Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has paid tribute to long-serving manager Arsene Wenger and has praised him for his loyalty towards the club even through the tough times of late.
The Frenchman is set to take charge of his 1,000th game at the club this Saturday when they go to Stamford Bridge to face rivals Chelsea, and Flamini believes that is an incredible achievement, especially considering what he’s gone through the last nine or so years.
Wenger has been approached by some of Europe’s best clubs and has also been offered a job coaching his country, but on all occasions, he has turned the offers down in order to remain at Arsenal, and for that, Flamini has nothing but praise for him.
He told the Daily Mirror: “It’s an unbelievable achievement. He means so much to the club for the achievements he has done until now. Congratulations to him, first of all.
“I think it’s someone who knows exactly what he wants. He has a vision since the beginning, he’s moved to Arsenal and he still has the same one. He know exactly how he wants to play. That’s remarkable.
“He’s not really changed, he’s still the same person. He had a philosophy before and he still has the same ones, that’s why it’s so easy for me to come back and to find my place in this team.
“They were playing a certain football before and they still play the same. The focus is on small passes and high pressing and to attack. At Arsenal the football is focused on attacking and playing nice football.
“His philosophy was exactly the same – his style, his management and desire to win.”
This season could finally be the end of the trophy drought as The Gunners fight for the Premier League and the FA Cup, and hard-man Flamini believes the double is still on the cards.
Flamini added: “We have a few more games to come which are not easy, because Chelsea and Manchester City are also fighting for the title.
“In the title race, it’s very important not to drop any more points because it’s not a marathon now it’s a sprint. We have a few more games and we want to win every single one.
“The Premier League is one of the objectives but we still have the FA Cup and we really want to make something of this competition too.
“It’s a great opportunity, everyone is waiting for Arsenal to win a title and everyone is talking around the club that Arsenal haven’t won a title for a while. It’s a great opportunity for us and it’s in our hands and I can assure everyone we will do everything to go through and win it this year.
“Both competitions are very important for us. Winning titles is very important for every single player, the management team and the fans. We will fight and give everything to win a title this season.
“I’m focused on our team. The Premier League is very competitive, it’s a very open championship and that means every single point is important.
“I would love to win a title, it means so much to the players, to the manager and the fans. We believe we can do it, we will give everything to do it.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
