Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that Arsene Wenger is capable of winning Arsenal's fans back around despite the growing disgruntlement surrounding his tenure.
Pressure for the Frenchman to step down from his role as manager has reached unprecedented levels following a run of four defeats in their last five league games and a 10-2 aggregate humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in Europe.
Speculation over whether Wenger will stay beyond the end of his current contract, which expires this summer, has lingered throughout the season, but Guardiola is confident that he will make the best decision for the club.
"All the managers want to win. It's simple like that. We are strong when we win, we are weak when we don't win. When he goes back to winning, the fans will be happy again. I promise you, 100%. People should understand how difficult football is today, all the teams are more prepared," he told reporters.
"When the bosses decide, or Arsene decides, to stay and keep going he believes it is the best solution and the best for Arsenal. You cannot stay, I don't know how many years Arsene has been in charge of Arsenal, without ability.
"Here a friend of mine, (assistant coach) Mikel Arteta, who was with him for a lot of years, only has good words about Arsene. I believe more in that. Managers lose games. He's been there a long time because he's good. When you lose a lot of games it is a dangerous moment to face them. I would prefer to face Arsenal after a lot of wins."
City travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday hoping to inflict a third straight league defeat on the Gunners - something which has not happened since January 2012.
Barney Corkhill
