It was last summer, during pre-season, that Arsene Wenger let Robert Pires in on his determination not to fail again.
“It was ahead of the first game, against Lens,” said Pires. “I was on the team bus with him. I talked with him and he said, You know Robert, my first objective is to win the Premier League. Not the FA Cup, not the Champions League. This is the reality.”
Wenger has ended up not even making the top four, and finishing below arch-rivals Tottenham, both for the first time in his 21-year Arsenal reign.
It has left fans wanting him out, insiders at the Emirates wanting change and the Gunners bracing themselves for the Thursday/Sunday grind of a Europa League campaign.
Yet Pires retains his faith in the man who signed him for the club 17 years ago from Marseille.
Whatever happens in Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea, Pires is hoping Wenger confirms he is staying and returns next season to defy the critics.
“I hope he will extend his contract. This is the man for Arsenal," he said.
“I know a lot of Arsenal fans don’t have the same opinion as me. I understand the fans because I agree, the players agree — the unique obsession is to win the Premier League. But sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t, because Chelsea is better than you.
“Arsene knows that if he extends the contract he needs to change something — spend a lot of money and to build a new team. He knows. He also knows that it will not be that easy.
"Some other managers are critical about Arsene but he doesn’t care, believe me. Because he is very, very strong in the mind. He is still hungry. He loves football. He loves Arsenal. He loves the team, he loves the players.
“He told me once, Robert, some days, management is the best job in the world. But it is very, very difficult. Not just on game day, every day. It is all the time. You need to prepare the sessions for training, you need to deal with the players.
"Right now, management is like being a psychologist. It's a new job these days.”
Pires, 43 will be captaining and playing for France, alongside Marcel Desailly, Eric Abidal and many more famous names, at Star Sixes — a new six-a-side world cup for legends being staged at The O2 in London this July 13-16.
“For some players, like Marcel, it's not so easy now. I am 43, whereas he is 48 or 49. So he needs to keep fit again and start a new regime of training. But he said yes because he is a professional,” smile Pires.
Also signed up are the likes of Deco, who will captain Portugal, Michael Ballack, skippering Germany, and England’s Golden Generation members, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen.
Pires said: “Sometimes I miss playing. I miss the training. I miss the atmosphere around the game. For this it will be the same preparation.”
Chelsea will arrive at Wembley fresh from winning the title and eyeing the Double while Arsenal have missed a top four finish and ended a season below arch-rivals Tottenham, both for the first time in Wenger's 21-year reign. They will also be without centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel, throgh suspension and injury respectively.
Defeat on Saturday will increase the calls for 67-year-old Wenger to stand aside this summer, when his contract expires.
But Pires has warned his former boss has no intention of doing so.
“Time to retire?” he said. “No, no. Impossible. He knows that this season has been very difficult. But the last chance for silverware is the FA Cup.
“Arsenal are in love with it because we have won it 11 times. That’s why the players are very focused and are thinking about the final. Chelsea are the favourites, of course. But, you know - football.”
* Tickets for the inaugural Star Sixes tournament are on sale at www.starsixes.com