Wenger claims Evra has shown lack of respect
Evra turned up the heat ahead of the showdown during an interview with French television, in which he claimed Arsenal offer style but little substance and declaring the club was in “crisis” for not having won a trophy since 2005.
Wenger, however, feels a war of words serves no purpose.
“He gave you some good stuff to make it all hot before the game,” the Arsenal manager said.
“We are guided by the way we want to play football and not by the statements of anybody who plays against us.
“Personally, I believe if you are a big player you always respect your opponent and that is what we try to do.”
Asked if Evra had been disrespectful, the Gunners manager said: “I leave that judgement to you. We do not want to go into any unneeded talking before a game like that.
“We want to focus on the way we want to play and ignore any provocation. We are motivated by the desire to win the game and by the quality of the football we want to play.”
Wenger’s compatriot did not hold back in his criticisms.
“For me, Arsenal is a football training centre,” he declared.
“You watch the match, you enjoy it, but are you going to win a title afterwards? That’s what people remember. It has been five years since they won anything and for a big club like Arsenal, that is a crisis. We can lose 13-0 against them on Monday, but at the end of the day, what is there for Arsenal?
“There is nothing. There are no trophies, there is nothing.”
Indeed, Evra contradicted the assessment of team-mate Nani, who claimed earlier this week that Arsenal were now the main danger to United’s title aspirations.
“Our real enemy is Chelsea,” he said. “We are more concerned with their results than those of Arsenal, even if we know Arsenal are a great team who can beat Chelsea, us or anyone.
“When we play against Arsenal, it is really fun.“
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