LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he has sympathy for Brendan Rodgers after Liverpool's difficult start to the season.
Rodgers was crowned LMA Manager of the Year midway through 2014, but the Liverpool coach is under pressure as his side sit 11th in the Premier League table.
An early Champions League exit and a host of disappointing domestic results means Rodgers is under pressure ahead of Sunday's game against Arsenal at Anfield, with Wenger offering words of support for his opposite number.
"Our job is to survive a crisis, part of the job, not all of the job," Wenger told his pregame news conference on Friday. "When you want to make a long career, you cannot always win, unfortunately.
"I have sympathy for every single manager in the Premier League and everybody goes through periods where it goes a bit little less well. I have sympathy with Rodgers for sure and the same for every manager.
"It's difficult for me to assess our direct opponent two or three days before at match, but I expect a good Liverpool team. They have a heavy schedule, Champions League games and Premier League games and it's very demanding."
Wenger revealed the trio of Nacho Monreal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott all have an opportunity to play some part in the game at Anfield as they close in on a return from injury layoffs, but the return of the latter may be delayed as the England forward has only just returned to full training.
The Arsenal manager also praised former Gunners striker Thierry Henry, who announced his retirement from the game earlier this week.
"He had a massive career and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for what he has done to this club. He was an exceptional football player," said Wenger of the striker who scored 174 Premier League goals for Arsenal after signing from Juventus in 1999.
"Thierry was a combination of huge physical talent, technical talent, but as well special intelligence. He was not a contact player, a typical centre forward. He was more a guy who used his intelligence and pace to get away from people and he was one of the greatest players I have seen, and I have see a few good ones.
"He has enjoyed his career and now it is time for him to suffer. Coaching is enjoyable, but it is also suffering. He will see it's not easy to score the goals he did."