Arsene Wenger has admitted Arsenal must turn up the heat on their Premier League rivals.

Wenger insists there is no margin for error and they must win at Sunderland after their stuttering start to the campaign sees them 11 points off the title pace.

The Gunners boss puts that down to a World Cup hangover and new players settling in – but warned they must find their best form quickly.

“I think 95 per cent is there,” said Wenger. “It is normal that after a World Cup, and we have new players, you see the main thing is there – the attitude, the quality.

“But the water boils at 100 degrees and not at 99, and we have to add that degree.

“It is frustrating, but we have to play better. That is how we have to think. We dominate our games.

“It is just when we have a weaker moment we pay for it. That is why I think we have to produce more effort defensively as a team.

“We could be more efficient offensively and defensively, but that will come. I can understand that better because there are players who are new.

“I think, as well, we are never in positions where we have the lead for a long time, we are always chasing back. Of course that makes it more difficult offensively.

“We have to win at Sunderland. I cannot deny that. I believe it is linked with confidence at the moment, but I cannot fault the attitude.”

Wenger must go to the Stadium of Light without the suspended Jack Wilshere, after five bookings, and Laurent Koscielny is still out.

But Theo Walcott is expected to be on the bench following a 45-minute appearance in an Under-21 game in midweek as he returns from cruciate ligament surgery.

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Arsenal – whose win ratio is 46.2 per cent without Walcott in the team and 69.2 per cent with him – miss the England winger’s pace and the width he gives them.

That was one of the problems highlighted in midweek by Per Mertesacker when the German defender admitted that Arsenal are currently lacking a “bit of everything.” After just two wins from their opening eight games, Wenger admits that some of his points are valid but he says they will make up ground.

The Frenchman also insists he is only interested in Arsenal’s results and doesn’t care about leaders Chelsea.

He said: “Look, of course you want to get the ball wide and forward as quickly as possible. The table is very tight but it is always like that. In 10 games we will know more.”

Sunderland lost 8-0 last time out, but Wenger warned: “The danger is that they focus very hard on defending very well and that you get very few openings.”

Referring to Manchester United possibly beating Chelsea, he added: “That doesn’t help us if we don’t produce the performances. We don’t produce the results at the moment. We have not to look at Chelsea, we have to look at ourselves and just get the results.

“I look at how we can be more efficient. That’s my only worry. If we are more efficient in 10 games time then we will be in a much better position.”

It is 10 years since Arsenal’s Invincibles lost their 49 game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in the Battle of the Buffet and Wenger joked that a film could be made of the events in the tunnel bust-up after the game.

And he knows who should get the role of the player who threw the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson. “Honestly, in the film I know who I would give the role to – and you know as well,” he smiled.

“It was an incredible run. I think it was only ended by bad refereeing on the day, and I will never forget that. For the rest in the tunnel, it would make a good film!”

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