Arsenal young gun Jack Wilshere has absolved manager Arsene Wenger of blame for tonight's Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
The Gunners were beaten 3-1 in the Round of 16 first leg but Wilshere believes Wenger should be liberated of criticism as it was not he who was on the pitch to contribute to the disappointing result.
"I don't think it's anything to do with the manager," he told ITV1.
"He puts us on the pitch, it's down to us to perform and get the best out of us every week and a manager can put us on the pitch and motivate us but we have to do it when we're on the pitch and at the moment we're starting badly and getting punished for it.
"I think the players will take responsibility, we're man enough to take it. The boss has been here for 16 years and he's been doing a great job so you can't question him."
