Wenger: I'm just not in the mood to talk about my future

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed questions about his future by saying “I’m not in the mood to talk about it.”

Having seen his side hammered 3-0 by Crystal Palace to stay seven points outside the top four, a dejected Wenger looked crestfallen when questioned by the BBC.

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When asked about his future after 21 years with the club, Wenger lamented: “I face it in every press conference at the moment but tonight I’m not in the mood to speak about it. At the moment I pay more respect to the fact we had a disappointing result. What counts is how we perform on the pitch, the players and myself and I feel evryone is focused in the club to do it.”

When asked if uncertainty about his future is affecting the players, Wenger insisted: “No, I don’t think so.”

He added: “We lost too many duels and we paid for that. There is no obvious reason why. We prepared and everyone prepared well. It’s difficult to explain just after the game.

“I don’t think my players didn’t want it, but we lost duels in decisive moments and that’s how games are decided at this level.

“I understand our fans are disappointed and we all are deeply tonight. It’s very worrying and disappointing the way we lost the game. Palace were sharp, they beat Chelsea the other day, and that shows they have quality.

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“We are in a difficult position. The game tonight doesn’t help.

“They were sharper than us in many decisive situations. It’s not the right moment to analyse. We had a lot of the ball, a lot of possession. We won many second balls as well but in the decisive duels they were stronger, yes.

“It’s damaging, of course. On that front that is the most difficult for us. It has consequences on our chances to be in the top four.

“You understand that our fans are very unhappy. They came here with the hope they’d win the game.

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“Every defeat is a big worry. I’ve managed over 1,100 games for Arsenal and we’re not used to that. It’s a big worry. Unfortunately it is like that and we have to respond very quickly and not accept it.

“I’m disappointed and determined to put things right. Tonight the worry is not me, it’s the fact we lost a big game and that’s a big worry.”