Source: Daily_Mail
Wenger is getting excuses ready if he blows Premier League, rages O'Neill
[LNB]Martin O'Neill launched a furious tirade at Arsene Wenger on Friday as the row over Aston Villa's tactics intensified. [LNB]O'Neill collared Wenger for his comments that Villa relied heavily on the long ball immediately after the sides' 0-0 Premier League draw at Villa Park on Wednesday. [LNB]And yesterday Villa boss O'Neill stepped up the attack with his carefully-constructed broadside at the Frenchman. [LNB] 'Long-ball Villa': O'Neill is furious after Wenger accused his side of hoofing the ball [LNB]Wenger has been at loggerheads with Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho during his 13 years in north London and now O'Neill can be added to the list. [LNB]The Ulsterman accused Wenger of being 'consumed by his own importance', failing to spot any failings in his own players and making excuses in case the Gunners do not last the pace in this season's title race. [LNB]Talking nonsense: Villa boss Martin O'Neill [LNB]Arsenal take on Manchester United at the Emirates tomorrow in a title six-pointer O'Neill also suggested that if Wenger wanted to watch 'pretty' football then he should learn from its best exponents - Barcelona.[LNB] 'Arsene has an opinion on anything and everything,' he said, 'There's not a subject in this world, political, religious or otherwise, that he doesn't have an opinion on. [LNB]'I don't mind that. But if I totally and utterly disagree with his opinion, then I should have the right to say so. And I disagree with him about this.[LNB] 'It has caused amusement in our camp. James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing being labelled long-ball merchants, it has caused merriment. [LNB]'It's interesting that in the last 20 minutes of the game he (Wenger) brought on a 6ft 3in tall centre forward (Nicklas Bendtner) and hit him about six times with long balls from players like (Gael) Clichy. [LNB]'It's a nonsense. Just the very point that he makes that nobody plays football in the manner like Arsenal. If he believes that, good luck to him, but I'd suggest he wants to go and take a wee look at Barcelona. [LNB]'We could all learn from that. I think anyone worth their salt in the game would want to aspire to playing like Barcelona. '[LNB] Unhappy: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger complained about Villa's tactics [LNB]We should hold our opinions until Arsenal play Barcelona. Then if Arsenal lose, wait for the reaction that Barcelona are a long-ball team. [LNB]'You know, he's made a great contribution to the game here. But he's not on a different planet to the rest of us. He's a very skilful manager who has made a great contribution to the English game. Well done him.' [LNB]O'Neill also suggested that Wenger's ploy of continually playing up the theory that Arsenal were the Barclays Premier League's purists was deliberately orchestrated to earn goodwill from referees and also offer an excuse as to why his side may lose out in the title race to Chelsea and Manchester United. [LNB]Battle: Young and Clichy vie for the ball [LNB]The Villa boss, whose side travel to Fulham today, added: 'You can get carried away with your own importance. You really can. 'I have to say that sometimes he (Wenger) does. He's also had 99 sendings-off and 98 of them weren't Arsenal's fault. That's the whole point. [LNB]'There are things that happen in the game where you can't always be fantastically proud of your team. There can be some nasty challenges made by Arsenal players. William Gallas made one just the other week. You cannot condone everything. [LNB]'You have to say, "On reflection, I've seen it again, and it's a nasty challenge". 'You don't have to be running around worrying what people think about you all of the time, but if what you are saying stands up and people can see it, then people will accept it. [LNB]'I've said this in retaliation to what was said the other night. And I've told Arsene that too. I told him to his face. I'm not fighting back through the newspapers. [LNB]'He's not caught up in this pretty game stuff. He's trying to influence things. He knows the game inside out. [LNB]'The idea that it's pretty and that an Arsenal player doesn't make a tackle in the game, it's nonsense. Absolute nonsense.[LNB] 'Don't be fooled, he knows what he's doing. These are deliberate ploys. 'He wants to make sure everyone is under his spell to make them believe that Arsenal are the only delightful team around. [LNB]'That's really what he wants to do. And when you are looking for that, you can actually maybe spot a weakness because that means you are trying to get an excuse ready if you are not able to compete with Manchester United or Chelsea.[LNB] 'The fact is, they probably are able to compete, because they have enough physical players to cope.[LNB] 'But it's all a plan. If he puts his hands up in the air enough times then the referee may see that Sol Campbell hadn't fouled Richard Dunne when he was going through in the last minute and that the referee believes him (Wenger). [LNB]'So they do foul players. And what about the Arsenal of a few seasons ago? Arsenal teams of old could dish it out, physically, as well as anyone. It's conveniently forgotten. [LNB]'So I don't think there is any acceptance here whatsoever about what he said the other night. Not in the slightest. It's made no difference here. We will continue to play as we do until we drop. [LNB]'Honestly, Ashley Young being "long ball". It's funny, it really is.'Whether Wenger will be laughing at O'Neill's furious blast is quite another thing.'[LNB] Andy Townsend's boot room: Long and short of what Aston Villa do bestARSENAL v Man Utd: Alex Song returns with Thomas Vermaelen remaining a doubtWilshere joins Bolton on loan from Arsenal as Coyle finally gets his boyFulham v ASTON VILLA: Martin O'Neill to name unchanged side due to injury crisisASTON VILLA FC
