London: Arsene Wenger admits he is never satisified with his own performance as he tries to restore Arsenal to the summit of English and European football.
Wenger became the longest-serving manager in Arsenal`s history on Thursday when his tenure in north London stretched to 13 years.
After winning three league titles and four FA Cups, the Frenchman`s reign has already ensured he will be remembered as one of the greatest managers to grace the English game.
But despite building a team that went unbeaten through the 2003-04 league campaign, the perfectionist in Wenger means he is never completely happy with his work.He has had more reason than ever to question himself over the last few seasons as Arsenal`s run without a trophy has now reached four years.
"I question myself every day. I try to assess my performance with what I do," Wenger said. “I ask `How I can be better? How can I improve? How can I get this team to achieve what I believe is in the team?`”
"I have not exceeded my expectations because I always expect much more.”
"My expectation is to win every single football game I manage and I did not do that, so I can never exceed my expectations. There are still more targets to achieve.”
"I believe we have consistently managed to be at the top level, within our resources and improving our structures.”
"The club is on a new platform and to reach many more targets.”
"I believe our structures - new stadium, new training ground, a very young team, a healthy financial situation, we play at the top - means we have all the basics to be successful.”
"But of course we want to win trophies because we have worked very hard with this team to be where we are.”
"It is down now to us to win the Premier League, the Champions League - those are our targets."
A European trophy remains the only thing missing from Wenger`s Arsenal CV - having taken the club to the Champions League final in 2006 and to the semi-finals last season before being outplayed by Manchester United.
Wenger, whose side host Blackburn on Sunday, added: "We were close to being crowned, but that is what is still to achieve.”
"Of course it drives me on, but the competition is very high with all the big clubs you have in Europe.”
"Our overall performance in the games this season has been quite good, very promising.”
"Even when we had little disappointment in two games, the quality of the performance was still there.”
"We did transform that disappointment into more desire and came back every time.”
"I believe the spirit is there, the quality is there and we know it is a very big and important season for us. I am confident we will do well."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.