Wenger Comments on Title Race
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said he thoughtthat the Premier League was close enough for any team to win. Despite watching his side lose to Manchester United on Monday, Wenger was confident his side could still push forward and
win the league.
Arsenal were top of the league, a point ahead of Manchester United, however the loss at Old Trafford pushed them to second place. They currently have 32 points from 17 matches and are second place to United, who still have a game
in hand.
Manchester United are now leading the Premier League and have been unbeaten this season so far. They have 34 points from 16 games, which just goes to show the level of competitiveness the English Premier League has reached.
In the early part of the decade, in the 2004 season, Arsenal won the League with 90 points. The Blues on the other hand, outdid their London rivals and won the title in 2005 with 95 points under the leadership of ‘The Special One’:
Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman feels that this season will be different, he was confident the winning tally would be close to the 1998 season, when Wenger won the League with some 78 points. He was basing his judgment on the fact on how tight the
title race was turning out to be.
He said while speaking to reporters, “Unless one team goes on a fantastic run it [90+ points] won't happen at the moment. If the record doesn't improve then, yes, 78 or 80 could be enough. You don't want to set any limit but the
only thing you can say now is that, right now, that level could be the decider.”
The Arsenal boss maintained that whichever side claimed the title in the end would not be able to get past the 80 point mark. He added, “The teams have 32, 33 points now after 16 games. Multiply that by two then add the next six
games, so yes it could be 78 or 80 points.”
Arsenal have a list of tough fixtures up ahead, which means they will have trouble reaching the predicted tally. They will be especially busy over the Christmas/New Year’s period, as they welcome Stoke to the Emirates and then
London rivals Chelsea.
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