Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger isn’t throwing in the towel despite his club’s November swoon. A win against Southampton on Wednesday brings them to within two points of the Top Four, three points of the Saints and 10 back of Chelsea.
Wenger wants you to know none of those chases are over (Say it with us, Whaaaaaat?!?!?!?).
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In Premier League circles, it is difficult to see a team of Chelsea’s quality falling apart. Barring a horrific injury run that occurs just after the January window closes, the Blues will be standing near the top come May (and it’s increasingly likely they’ll be at the apex).
And even being 13 points shy of the title is not a huge cause for concern, Wenger says.
From Arsenal.com:“You cannot say the title race is over after 13 or 14 games,” Wenger said. “You also cannot say the six-point gap (with Southampton) is not catchable.
“We have not started very well but we didn’t have the squad together since the start of the season. It was a post-World Cup start typically. We have to fight like mad now to come back as much as possible to show that we can compete in every single game.
“We have fought many times for the title. People always remember who won it but the fight has been very tight for long periods in the last eight or nine years.”
A win over the Saints on Wednesday is essentially a necessity if Arsenal harbors top of the table ambitions. And Wenger has to say these things. Heck, any team on the table with any decent reputation needs to say these things when asked.
But Arsenal has the talent and the resources to make as good as charge as anyone should they make it to the January window within a reasonable distance. That means navigating Southampton, Stoke, Liverpool, Newcastle, QPR, West Ham and Southampton again before the third round of the FA Cup rolls through England on Jan. 3.