LONDON -- Arsene Wenger repeatedly refused to answer questions on whether his position as Arsenal manager will be reviewed at the end of the season, saying the speculation about his future is "not really interesting."
Wenger is under renewed pressure after losing the Carabao Cup final 3-0 to Manchester City on Sunday, with speculation mounting that his job could be in danger if Arsenal again fail to qualify for the Champions League.
But Wenger refused to shed any light on whether he will face an end-of-the-season review or whether Champions League football is needed to save his job.
"My position is my position. Honestly, that's the last worry I have at the moment. My worry is to focus to get the team ready for tomorrow," Wenger said a news conference ahead of Thursday's Premier League game against Man City. "I don't ask you if your position is reviewed at the end of the season."
When pressed on why he will not clarify whether he intends to see out the final year of his contract, the Frenchman bristled.
"I just told you the answer," he said. "If you need clarity, I can repeat exactly the same answer. Exactly, that's the clarity. Does it stop you from sleeping that my position is uncertain or would not be certain, or is certain? No. What is interesting in football is the performances of football, the game you will see on Thursday night. That is what is important.
"All the rest may make headlines, but it is not really interesting. I am just amazed that I have to always answer things that are exactly the same. I [have been] here for 21 years. I turned the whole world down to respect my contracts. So I am still amazed that I still have to answer these types of questions."
Wenger was handed a new two-year deal last summer despite a fifth-place Premier League finish. He is in danger of missing out on the top four again as Arsenal are languishing in sixth place, and they could need to win the Europa League in order to return to the Champions League.
Their Premier League hopes could take another hit unless they manage to somehow beat City at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday. They will be without left-back Nacho Monreal for that game -- and possibly the next three matches as well -- because of an inflamed disc in his back, Wenger said.
Arsenal's players are also under pressure to respond after being subjected to a barrage of criticism from pundits and fans in the wake of Sunday's loss. Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville was among the harshest critics, calling Arsenal "spineless" and highlighting how some players were walking on the pitch when 2-0 down.
Wenger said his team has to accept that criticism, but defended their work ethic and pointed out that they showed plenty of fight in getting to the final.
"Yes, of course [they gave me everything]," Wenger said. "I am long enough in the game to know that when you lose a big game, people always say that the players don't want it enough. That is a common response that you get. You always get that. You have to analyse whether that is the serious problem in the game, did we lose the game because of that. I am not convinced.
"When there is a big difference like 3-0, you always get that impression. For me, it is not the main reason. You can always get out pictures from a game that justifies what you think, you find in every single game, on both sides, moments where a player doesn't track. After you have to analyse why, has he made two runs before to go in behind and was exhausted, or did he not track because he didn't want to? That is different.
"We got to the final and you don't get there by coincidence. You have to fight to get there and we did. We didn't play against a poor team in the semifinal. We played against Chelsea and we have shown that we can fight. You have to acknowledge as well that Man City are a quality team."
The good news for Arsenal is that they will have Henrikh Mkhitaryan available on Thursday after he was cup-tied for Sunday's final. And Wenger called on his players to be more decisive in the key moments.
"I felt it was a very tight game [on Sunday] until the 2-0," Wenger said. "When you look at the end of the game, Man City had three shots on target and we had two, so overall, I believe that we have to turn the decisive moments in our favour and play with more freedom than we did.
"I think we played a bit apprehensively and that is important that we go into the game with that force that is part of our game and our philosophy."