Wenger defends team and Wilshere after Paul Scholes claims.
Arsene Wenger has hit back at Paul Scholes’ criticism of Arsenal.
In his role as a TV pundit, the straight-talking former Manchester United midfielder claimed the Gunners were ‘a million miles away’ from winning the Premier League title.
SEE ALSO: The top 10 best Arsenal games of all time
His comments followed Arsenal’s 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea, and Scholes also said the North London outfit lacked ‘leaders’ and claimed they had ‘midfield players with no discipline’.
Wenger has hit back, admitting that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but stressing Arsenal are not far off the league’s summit.
“If six points (from the top) is a million miles away, then I don’t know what the translation from a mile into a point is,” Wenger is quoted as saying by ITV.
“Everybody has opinions, people who have managed zero games have opinions and we have to accept that.
“What you live with is what you do on the pitch, and all the rest is only opinions.
“We are in a society where there are thousands of opinions every day, and some go for you and some go against you. You have to live with that.”
Wenger added: “We have not given up (on the title), believe me and we can show that on Saturday. It is our attitude that will decide that.
“Champions keep going when everybody else would give up. We have an opportunity to show that we have that mentality.”
Former England international Scholes also questioned the development of Three Lions midfielder Jack Wilshere, who had yet to progress to the ‘next level’.
Wenger, though, also rejected those claims.
“You cannot say that, Jack Wilshere is an exceptional player for me who has been handicapped by many injuries,” said Wenger.
“Once Jack is back and consistently on the pitch, he will prove everybody wrong about that because he is an exceptional player – and Scholes knows that as well.”