Arsene Wenger believes it isn’t a case of if Arsenal win the Premier League this season but when, despite their recent mini wobble.
Heading into the hectic Christmas and Latest 12 months schedule, the Gunners hold a two point lead over a rampant Manchester City side who appear to have the bit between their teeth once more.
Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped points in each of their last three away games, including a defeat against fellow title aspirants Aston Villa, and only stumbled across the road on Saturday night after they required a final minute own goal to beat bottom of the table Wolves.
The Gunners next six fixtures represent matches they did not win within the corresponding games last season with Everton up next on Saturday night.
With injuries mounting up, Arteta faces a difficult task to navigate his way through the subsequent month or so but his old boss is confident the Spaniard is as much as the duty, even with City respiration down Arsenal necks.
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‘No, Arsenal will win the league,’ Wenger told AFTV. ‘Why do you ask can? We’ll win the league. I’m truthfully very confident, perhaps it’s because I’m not involved. I’m very confident, we are going to win.
‘We’ve got a really balanced team, we now have an excellent team attitude. We’ve got top potential offensively and defensively and in every position we two players and in some we now have three players.
It’s crunch time for Arsenal
Arsenal maintained their two point lead at the highest over the weekend, but only by the skin of their teeth. With Manchester City now looking much more like their old selves, suddenly the Premier League title race is beginning to take a really familiar shape.
The Gunners next six games could tell us lots about whether or not they’re able to go the space this time given they dropped 13 points from the corresponding fixtures last season
- Everton (a) 1-1
- Brighton (h) 1-1
- Aston Villa (h) 2-2
- Bournemouth (a) 2-0
- Liverpool (h) 2-2
- Nottingham Forest (a) 0-0
‘Overall on the long run we are able to address every competition.’
Asked if he would attend a possible title party should the Gunners end their 21-yrear wait to be crowned domestic kings, Wenger added: ‘I actually have been back but I’m very busy after all. You recognize I travel lots but I’ll try to seek out an area.’
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has urged City to play on their very own terms after they battled to a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A fair game was settled by City’s superior ending as Erling Haaland and Phil Foden took their possibilities in either half before Haaland added a late third from the penalty spot.
Guardiola’s side needed to dig in for the win that ensured they kept up the pressure on leaders Arsenal and their energy was impressive to defeat Oliver Glasner’s high-flying side just days after Wednesday’s victory away against Real Madrid.
Who will win the Premier League title this season?
City have now won 4 in a row within the league and the way during which they picked off Palace was hugely impressive.
‘At all times whenever you approach the sport, whoever the opponent, in your terms, good things are going to occur,’ said Guardiola. ‘There’s no sense to playing football without being who you might be as a person.
‘Still we usually are not at the highest, but we’re learning. We shall be closer in the longer term. After playing within the Bernabeu, then we prepared to play the FA Cup winners.’
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