Wenger Urges Arsenal to Channel Invincibles' Spirit But Admits Wilshere Frustrations
Arsene Wenger has challenged his Arsenal side to channel the spirit of the 'Invincibles' side of 2003/04 and remain unbeaten for the rest of the season.
The Gunners have slipped to seventh in the Premier League after taking just one point from their last four games and now trail fourth-placed Chelsea by five points.
However, Wenger remains adamant the club can still achieve Champions League qualification and, with Liverpool and Newcastle not playing until Monday and Sunday, victory over relegation threatened Blackburn could see Arsenal jump to fifth by Saturday evening.
Arsenal ended a run of three successive defeats with a goalless draw at Bolton on Wednesday night but Wenger insists his side are capable of going undefeated for the remainder of the campaign.
"Ideally you want to be unbeaten. Is it possible? I think to prove that it is possible is just to win on Saturday," the Arsenal manager is quoted on Sky Sports.
"For the rest, I believe that we have played some good football this season and we have to continue to improve the way we play and focus on that.
"Football has to be a happy moment that you want to share with people who come to the game. We always try to behave like that."
Wenger has found himself under fire from sections of the club's supporters in recent weeks, with the club in danger of failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 14 years.
After suffering eight defeats so far this season the Gunners cannot afford any further slip-ups but Wenger has urged his side to ignore events off the pitch as they look to rectify their recent poor form.
"It is not easy anywhere nowadays, but with the media and the opinions of everybody, we live in a constant drama. But it is not like that," Wenger said.
"Football is a happy moment where people come together to watch the team they love. We have to stop to make a drama of everything, but there are much more dreadful things in life than that.
"We have to keep focused on the fact that we have a fantastic opportunity to play football and we want to focus on that with happy minds, not always to be in a drama."
Meanwhile, Wenger has expressed his frustration at Jack Wilshire's latest injury setback but said he would not rush the midfielder back if he was not 100 percent fit.
Wilshere suffered a second stress fracture in his foot earlier this week and will await the results of a scan to assess the extent of the damage.
"I always said February, [so] it is frustrating, but then again you have to respect human nature," the Arsenal manager told Sky Sports.
"What is most important is that for such a young player you have to respect his future."
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.