Wenger on title race

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has given winger Alexis Sanchez a “slight chance” of being included in his squad for Monday’s Premier League showdown at home to Manchester City.

And Merson believes drawing Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League will be a benefit to Arsenal as they will likely have less fixtures congestion later in the season.

Wenger said they would leave it late before deciding whether to risk the Chilean.

“We are more mature now”.

The average amount of points earned by the champions since the top flight was reduced to 20 teams is 85.7, but Wenger says the winners may take the title with a lower mark this term. That is in our minds. I do not forget that. We have a chance, an opportunity to put things right, and we’ll focus on that. But I also think we have made a lot of good things – that is why we are the team who are involved in all of the competitions. “It is a hard challenge but an exciting one as well”.

If Arsenal exploit that weakness then hit them hard, hit them fast and make a statement of intent to win an elusive Premier League title.

Manchester City, Arsenal’s main rivals are not firing on all cylinders.

Cech’s experience and professionalism will no doubt prove invaluable if Arsenal are to beat City on Monday and complete a hat-trick of victories over those sides now occupying the other three spaces in the top four.

“It looks to be very tight”.

“We have played 16 games and the top team is on 35 points”.

“What you look at is of course to nullify the individual quality they have offensively, that will be vital for us to find a good balance between defending well as a team and expressing our way to go forward”.

“Next Monday they have a big, big game when they host Manchester City”. And with Ranieri´s team facing a trip to Everton, a trip to Liverpool and a home game with Man City, you would assume that Arsenal would begin 2016 in pole position and that would be a great morale boost for the title race to come.

“You always look around you in the dressing room before a big game and you think, ‘Are we strong enough?’ And these kind of faces help you to believe it. Also in the big games, the number of shots on target shrinks”.

‘Anything is possible this season because Arsenal have played well this season and are doing well.

The German global recently broke an EPL record by claiming assists in seven consecutive top-flight matches. But overall, for someone who has enjoyed and basked in the relative misery of Wenger over the years, it shouldn’t be a surprise so many people are happy he lost his job, along with a huge severance package coming his way to soften the blow.

With his contract at Bayern Munich ending in the summer and an announcement on his intentions expected next week, Guardiola has been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League.

“That is what Mesut is about”.

“He has added runs into the box now”.