Arsenal have matured – Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal stars have finally developed the mental toughness required to fight for the Premier League title.
After a few wobbles of late, Wenger’s side have roared back into top gear with a 5-1 rout of West Ham last weekend followed by a 4-1 victory over Basel in the Champions League.
The Gunners are just three points behind Chelsea and they can temporarily take over at the top if they beat Stoke by two goals or more at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday before the leaders host West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
“I believe that first of all we have a good team dynamic, we have a very strong team spirit and we have more maturity, definitely,” said Wenger, whose team are on a 13-match unbeaten run in the league.
“On our side we are in the middle of the fight and we have a chance. In December that’s very interesting.
“As you know, this is a very important month and for us even more because we have big games. Overall I’m very happy with the way we behave and with the consistency of our desire.”
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea juggernaut rolls back into action against West Brom with the pace-setters chasing a ninth consecutive win.
Chelsea produced the most impressive display of their winning streak last weekend when they came from behind to win 3-1 at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
They have not won nine successive league games within the same season since 2007 and ahead of West Brom’s visit, Marcos Alonso has urged his team-mates not to let their level drop.
“Winning game after game gives you confidence, but you have to keep working,” the Spanish wing-back told the Chelsea website.
“The results give you confidence to work in this way, though. We have got to use this momentum of the last eight league games and go on to have another good game against West Brom now.”
– Unravelling –
While most of Chelsea’s title rivals have been in European action this week, Conte’s side have once again had a full week to prepare for the visit of Tony Pulis’s side.
It is 32 years since West Brom last won at Chelsea, but they have drawn on two of their last three visits and have climbed to seventh in the table on the back of a four-game unbeaten run.
Guardiola’s City will look to kick their title challenge back into gear when they visit unravelling champions Leicester City on Saturday.
The ill-tempered defeat at Chelsea’s hands left a mark, with Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho picking up red cards that will keep them out until after Christmas.
City have slipped to fourth place in the table, four points below Chelsea, and although Leicester are toiling in 16th place, Pablo Zabaleta is taking nothing for granted.
“Always it’s a difficult place to go. Even if they are not doing great in the domestic competition, they are still a good team, very competitive,” said the City right-back.
“It is going to be a tough game. We need to win and get three points after the big defeat last weekend to stay in the fight for the title.”
While City have won their last three away matches in the league, they have won just four of their last 14 games in all competitions as Guardiola continues to search for a durable winning formula.
His problems pale in comparison, however, beside those of Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, who saw a second-string side trounced 5-0 by Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday.
With seven defeats already, Leicester’s league form is as alarming as last season’s was astonishing and has left them just two points above the relegation zone.
Like Chelsea, third-place Liverpool have had a week off to prepare for Sunday’s home game with West Ham.
Manchester United, in contrast, entertain Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday just two days after returning from a gruelling Europa League trip to play Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk.
Jose Mourinho’s side, currently sixth, trail fifth-place Spurs by six points and will have a mountain to climb in terms of Champions League qualification if they lose at Old Trafford.
Fixtures
Saturday (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated):
Arsenal v Stoke, Burnley v Bournemouth, Hull v Crystal Palace, Leicester v Man City (1730 GMT), Swansea v Sunderland, Watford v Everton (1230 GMT)
Sunday (1415 GMT unless otherwise stated):
Chelsea v West Brom (1200 GMT), Liverpool v West Ham (1630 GMT), Man United v Tottenham, Southampton v Middlesbrough

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tight security as Abia council polls hold today

Image
The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has said the State Police command will provide adequate security across the seventeen local government areas of the State to ensure a smooth conduct of the local government election today. He stated that the Nigerian constitution guarantees that there must be adequate security during elections at the local councils because the people at the grassroots were involved. Oyebade who spoke during a press conference with senior Police officers in Umuahia, the State Capital, pointed out that the command had mapped out its operational plans to secure the State during and after the election. He explained that leaders of various political parties in the State have been briefed regarding the conduct of their candidates and the electorate on the election day. He said, “Every credible election must be well planned, because proper planning prevents poor performance. So those of us that are stakeholders in the State h...
Read more

Confusion As ‘Cross Of Jesus’ Is Sighted In Nasarawa Mosque

Image
Residents of Assakio Development Area in Lafia, Nasarawa State were thrown into confusion on Saturday following the sudden appearance of a strange cross five feet away from a central mosque in the community. The mysterious sighting attracted a mammoth crowd from Assakio and its environs with many praying for forgiveness and blessings. Our correspondent observed that the illuminated cross was projected on to the ground. A 15 year-old-girl, Hajara Hussaini, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, said she first sighted the sign of a cross at about 8pm on Wednesday. Hussaini, who said she had been sent on an errand by her parents, explained that when she saw a strange light, she as gripped by fear and rushed back home to alert her mother, Matan Liman. Confirming the incident to journalists, Matan said she had sent her daughter to visit her grandmother. The middle-aged woman added that her daughter saw the crucifix while returning from the errand. The Chief Imam of Assakio ...
Read more

Empress, Juliet Ibrahim in war of words over domestic violence

Image
Nigerian actress Empress Njama has also decided to voice their opinion on the issue of domestic violence. She however, seem to be the one of the few who has decided to fight for the men. She said, if a man hits a woman, it is called domestic violence but when a woman hit a man, what is it called? “There are men out there who are abused mentally by women through words and abuses than women who are been beaten physically  She however, maintained that she is not in support of men physically abusing a man, just that we needed to get it right on the issue of domestic violence “I’m not saying it is advisable for a man to beat up or assault a woman, but some women are headstrong that they can traumatize their partner mentally to the extent that he has no choice than to beat her up” She also made it clear that no marriage is without its challenges and that the two needs to work together to help it wor...
Read more