Antonio Conte has stood up in defence ofunder-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, with the manager's future at the club now on the line after a string of disappointing results.
Wenger saw his team exit the Champions League in the round of 16 this week, going out 10-2 to Bayern Munich on aggregate. The Frenchman has also been turned upon by a huge section of Gunners fans, who are growing tired of the continued failure in the Premier League, as well as in Europe.
The Chelsea boss did help push Wenger a bit lower by beating him 3-1 when the Blues met Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, but he believes that Wenger deserves way more respect than what he is getting at the moment.
"It is not an easy moment for him. We are talking about a great manager and I think in 20 years at Arsenal he did very well," he said during his press conference on Friday, ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester United (H/T theMirror).
Every year Arsenal have stayed in the Champions League. This could be a good target, because it is not easy.
This season six teams, next season seven or eight. I think he deserves respect for his past and for his work.�
It is being reported that Chelsea are ready to offer the Italian a contract extension as a reward for his good work this season. But Conte refused to be drawn into the speculation, claiming that his future, as well as that of his players, will be sorted out at the end of the season.
Kavan Flavius is a regular contributor to the Official Chelsea Guest Fan Blog, find him on Twitter @KavanFlavius.