Nigel Pearson plays down James McArthur incident
The Foxes boss, who was rumoured to have been sacked on Sunday, accused them of making “a mountain out of a molehill”.
Pearson is unhappy with former Leicester player and presenter Gary Lineker and guests Danny Murphy and Jermaine Jenas for their interpretation of his flashpoint with McArthur.
The pair clashed during the Eagles’ 1-0 win at Leicester on Saturday after the midfielder collided with the manager, and Pearson appeared to grab McArthur by the throat before holding his shirt.
Lineker called it “strange” and Murphy questioned whether there was an “underlying” issue after McArthur’s transfer from Wigan to Leicester collapsed in the summer.
Pearson said: “I thought they were slightly disruptive, yes. I don’t care what they think of me, I pay my tax bills. I didn’t see it until the morning.
“It’s not helpful when the three fountains of knowledge on Match of the Day make a mountain out of a molehill, there’s nothing in that on Saturday. The lad’s okay and it was very light-hearted. He has said that too. It was all very light-hearted, if you see the pictures it was with smiles.”
The Foxes took almost four hours on Sunday evening to dismiss claims Pearson had been axed. They go to Arsenal bottom of the Premier League after three straight league defeats but the boss insisted his authority at the club remained intact.
“Everybody I work with would recognise my role at the club as being the leader and that is how I intend it to continue. I am very happy to shoulder the responsibility for my football team. I work for a football club I have worked for on two occasions, you think it’s three but it’s two.”
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger feels Alexis Sanchez has both the work-rate and the enthusiastic personality to help fire Arsenal to a successful campaign — just like former club favourite Ian Wright. Sanchez has been forced to sit out the last two matches because of a hamstring strain and Wenger admitted the industry of the Chile forward was clearly missed as his side went down 2-1 in Saturday’s derby at Tottenham.
The 26-year-old, who has plundered 18 goals since a £32m (€43m) summer move from Barcelona, is expected to be back in the side for tonight’s visit of Premier League strugglers Leicester.
Gunners boss Wenger revealed Sanchez has been just as big an influence in the dressing room as on the pitch.
“He is more with the Spanish players of course, but he is loved by everybody. He is very friendly and bubbly every day,” said Wenger.
“He is a bit like Ian Wright, with his enthusiasm.
“Alexis is quieter than Ian Wright — but that is not difficult and he doesn’t get booked!”
Wenger continued: “He is dynamic and he does both parts of the game, he wins you the ball back quickly as well, so the transitions are very good from defence to attack and attack to defence.
“He is important in the team because of that.”
Wenger revealed Sanchez was desperate to play through the pain barrier, but Wenger insisted there must always be a long-term view weighed up against any potential short-term gain.
“For us it is important that he has no setback as once you go into February, if you have a muscular injury and a guy has a setback, you say ‘bye bye’ as the season is over as it is six weeks out,” said Wenger.
“By the time you come back to your full level it is April and that is why we didn’t take the gamble.”
Wenger is confident Arsenal can quickly get the poor display at Tottenham out of their system, having gone into the match on the back of five straight victories.
“We scored an early goal (at Tottenham) and subconsciously we accepted we had to defend — that is not our game,” he said.
“We all want to try to have the ball.”
Wenger, meanwhile, has also called for clarity on Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
“We are a popular sport, so you want clear and simple rules for everybody to understand,” said the 65-year-old, who has an economics degree from Strasbourg University.
“Is it just your income created by the gates? Is it the gates and commercial? “Is it only the gates and the television? Is it naming rights as well? “If I ask 10 people in the street today (what it means) and then if you ask me, and I am in the job, I don’t have a clear idea any more of what it means.”
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