Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri offered a staunch defence of Arsene Wenger and believes the club's players should shoulder the blame for their recent slump.
Arsenal once again appear too far behind to make an impression in the Premier League title race and suffered a chastening 5-1 defeat at Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League.
"You cannot criticise a guy like that, it's impossible," he told Sky Sports.
"Arsenal was a big club but he made it even bigger. I just think people need to be fair.
"It is not his fault if Arsenal do not have success in the league. It is the players who do not get the results."
The 29-year-old is on a season-long loan at Sevilla and feels the careers enjoyed by himself and others to have played under Wenger are evidence of his enduring coaching qualities.
"It is hard for me to say something about him. I owe him a lot of things," he added.
"He brought me to the Premier League and I became a better player.
"All the players who have played with him, when they left Arsenal they became better players.
"So I don't think it is him. There is the board, the players – there are a lot of things at Arsenal."
