Arsenal vs Norwich City - Wenger asks for perspective from Arsenal fans

Posted Friday, April 29, 2016 by PA

Arsene Wenger has called for a sense of perspective as Arsenal's supporters prepare to protest during Saturday's Premier League fixture at home to Norwich.

Black Scarf Movement, RedAction and the Arsenal Supporters Trust want those present at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to raise placards reading: "Time for change. Arsenal is stale, fresh approach needed."

Wenger believes certain critics of the team are trying to "manipulate" supporters to suit their own agenda, but shares the general frustration among Gunners supporters at Arsenal's latest failure to win the league.

However, the 66-year-old thinks the club's overall "evolution" since their move from Highbury has wrongly been overlooked.

"We have to put things a little bit into perspective and see how the club's evolution has gone over the years," Wenger said.

"It was not always easy. The quality of the work we've done at the club has got us into a strong position where expectations are very high, but we are frustrated when we don't get what we want.

"When you build a stadium, we had five to seven difficult financial years where we had to pay back - we had (to qualify) for the Champions League three years out of five and have an average (gate) of 54,000 people (to finance the new stadium). We didn't know we would be capable of that.

"We had to sell our best players every year to survive, but we didn't do three years out of five in the Champions League. We did five out of five. But during that time, it was very difficult."

The return to fitness of Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain means Wenger has a fully-fit squad to choose from for a match they must win in their pursuit of a top-four finish, but the manager will at best only select one of them.

"One could be involved," he said.

"Santi Cazorla has already practised now for two weeks with the team. Alex is in the first week. So one of the two (might be in the squad)."

Alex Neil has called on Norwich to concentrate on the job in hand when they head to Arsenal.

Norwich are desperate for points to stave off relegation, having slipped into the bottom three following the 3-0 defeat by fellow strugglers Sunderland a fortnight ago.

"You can look at it in two ways," Canaries boss Neil said at his pre-match press conference. "Is it a good time to play them because there is going to be a protest? Or are the players going to give the reaction that they expect?

"The bottom line is we have to go there with the intention of bringing something back, be it three points, which would be great, or a point. Whatever the case may be.

"We just want to go there and play as well as we can, and if we do that then we have a chance against them."

Norwich picked up a creditable 1-1 draw against the Gunners in the reverse fixture at Carrow Road in November.

Neil is hoping that performance, plus some of their other big-game displays this season, will spur them on to pick up a positive result.

"I think it can," he added. "Our problem has been consistency levels. We went to Manchester United and put in a wonderful performance and managed to be the first team to beat them at Old Trafford this season.

"So we are capable, it's just whether we can go there and deliver on the day, and I'm confident we can."

Norwich captain Russell Martin should return to the squad after missing out against Sunderland due to a virus.

However, fellow defenders Timm Klose and Andre Wisdom have been ruled out of the Canaries' remaining fixtures with knee ligament damage.