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LONDON. — He accused one of his players of lying and the English Premier League of being rubbish. Arsene Wenger was clearly determined to see out 2016 with a bang yesterday.

Wenger has admitted that 2016 has been a “disappointing” year for Arsenal following their failure to win the Premier League title, while the competition itself has not lived up to the hype this season.

Speaking ahead of the Gunners New Year’s Day clash against Crystal Palace, the Frenchman was asked to give his verdict on the year gone by.

“Well, I assess it in two parts,” he said. “I think we finished second in the league, that was last year so it was Leicester’s year, 2016, and overall for us it was disappointing not to win the league.

“After that, I think 2016, the second part of the season, we have moved our level up but we are in the middle of the championship now and overall it was a very promising Premier League with the best managers of the world all in the Premier League, competing, and it promised to be an exceptional year and until now I think it was disappointing on all levels… because we have not produced the games, the Premier League has not produced the games that are remembered.

“I am convinced that in them second half of the season the level and the spectacularity of our league will go up, but we have some responsibility to do that, to achieve that.”

With Pep Guardiola coming to Manchester City, Jose Mourinho taking the reigns at Old Trafford and Antonio Conte’s arrival at Chelsea this summer, there was even more hype surrounding the start of the English Premier League this season – but why does he believe it “hasn’t produced”?

“Maybe as well because both teams are always top quality,” the Frenchman added.

“I think everybody is under pressure first not to lose. Every game has become so important, maybe as well because the difference between the favourite teams and the smaller teams make the fact that some teams just defend.

“I just feel there is more in the league than what we’ve produced. I include myself in that and you always think that a Premier League year is remembered as well by the two or three games that were absolutely spectacular.

“At the moment we have not produced that as a league. I include myself in that. I just think we have the best managers in the world in this league and I’m sure in the second part of the season, when everyone really has to go for it and it’s not anymore ‘wait and see’ but ‘go and take’, we will see some spectacular games. But we have not completely produced. It’s a very good league, every game is absolutely super difficult.

“But the spectacular side that everybody expected until now has not come out of this league now.”

He has a point. When the “Big Six” managers drew up battle lines at the start of the season we all anticipated a series of titanic battles of wits. But from the moment Liverpool cantered to a three-goal lead over the Gunners on the opening day of the season, the big games have been stalemates or disappointingly one-sided.

So Wenger is right. But Chelsea may well be travelling to Tottenham four days into 2017 looking to equal the record for successive English Premier League wins. The side whose title hopes last season they took such delight in ending.

One suspects the touchpaper could be on the point of being lit.

Wenger also took a dig at one of his own players – Mathieu Debuchy – accusing him of lying.

An interview by Debuchy in which the full-back apparently claimed that Arsenal had blocked a move from Manchester United, among others, and Wenger no longer spoke to him was bound to be thrown at the Frenchman. But rather than meet it with a straight bat, Wenger knocked it out of the park.

“United have never made an offer for him,” he said. “It’s completely untrue. It’s sometimes surprising to hear things like that.

“There are some things that are not true in this article. We never blocked him to go to Fiorentina, nor Espanyol. They had no interest in him at all because we checked that, so you have to take this article with a little distance.

“It’s a little bit a frustrated article from a player who is injured and cannot play. When he had the opportunities to play when Hector Bellerin was injured, he was injured. So I cannot do anything about that and if I gave him last year the opportunity to go to Bordeaux on loan, but we had nobody coming in for him over the summer period.

“But we speak. We have communication with all the players.”

Wenger also said Mesut Ozil is now more committed than he previously was.

The Arsenal playmaker came in for criticism for his effort in defeats to Everton and Manchester City.

Wenger has backed the German international but has told him he can still improve his game.

The Gunners boss said: “He is a huge player. I have always defended him.

“He has improved his commitment and works harder than people think he does.

“I still think there is a gap between his potential finishing and the way he does.

“In training he finishes better than the games and I’m convinced his percentage of finishing will go up in the coming months.

“He works hard but he had one or two games where he was frustrated.

“The one that comes to my mind is the Manchester City game where he was criticised but when you look at his whole contribution he has done fantastic.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has recovered from a hamstring injury for the London derby against Crystal Palace but winger Theo Walcott and left back Kieran Gibbs will miss tomorrow’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have missed Mustafi’s calming influence in defence, losing two of their last three games since the 24-year-old German, who is yet to taste defeat since joining the Gunners in August, limped off in the win over Stoke City this month.

“Shkodran is back in normal training and he will be back in the squad,” Wenger told reporters yesterday.

Gibbs injured his knee in his second league start of the season in Monday’s win over West Bromwich Albion and Walcott remains sidelined with a calf problem.

Wenger also provided a positive update on striker Danny Welbeck’s return to fitness following a long-term injury.

“Welbeck is fit and sharp. He is in training and he looks quite good,” Wenger said.

Palace last week parted company with manager Alan Pardew and Wenger believes tomorrow’s match will be more difficult now that former England boss Sam Allardyce is in charge.

“The level of confidence and urgency goes up when a new manager comes in and that makes the games more difficult,” Wenger said.

“They have experience and technical quality. They are a team that can be difficult for everybody.”

Despite a host of high-profile managers, including Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Juergen Klopp, plying their trade in England, Wenger has been disappointed by Premier League standards this season.

Arsenal, who are fourth in the table and nine points behind leaders Chelsea after 18 games, will hope to continue their 22-year unbeaten home run against 17th-placed Palace tomorrow. — The Daily Express.