Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger uses sumo wrestling in order to explain Jose Mourinho's Manchester derby fracas

Wenger has experience of his own tunnel incident after the 'Battle of the Buffet'

Wenger gave some advice in the form of a sumo analogy (Getty)

Trust Arsene Wenger to venerate a sport where nothing has changed for 500 years: the Frenchman believes only in sumo wrestling will you find competitors where the winner will never disrespect the loser.

The long-serving Arsenal manager must have enjoyed news of Jose Mourinho, his long-time tormentor on and off the pitch, being the target of a milk missile in the aftermath of a heated Manchester derby.

Mourinho's complaints that City's noisy celebrations had been disrespectful led to City coach Mikel Arteta suffering a cut to the face after a plastic bottle was thrown.

Wenger and his players have been at the centre of such stories themselves, with the Battle of the Buffet in 2004, when Sir Alex Ferguson was hit by a slice of pizza lobbed by Cesc Fabregas, still arguably the greatest of them all.

Indeed, Wenger takes his squad to West Ham on Wednesday having not lost at the home of the Hammers since 2006, when he fell out with then-West Ham manager Alan Pardew over an over-zealous celebration of a later Marlon Harewood winner.

It's all a big contrast to sumo wrestling, the sport Wenger grew to appreciate from his time as a manager in Japan before he came to London in 1996. In sumo, respect is not a by-product of success, it is an integral component.

“Every two months, for 15 days every day you have a fight, and the guy who wins the most fights is the winner of the tournament,” he said.

“But to become yokozuna - the top of the top - you have go in front of a committee. If you did not behave well, even if you won the tournament you cannot become the yokozuna.

“It is one of the few sports in the world that has not changed since the middle ages, since the 1600s - no rules at all. They are dressed, the referees are dressed, the same. In fact I would like to see our referees in this dress!”

Wenger could make changes for the West Ham game, especially as Olivier Giroud has been promised more Premier League action. The France forward is worried his tally of zero league starts so far will cost him a place in his nation's World Cup squad.

Wenger is not prepared to grant him the loan move the player mooted in a L'Equipe interview, but admits Alexis Sanchez, preferred to the Frenchman despite refusing to sign a new contract, has been below par in the last two games.

The Chile forward has just five Gunners goals to his name compared to 13 this time last year and in the last two games, the 3-1 home defeat by Manchester United and Sunday's 1-1 draw at Southampton surrendered possession a total of 66 times; 34 against United and 32 at St Mary's.

“He is still efficient, he gave an assist against Manchester United and an assist against Southampton,” Wenger said. “I think he struggles a bit at the moment to score as much as last year but last year he played much more at centre-forward.

“This year I believe in games like Southampton he came a bit too deep, we play against teams that play very, very deep and I feel he loves to touch the ball so when he doesn't get it as much as he wants he comes deep, but when you come deep you can’t score. It is as simple as that so maybe he has to find a better balance in his positional play.”