Intro:

More defensive concerns for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as his team prepared on Friday (12 December) for Saturday's (13 December) English Premier League match at home to Newcastle United.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager:
(on how he will cope with defending after the poor display against Stoke City and injuries to first choice centre-back Laurent Koscielny and left-back Nacho Monreal)
"Defensively, I have 24 hours to think about it and I will find a solution for tomorrow, of course. We have to play somebody who has no experience or somebody who is not used to playing the position."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager:
(on the challenge presented by Newcastle as the first team to beat Chelsea this season)
"Yeah, they had a great result last week, they are doing well, they are on a good run. So it will be a very interesting challenge for us, but I think, as well, we have a good dynamic in our team, we won four of our last five games and we had one blip against Stoke, but overall I think we are on a good trend."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager:
(on Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's recent compliments towards Wenger despite previous tensions between the pair)
"Look, we had one time a problem, but after we sorted it out and you have to accept that. I think he has done very well because he has gone through a very difficult patch at Newcastle and he dealt with it with strength and dignity, what happened to him, and I think, fortunately that he's been rewarded for it."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager:
(on whether he needs to buy in the January transfer window)
"Look, if everybody is fit and available we don't need to go on the transfer market, but we have to consider that (Laurent) Koscielny could be a question mark, you know, with his fitness, and we (may) have to go out on the transfer market."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager:
(on how he feels after verbal abuse by a minority of Arsenal fans)
"It is society as it is today. You want to win the next game and it's permanent tribunal from everybody and it is as it is and you have to cope with that."