Under attack: Van Marwijk (left) and Advocaat have
slammed Wenger
'Always moaning': Wenger 'Moaner'
Arsene Wenger came under heavy fire last night after
Holland coach Bert van Marwijk told the Arsenal manager to stop
trying to influence his selection policy and Russia boss Dick
Advocaat accused him of ‘always moaning’.
The club versus country row involving Wenger and two of his
international counterparts escalated after the Frenchman had
insisted it would be ‘a scandal’ if striker Robin Van Persie was
picked for Holland’s friendly against Turkey on November
17.
The 27-year-old has not played since injuring his ankle in
August, but Van Marwijk included the striker in his 24-man
preliminary squad for the Amsterdam game.
Responding to the Arsenal manager’s comments, he said: ‘They
don’t mean anything.
I’ve spoken to Robin personally and he is doing well. He will
rejoin training there so I had no hesitation picking
him.’
Out: Van Persie suffered an ankle injury in the 2-1
win against Blackburn at Ewood Park
Asked whether he intended to speak to Wenger, Van
Marwijk added: ‘Has there been any contact with the medical staff
of Holland and Arsenal? I don’t know. I don’t care, because I spoke
to Robin personally and I just made the selection and will wait for
any comments to come.’
Russia coach Advocaat also hit out at Wenger after naming Andrey
Arshavin in a provisional squad to face Belgium, even though he
missed the defeat at Shakhtar
Donetsk due to illness.
Asked if he was worried about Wenger’s reaction, Advocaat said:
‘He is always moaning about something. Mr Wenger wants to become
the champion of England; I
want my team to qualify from the Euro 2012 group. We need to
respect the interests of each other.’