Arsene Wenger has kicked the week off in a defiant mood. Having lost a crucial Premier League game to Liverpool over the weekend, he also had to defend his decision to leave top scorer Alexis Sanchez on the bench.Rumours of a rift between the two have been rife over the past week, with reports now claiming that the Chilean is ready to turn his back on a possible contract extension in order to secure himself a move away at the end of the season.However, this week has seen the club open their training session to the media and Wenger came out swinging in his pre-match press conference.During the training session the manager was pictured shaking hands with Sanchez, suggesting that there is no schism between the pair. The player's attitude has come into question in recent weeks, and with negotiations between the player and the club dragging on it would appear the writing is on the wall.Wenger, in front of reporters, said to the world that he built the club and that he has nothing to hide from, which may come back to bite him if more results go against them.However, there was one moment that caught the eye and got people talking.Sat alongside defender Per Mertesacker, the former Germany international was asked a question but before he was given the chance to answer Wenger jumped in to beat him to the punch.“From the players perspective, is everyone behind him and do they want him to be the manager of this football club next season?” the interviewer asked.

As you can see, Mertesacker found this pretty amusing, and sat there with a smirk as Wenger said: “I think honestly, it is not down to the players to choose a manager.”

That, perhaps, speaks volumes about the state of affairs behind the scenes at the club at the moment.

Tuesday's clash with Bayern Munich serves as nothing more than an exhibition for the Gunners, who will be playing for nothing more than pride as their chances of overturning the 5-1 deficit seems almost impossible.

Season's like this are becoming the standard for Arsenal now, and with Wenger still stalling on signing a new deal himself, there's a very good chance that he could be moving on over the summer.

It would be a huge shame for him to go out in such a way, though, given that he played a huge part in revolutionising the game in England, but results speak for themselves, and they've not been good enough for a long time now.