Wenger issues Wembley warning to Chelsea and Tottenham

wenger

 The Gunners played Champions League games at the national stadium in the late 1990s, prior to the construction of the Emirates Stadium, and the Frenchman is wary.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Chelsea and Tottenham that they could struggle if they are forced to play home matches at Wembley Stadium or another temporary home.

There have been suggestions that the two clubs may have to stage home matches at the national stadium should they both look to continue with stadium expansion plans.

Chelsea are currently reviewing proposals to expand Stamford Bridge and Tottenahm have plans to re-build White Hart Lane, but Wenger suggests that temporarily moving to a new home could cause problems, with the Gunners having moved to Wembley for a brief spell in the 1990s.

"When you move into a new stadium, you have to feel at home. You have to feel that it is the right place for you. That is only created by the history that you build slowly through the games," the Frenchman told Arsenal's official website.

"I still think it's a little bit of a disadvantage, even for the fans, they do not feel completely at home, and that can transmit to the players.


 That was a big problem for us. In hindsight it was maybe a mistake to move to Wembley, but we had no real choice as Uefa did not accept us holding the games at Highbury."

As well as creating problems for the fans and finding it hard to develop an attachment to a temporary stadium, Wenger suggests that a part-time move away from home can make the team uncomfortable.

"Looking back today, I say it was a handicap for us," he continued.

"The players were comfortable at Highbury and the teams that visited us weren't comfortable. Suddenly it was like we were playing games on a neutral ground, basic