Ex-Arsenal star warns Wenger's critics

Highbury legend Paul Davis today told Arsene Wenger’s critics to prepare to eat humble pie.

Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season imploded last week, with defeats against Everton, Auxerre and Blackburn ending Wenger’s hopes of going the whole campaign without losing.

But ex-Gunners midfielder Davis, now the club’s under-15s and under-16s coach, warned critics to expect a stirring response against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and Fulham on Sunday.

Davis, who made 453 appearances in 17 years as an Arsenal player, told PA Sport: "Although it’s very unusual for a manager to come out and say what Arsene said, I’m not going to argue with him as he’s a man of great experience and knows his stuff.

"As a manager, you have to give your players confidence, although a lot of people will be now gloating and happy that we’ve lost three games and come up against the bumpers.

"But with the quality in our squad, this is a blip. It’s a matter of how quickly we come out of it and start winning again - and I believe that will happen this week.

"I still have confidence in the players and we’re still playing some of the best football in the league. We’ll be right up there at the end."

However, Davis admits the trio of defeats will have given Wenger serious food for thought.

"It’s been an amazing turnaround in the space of a week - and it is concerning when you lose three games on the spin," he added.

"Before we started losing, a lot of people were thinking we could go a long way or even all the whole way through the season without losing

"But apart from against Auxerre, the performances have been just as good as the games beforehand.

"Perhaps our luck has changed a bit, as on Saturday we had 28 efforts on goal. It’s about putting the ball in back of the net that counts.

"I’m not really worried about the Champions League, as a draw takes us through to the next stage.

"I’m pretty confident this Arsenal team will get at least a draw somewhere along the line. Hopefully we can do it this week and then relax."