Wenger facing up to career-defining challenge

Arsene Wenger has billed Wednesday's Champions League clash with Liverpool as the start of the most challenging period he has faced in nearly 12 years at the helm of the north London club.

In the space of 11 days, the Gunners will player Liverpool three times -- the two legs of the European tie sandwiched around a league meeting -- and then take on Premier League leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on April 13.

By the end of the period, Arsenal's season could effectively be over or they could be in the hunt for a Premier/Champions League double that would represent the biggest achievement of his managerial career.

"It will be the highest challenge of my career," Wenger said. "The next 10 days will define our season because I strongly believe that we are in the championship race.

"This next period is vital and the impact of the first game of that sequence is also vital because it will set the tone for the rest."

Wenger has seen his side slip from the top of the league to third, six points adrift of United, as a result of a run of four draws and one defeat that was finally ended at the weekend, when a ten-man Arsenal side overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Bolton 3-2.

The Frenchman has been keen to promote an interpretation of that comeback as a psychological platform for a similar turnaround in his side's season. "We have the belief that we can beat anybody in any competition," he said. "If it is Liverpool or anyone else we want to get that into the game."It is true we had a little dip recently but our victory at Bolton did us a lot of good because when you continue to play well but not win your confidence suffers.

"That was very important that we got our confidence back but also that our mental strength is rewarded because that is what we needed in the game against Bolton. Wenger is expecting a cagey encounter on Wednesday "for the simple reason that there is a knockout situation."

"We are on the train and we want to stay on it. One of us to go out but Liverpoool certainly will make it tight and play on the break more than in the championship, where you can concede a goal and still continue. "Every goal is so vital in the knockout stage that the focus is naturally a bit higher, the intensity is also naturally a bit higher."

Wenger also acknowledged that the fact the match is being refereed by a Dutch rather than an English official could affect the pattern of the contest."They are a bit more interventionist on the continent than here so the fluency of the British game could go, but I don't mind. Before a game it is never important for me who is the referee. You just focus and prepare well and get your team to play the game you want to play." (source:soccerway/afp)