Wenger is not quitting

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed Friday speculation that he was thinking of quitting after a grim week for his fledgling side.

"No, I love it here," Wenger told a news conference before Arsenal's Premier League home match against defending champions Manchester United on Saturday (1245 GMT).

"In my decisions always what is first is the interest of the club, not what the media will think. I cannot influence what people say but I can influence the future of the club.

"I am proud of the decisions that I have made."

Last week Arsenal twice squandered a two-goal lead against north London rivals Tottenham, who snatched a goal in extra time to salvage a 4-4 draw.

On Saturday, Arsenal were unable to cope with a robust Stoke City side and the long throws of Rory Delap, losing 2-1.

Then came a frustrating 0-0 draw with Turkish side Fenerbahce in their Champions League group match at the Emirates stadium on Wednesday night which also added to the club's growing injury list when defender Mikael Silvestre left the field with a broken nose.

The Stoke City defeat was Arsenal's third loss in the league this season and, although Wenger is Arsenal's most successful manager with three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, his critics have accused the Frenchman of becoming obsessed with playing beautiful football at the expense of results.

They have also called for him to bolster the team with some more overtly physical players.

Friday, Wenger launched a spirited defence of his young team and they way they play the game.

"I personally believe in my team, I'm very proud of what they do," he said. "Our results are not as good as we want them to be."

He also said if experience was all that counted in top-grade soccer, Arsenal would be relegated at the end of the season.

"Every single team has more experience than we have," Wenger said. "I don't believe strength is linked with experience. It is linked with desire, with talent, with intelligence. You can be intelligent at 18 or 20 and be stupid at 30.

"Every club and every player gives us a different problem and we have to be strong enough to find a solution."