Wenger reveals his 'unhealthy' obsession

Arsene Wenger believes Gerard Houllier’s heart attack has forced him to look at his own health.

Houllier, whose Aston Villa side face the Gunners today, fell ill after his half-time team-talk as Liverpool boss during a game against Leeds in October 2001.

While his team were flying to Ukraine for a Champions League clash against Dinamo Kiev the next day, the Frenchman went through an 11-hour operation.

Although Houllier returned to the Anfield hotseat within five months, he quit three years later and took over at Lyon then the French Football ­Federation before returning to England.

Wenger said: “If that happens one day later then he is a dead man. The big luck was it happened one day before and he recovered well.

“But for a while you are not the same person. That damaged certainly his potential to finish the job that he had started so well at Liverpool

“He started at the same time as me. He is two years older and he started at Lens at the same time I started at Nancy. I was 33 he was 35.

“He took a few years off. I never took one year off. Never. But he always stayed in touch with the job. After Liverpool he went to Lyon and did well. But after Lyon he moved out and into the kind of job, well, I thought it is because he did not want this kind of pressure that he went into this kind of job.

“Compare who does that in England. Trevor Brooking.

“It was not the prestige, it was the fact he did not want to do this kind of job anymore.”

The pressure of Arsenal’s stuttering title bid could clearly be seen taking its toll on Wenger last Saturday as his side blew a two-goal lead – and the chance to go top of the table – eventually crashing to defeat at home to bitter rivals Spurs.

Wenger could be seen slamming a water bottle to the ground and ranting to his assistant Pat Rice as his men continued their poor recent run of form.

Earlier this season Spurs boss Harry Redknapp insisted that Wenger – after initially appearing to be the most calm, considered and serene of all the Premier League bosses – had joined “the nutters club”.

Wenger said: “I take it (pressure) on board. I am ready to give everything to be successful in ­football.

“It means a massive amount to me and I am that kind of person. I cannot work otherwise.

“I am not the kind of person who can be half-in and half-out. I am only happy if I am completely in what I do. I know it does not help heatlh-wise but I have no other way to do it.”

Meanwhile, Wenger has defended centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci after the pair were subjected to an avalanche of criticism this week from Gunners fans.

Both were signed in the summer but Arsenal have kept clean sheets in just four of their 14 Premier League games so far.

They have also been beaten at home by promoted sides West Brom and Newcastle as well as Tottenham.

But Wenger said: “They are good, sharp, good on the ball. They defend well. What can I say.”

The Arsenal boss dismissed criticism of the way both men were caught out by a long ball for the second goal in their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Braga.

He added: “You are ­entitled to your opinion but for me Koscielny, Squillaci and Djourou are great defenders.

“We should have beaten Tottenham by five or six and the turning point was the penalty. We lost in Braga again to special circumstances. I agree we didn’t create enough but we were unlucky.”