Wenger wants team to focus on their strengths.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has insisted he has made no special plans for dealing with Tottenham sensation Gareth Bale ahead of Sunday’s crunch North London derby.
Bale’s magnificent form has seen him score nine times in his last seven appearances for club and country and prompted comparisons with Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Gunners go into Sunday’s clash four points behind their third-placed North London rivals, after Bale hit a stunning double in Spurs’ 3-2 win over West Ham on Monday.
But Wenger has stressed that he wants his team to focus on themselves and forget about the roving Welsh winger.
“We don’t plan for anybody. It is always the same — focus on our strengths and forget about your opponent. There is nobody special that you least like to face. All players have different qualities,” the Frenchman is quoted as saying by The Sun.
“What is important when you are a manager is that you are focused, that hasn’t changed over the last 15 years, you always make sure your team is at its best, prepares well and focuses on playing the football that we love.
“What is important before a game like that is just to focus on our game and forget all the rest.”
Despite being dumped out of the FA Cup against lowly Blackburn and suffering a 3-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in their Champions League last-16 first-leg, Arsenal are uneaten in five in the Premier League and have won their last three matches.
Spurs are unbeaten in the league since 9 December and Wenger is anticipating an ‘interesting’ match.
“It is an interesting game because there is something at stake. We are confident and we are on a good run in the Premier League.
“If you look at our record, it is very good in recent games, so we will just focus on our strengths, that is it. Sunday is a very important game because it’s in the final part of the Premier League season, the outcome will give a big boost to the team who wins it.
“This is a derby and [will be] a very intense game, as usual, it is always very tight, always a big fight.
“If you look at our record in the last 15 or 16 years, it is very good. Of course we want to continue to maintain that record.”
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