, even if the trophy drought continues.
The striker Marouane Chamakh will move to Arsenal when his contract expires at Bordeaux in the summer, with Liverpool's interest successfully deflected, but the 26-year-old's arrival will not threaten the London club's wage structure. Asked whether he placed as much emphasis on keeping his club solvent as his team successful, Wenger said: "Certainly. We cannot show Carlo Ancelotti [that we can spend large sums in the market] because Chelsea can lose £150m and we cannot live like that. Football lives in an artificial world at the moment. We have to live in a realistic world at Arsenal, and we are very proud of that.
"If you go high on transfer fees, you also go with high wages. It is linked, but we cannot afford [to do that]. Also, we live as if everybody can just buy, buy and buy in the market. But look what happened in the January transfer window. Give me one big move: there were none. People ask me: 'Why did you not buy a great striker?' Well, tell me one who moved clubs. There wasn't one. We are one of the 10 best clubs in Europe and players who can strengthen our team in that window are either not available or at a price that we cannot afford."
Arsenal have been found out this season by the top two sides, who have each achieved league doubles over Wenger's charges, but will take solace from the fact that, of their final 13 league fixtures, their most daunting are arguably the trips to Tottenham and Birmingham together with the visits of Liverpool and Manchester City. The losses to United and Chelsea have deflated the club – "The mood is very down," said Wenger – and the manager has called for unity and resolve as they attempt to instigate a recovery this evening.
"It is very painful," he said, reflecting on the recent league defeats. "Do you think I fight every day and night to lose games? I question not my principles, but what I do every day. I am patient with my players because I believe we're still very young considering the top level in Europe. Take our midfield – we have players who are 22 and 23 in there, and yet we are already capable of dominating games in midfield. The basis is there. We have to transform that into winning trophies, but we can only do that if we believe it. I know everyone else is impatient, but my job is to be patient and to work.
"I saw a lot of positive signs in that game against Chelsea that we are developing very well. You could say: 'Shut up.' Maybe you're right, but that's what I believe. We have gone for a policy and we need to be strong and patient, and sometimes take the knockbacks, but still persist with it because it's the only way this football club can be run. We are faithful to our philosophy."
Yet the Frenchman conceded that his side can learn from experiences as chastening as Sunday's, not least in Chelsea's streetwise approach. Wenger had pointed to the league leaders' willingness to commit tactical fouls – "They make the foul at the right part of the pitch to stop a counter-attack, a little push, not enough to be a yellow card" – and, while he would not condone such an approach, he admitted he would not be critical of his players should they employ similar tactics.
"That comes with experience," added Wenger. "Of course I would accept it from my players, but I do not encourage them to do it. You don't want to play with the purpose to make a foul. I do not want that at all. Chelsea stopped us in the right way."
