Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal must be encouraged by an attack-minded performance against Manchester City and maintains all isn’t lost of their quest to win the Premier League title.
After leading the best way for the vast majority of the season, the Gunners will slip back into second place on Wednesday night should Pep Guardioala’s men complete what is anticipated to be a routine win against Burnley.
Defeat on the Etihad on Sunday represented a fourth successive domestic defeat and added more weight to the fears that the wheels are coming off just because the ending line zooms into view.
Wenger, nevertheless, was heartened by the attacking intent his old club displayed against City and has urged Mikel Arteta to take the shackles off over the course of the run-in.
With City still facing difficult fixtures at Bournemouth and Everton, the legendary former Arsenal manager is way from convinced Arsenal’s title rivals will win all of their remaining games and urged the Gunners to make certain they’re ready to capitalise.
‘I consider that Arsenal will win the league,’ Wenger said speaking at an Abbey Road Studios fund-raiser for ProjectTwinning.
‘I deeply consider. It looks, to me, like commonsense. I like Eze, Odegaard, Havertz and Madueke attacking (intent on the Etihad). Manchester City is not going to make the proper run-in.’
Wenger won three Premier League titles during his trophy-laden Arsenal managerial reigned that spanned 22-years.
Asked if he missed the warmth of the battle and intensity of the rivalry he shared with Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, he added: ‘I miss it each day.
‘I managed for 40 years. I miss the grass, the contact, the communication.” Wenger emphasised he at all times looked forward.
‘My luck in life (is) I used to be never attached to the past.’
With a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid also on the horizon, there stays the potential for a wonderful end to the season, despite the recent setbacks that also included a shock FA Cup defeat at Southampton and a limp display within the Carabao Cup final.
Arsenal are back in motion against Newcastle on Saturday evening once they could open up a three-point lead with City in FA Cup motion at Wembley.
‘It’s a extremely disappointing result, and the way that it happened,’ Arteta said after a gutting 2-1 defeat against the brand new title favourties.
‘We had a extremely strong performance, got a lot into the sport, we got here back from a goal down.
‘Emotionally, we handled the sport so well, and had the sport where we wanted it. We had the perfect probabilities of the sport, didn’t put them away, and that was the difference.”
Asked whether the missed probabilities made the result harder to take, or gave him reason to be optimistic, he said: ‘A little bit of each, because we created big situations against a team that concedes little or no, and we’ve gone into it the correct way.
‘But at the top, to win or not win is about moments, and once they had moments, they put them at the back of the online and that was the difference.
‘We lost a possibility today to win, I feel we used the chance to point out what we’re made from, and the way we’re going to compete and the extent of the team.
‘Now we’ve got one other five to go, so it’s a brand new Premier League now, they’ve a game in hand and we’ve got three points in hand – so, game on.’
MORE: Chelsea urged to make shock offer to sign ‘amazing’ Manchester City legend
MORE: Man Utd to launch £35m offer to sign ‘the brand new Estevao’ ahead of Man City and Arsenal
MORE: Nicky Butt reveals £40million Chelsea flop was a ‘disgrace’ at Man Utd