Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits lying to interviewers about whether he's seen his players commit on-field offences.

"Sometimes I see it [a foul by an Arsenal player], but I say that I didn't see it to protect the players and because I could not find any rational explanation for that they did," he told The Times.

Wenger also defended his insistence on sticking to his style of football.

"Who is the most successful team in the world?" Wenger asks. "Brazil. What do they play? Good football. Who won everything last year? Barcelona. What do they play? Lovely football. I am not against being pragmatic because to be pragmatic is to make a good pass, not a bad pass. It is as simple as that."