After watching his Arsenal side rediscover their winning ways against a tenacious Shrewsbury side in the third round of the Carling Cup last night, Arsène Wenger took the opportunity to confront critics of his recent record.

Reeling from the loss the of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer transfer window, the Gunners have endured their worst start to a league campaign in decades. Last weekend’s 4-3 loss to Steve Kean’s Blackburn Rovers, a game during which Arsenal conceded two own goals, triggered a wave of speculation regarding the security of Wenger’s position.

Last night, however, the Frenchman claimed he remained “completely focused on doing well,” and chastised naysayers for being too “quick to go overboard.”

According to Neil Ashton and Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, the manager also dismissed calls for the employment of a new defensive coach outright, saying:

“I’ve just completed 30 years of coaching. I don’t want to answer that kind of question.”

Wenger’s comments were made only hours after the manager received a whole-hearted endorsement from Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

Read more on this story in the Daily Mail>

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