Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger does not
feel Chelsea's struggles or their decision to part company with Jose Mourinho
will make this weekend's Premier League meeting any less important.
Wenger and Mourinho shared a feisty
rivalry, which manifested itself both on the touchline and during media
conferences, before the Portuguese left Stamford Bridge in December amid a
disastrous title defence.
Chelsea sit 14th in the Premier League
while Wenger's men lead the way, but the Frenchman expects a typically
hard-fought contest at the Emirates Stadium.
Asked whether Mourinho's absence would
take any sting out of the fixture, Wenger said: "No. I look at the quality
of the players on the pitch and never at who is on the bench.
"You look at the characteristics of
the team and the players. We don't analyse the character of the manager on the
other side.
"It will be an intense game as
usual because that is what you get in the Premier League. Overall, because of
the players on the pitch, it will be an intense battle regardless of who is on
the bench."
Mourinho has never lost a competitive
game against Wenger and previously mocked his fellow manager's lack of a league
title since 2004 when he described the Arsenal boss as a "specialist in
failure".
Interim boss Guus Hiddink has suggested
that relegation remains a threat for Chelsea and it was put to Wenger that such
a fate would in fact make the Stamford Bridge outfit specialists in failure.
But Wenger joked: "Look, I see
where you want to take me, but I am not ready to travel.
"They are not in the title race,
no, but they are direct rivals because of the quality of their team and I think
this season is exceptional for them.
"They will be back. Nobody can
predict [what has happened to Chelsea], but it can happen to anyone.
"Confidence can go quickly. There
has been bad luck and the league is more difficult than ever, so once you lack
confidence it can happen to anyone.
"I think [Hiddink] has gone a bit
overboard. I don't believe that. If you look purely at maths [then maybe], but
the team has too much potential."
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