Wenger, interviewed for the Arsenal Opus, which is being serialised in the Sunday Times, says: "Is it anger, is it aggression, or is it a desire to be successful? Would I compromise my principles? On occasions, yes, as first and foremost, I am a winner. But long-term, that's not my attitude.

"Where does the anger come from? My father and my mother were both quite excitable, but the postwar world in which they lived was quite a rough world. The football world is also quite rough. You have to assert your personality and you need a high level of motivation. I control it now by thinking about the consequences of what I do. I didn't always have the 'off' switch.

"I have seen very talented players and managers lose themselves to anger. A lot of things disturb me, but it is not a fear to lose. It is for you to master this fear. I was always concerned about dominating my animal feeling - not really dominating, I mean, knowing myself better.

"You can sometimes be surprised by your bad side. I have a dark side. You want to win so much that sometimes you forget that it is as well that you respect the rules. When you don't win, you have to acknowledge the respect of your opponents as well. Sometimes I can't do that. It is a dark side because the perfect side would be to say, 'Well done. You played better'. You never know, in 50 years I might achieve it."