Premier League is Arsenal’s to win, says Arsene Wenger
The race for the Premier League title is very tight this year, with only five points between the top five teams in the table. Arsenal are two points short of table leaders Manchester United, despite having played one game more.
Manchester United are leading the table with 38 points out of 18 league games, whereas Arsenal have played 19 games and managed to earn 36 points. Arsenal are third on the table behind Manchester City, who have as many points as United but have played two
games more.
Nevertheless, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that his club has a very good shot at winning the title.
"It is Arsenal's title to win," said Wenger, when asked whether the title was now Manchester United's to throw away. "We have to go on a run and be consistent.
"The only thing we have learnt from this first six months is that the team who will be the most consistent, with great emotional stamina and resolve will win it. It could be the league of the mentally strong. It is a league with
a lot of ups and downs and the teams who deal the best with that will certainly win it."
In what has become a frustrating Arsenal trait, the club failed to build on their December 28 win over Premier League titleholders http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 and drew their game against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Wednesday.
Wigan Athletic, who are battling to stay above the relegation zone, were given a penalty in the starting minutes and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ben-Watson-c7458 managed to score. Arsenal then bounced back and went on to score two goals in the first half. Andrei
Arshavin scored the first goal for the Gunners with a spectacular overhead kick and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nicklas-Bendtner-c27726 scored in the last minutes of the first half to put Arsenal in the lead. A very intense game followed in the second half, with the Latics struggling to score
an equalizer and the Gunners looking set to win the game and level with United on the league table. It was when Arsenal’s Sebastien Squillaci scored an own goal, with nine minutes remaining in the game, that the match was 2-2 – and that was how it ended.
Despite this disappointment, Wenger has not lost faith in Arsenal or their chances of winning the Premier League this season.
"We have always been strong mentally, but we have not been as mature as we are now," said Wenger. "I think we have courage, intelligence and talent in the squad. To be capable of putting these three ingredients together in every
single game will be decisive."
Arsenal, who have not won a trophy since 2005, have suffered five league defeats in this season so far, including to fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Gunners could have been leading the table by a huge margin, were it not for
two unexpected defeats: at the hands of newly promoted Premier League sides West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United.
"Every single defeat of 2010 is still very painful in my heart," said Wenger, "And I hope that 2011 will be much less painful."
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