Andrey Arshavin is a player that has flattered to deceive more often than not at Arsenal, with many questioning his work ethic and commitment to the game.
It is understandable when you watch a player with all the talent at his feet, give the ball away lazily, or not tracking back to defend when necessary. That and many more qualities have caused the Arsenal faithful to always be wary of the little Russian when he steps on the pitch.
However, the bright side is the fact that Arshavin is probably one of the most effective players - encapsulated perfectly from the wonderful cross that he provided for Arsenal's winner against Queens Park Rangers. Wenger might be a little at fault for not playing the Russian international in his preferred position behind the striker, instead playing him out wide where he is less effective and sometimes looks disinterested.
The Arsenal manager, however, has no doubts about Arshavin's commitment, with the Russian expected to start in the League Cup game against Reading Tuesday. "Andrey is a classy player and he will play tomorrow night," Wenger told the club's official website. "Of course he can play his way back into the first team.
"The competition is open to everyone and Andrey is classy. He has a fantastic attitude, a top professional player and has a great attitude. You can see when he came on (against QPR), his brightness and his intelligence in the final ball is always fantastic.
"I say that because (his attitude) has been questioned. I don't tolerate that. If that was the case I would not speak about it.
"But Andrey comes in every day and practices well, he is focused and wants to do well. I insist on this, because it was questioned and it is completely unjustified. In this case perception is not reality."
Meanwhile, Wenger again stressed on the importance of letting Jack Wilshere find his feet after his return from a 17-month injury layoff, and not putting too much pressure on the youngster to turn Arsenal's and indeed England's fortunes around.
"Jack is a great player but he will only be great if the team is great," Wenger said. "There is not one player that you want to have that complete responsibility.
"I believe we have an interesting team, even more so now that Jack is back. So let's express ourselves as a team and then Jack will be good."
Wenger believes it will take Wilshere some time to blend in to the new environment at Arsenal, having only previously played with four players that featured in Arsenal's win over QPR. "He has been out for 17 months and in the last 17 months our squad has changed a lot. Many players left," Wenger added.
"For the first game it looked quite promising. He plays in a new midfield because the last time he played it was with (Samir) Nasri, (Cesc) Fabregas and (Alex) Song.
"Now he is in a new midfield, and it can take a little bit of time to adjust but that will come quickly."
If the performance on Saturday is anything to go by, Arsenal fans can look forward to a brilliant partnership with the likes of Wilshere, Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey and more for Wenger to choose from.
