Wenger says England should forget international football

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The Champions League is back on Tuesday night, with Arsenal seeking a victory against Sevilla to clinch top spot in Group H, but Wenger was in prophetic mood.

The Frenchman believes the game stands uneasily at an evolutionary crossroads. It can turn itself back to the 20th century and 'kick out' the foreigners, he says, or it can move forward to embrace a new world and a new Europe without boundaries, where the tribal identities of clubs can be expected to dominate.

'The clubs are the modern world and the national teams are the former world,' said Wenger. 'We are in between both. We want to keep the values of the past and we know we have to move into the next world. The clubs and the countries are symbols of that.

'When it doesn't go well in a country we want to close the border and say, "let's get back to how we've always been". But we know there's no future if you don't go forward.'

Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 28 games with a 2-0 win at home to Wigan on Saturday but the irony of the idea that the Gunners can restore lost pride for English football is not lost on Wenger.

He gave captain William Gallas, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy a breather from tonight's game, because his team have already qualified but there were still only two English players — Theo Walcott and Justin Hoyte — in the 18-man squad.

Wenger accepts there are those who want to blame him for England's plight because his first team and academy are full of foreign players but he insists they are wrong.

'If some people in this country want to blame me, then why not?' he said. 'Certainly some will. But I am not responsible for the situation. I respect the rules. I face Arsenal supporters and they want Arsenal to do well first and then England.'

SEVILLA (4-4-2): Palop; Alves, Dragutinovic, Fazio, Adriano; Navas, Poulsen, Keita, Renato; Kanoute, Fabiano.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Almunia; Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Traore; Eboue, Gilberto, Fabregas, Rosicky; Eduardo, Bendtner.

Referee: Eric Braamhar (Hol).