Olivier Giroud And Theo Walcott Are Not Forgotten - Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger insists he is not treating Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott as second-class citizens at Arsenal.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says no player is treated like a second class citizen.

The pair have almost 450 Premier League games between them for the Gunners as well as well over 100 caps, yet both have started in cup games only this season.

That will be the case once again at the Emirates Stadium against BATE Borisov tonight in the final Europa League group match, with contract refuseniks Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil set to have yet another evening off.

It seems clear Wenger’s rotation policy has created two separate teams but the Frenchman insisted Giroud and Walcott should not feel excluded.

“That’s not how I see it,” he said.

“Even inside the camp the other players have a respect for them. But sometimes the outside environment makes them look like that.

“When the team does well you keep a certain consistency. That doesn’t mean the players who do not play, you respect them less. You respect people through their attitude and their attitude is fantastic.”

Maybe so, but both players have next summer’s World Cup finals on their minds.

Walcott has already been jettisoned by England manager Gareth Southgate and Giroud, supplanted by Alexandre Lacazette, has been told by his national team’s assistant manager Guy Stephan to get more game time.

Even inside the camp the other players have a respect for them
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Wenger disputed the latter point. “When they met for the last international break, Giroud had played more minutes than Lacazette,” he said.

“If he maybe wants to say that he should play more in the Premier League, there he has a case. But competition is competition.”

Wenger made it clear he would not allow Walcott to leave in January and backed the 28-year-old to force his way into the Premier League team.

“He has it in him,” Wenger said.

“Of course he is frustrated but he is focused. He doesn’t give up at all and is more determined than ever.”

And if he asked to leave? “I have to consider the interest of the player but dominant of that will be the interests of the club,” he said.

“We have a big fight to be in the top four. You do not want to become weaker.”

One man who won’t be featuring in any competition for a while is Santi Cazorla, who has undergone his ninth operation on his Achilles.

“Unfortunately he has to start again from zero,” said Wenger, whose prediction of a February return for the Spaniard seems optimistic.

Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Ospina; Elneny, Mertesacker, Holding; Nelson, Coquellin, Willock, Maitland-Niles; Walcott, Wilshere; Giroud.