Wenger refuses to look beyond next game

At the end of the week when Rangers and Portsmouth went into administration, is it sensible to question the prudent housekeeping of Arsene Wenger?

A sizeable section of Arsenal supporters consider it is not only wise, but essential if they are compete with the best in the Premier League, never mind Europe.

And, after another dismal performance that sent them tumbling out of the FA Cup at the fifth round stage, the dissidents are being joined by even more fans who pay top dollar for their seats at the Emirates and expect more for their money.

Here was all the evidence needed to justify the growing clamour for Wenger and owner Stan Kroenke to alter their approach and invest in new talent — or stand aside.

As Wenger contemplates a seventh successive season without a trophy, days like this must make him consider the second option.

A bitterly cold evening in the north east of England, a sub-standard pitch and players who fell well short of the traditional Arsenal standards, it was surely an occasion to make Wenger consider his future.

And an occasion, perhaps, to make Robin van Persie, his captain and only survivor of their last trophy success in 2005, to ponder the attraction of life in the more inviting environs of Spain’s La Liga.

Wenger can reasonably point out that massive investment in players has not guaranteed Premier League supremacy for Chelsea this season, but once again Arsenal looked like a team in need of an injection of quality.

Not that Wenger agrees with those who talk of a crisis.

“How do we got about getting better results? By playing well in the next game. Everything is focused on that. A week ago, we won at Sunderland in the championship and that is our main target. Then we lost at Milan and then here.

“That’s basically down to the fact that we had a lot to give on Wednesday night and then we had to travel again and that is difficult for any team in the world. We put a lot of spirit into this game today and if we keep that spirit and recover a little bit physically, then we can win that next game.

“People are always asking the same question, but the first trophy is to finish in the top four and that is still possible for us. I believe that is vital for us, so let’s focus on that.

“I think we have what it takes at the club when everybody is available because we had many missing today, big, big players. It’s hard enough to lose one or two players and we have lost too many.

“We have what it takes at the club and we will add what it takes. But at the moment I believe we are not making plans for next season, we are making plans for the next game.”

And that next game? Local rivals Tottenham, a fixture he simply cannot afford to lose to keep the critics at bay.

Wenger clutched at straws by suggesting a “nailed-on” penalty that was rejected by referee Howard Webb should have provided them with the lead, but they were deservedly beaten by a far more passionate Sunderland team who have been transformed by new manager Martin O’Neill.

It was harsh on Sunderland that their solid display was overshadowed by the debate surrounding Arsenal’s latest abortive pursuit of a trophy. They thoroughly deserved this success and are genuine Cup contenders.

Captain Lee Cattermole said: “We can’t get carried away and we’re not going to. If you look at what we have done over the last few months, we have never allowed ourselves to get ahead of ourselves. What we did here is exactly what we are about.

“We are hard to beat and I thought we wanted it more than them. We tackled, we passed and I thought we were the better side. Arsenal had a lot of the ball but never really hurt us. We were very organised right the way through.

“We are going into every game thinking we are capable of winning whoever we are up against. ”

SUNDERLAND (4-4-1-1): Mignolet 7; Bardsley 6, O’Shea 6, Turner 6, Richardson 7; Larsson 7, Cattermole 8, Colback 7, McClean 6; Gardner 6; Sessegnon 8 (Campbell 88,5).

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Sagna 5, Djourou 6, Vermaelen 5, Coquelin 5 ((Squillaci 10, 4 (Rosicky 53,6)); Song 5, Arteta 5; Oxlade-Chamberlain 5, Ramsey 5, (Walcott 53,5), Gervinho 4; van Persie 6.

Referee: Howard Webb.