Exclusive – Arsenal are third favourites at best for the title, concedes Wenger
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted to talkSPORT his side are third favourites at best to win the Premier League title.
The Gunners have been threatening this season to finally end nine barren years without a trophy but in recent weeks their championship bid has faltered, with a 1-0 defeat at Stoke last weekend the latest blow.
Two wins in six has left Arsenal in third, four points adrift of leaders Chelsea while Manchester City can go equal with the Blues if they win their two games in hand.
"You can say that at the moment Man City and Chelsea are in the better position than Liverpool and Arsenal," Wenger told Keys and Gray.
"That puts a bit more pressure even on us at Arsenal to win every big game because when you’re three points behind if you lose a big game then it’s six. So it’s very important for us to win the big games but for everybody it will be the same."
This is not the first time Arsenal have gone close to ending their trophyless spell but traditionally in recent seasons they have suffered tricky patches.
"At the moment we've had disappointing results. We lost at Liverpool, we drew at Southampton and we lost at Stoke. We're in a part of the season where you cannot afford that and we have to respond.
"We are in a period where we are tested on our mental strength and our resolute attitude and that's what is at stake at the moment."
This weekend the Gunners' focus will be on the FA Cup quarter-finals when they host Everton, live on talkSPORT, with Chelsea the only title contenders in Premier League action.
Wenger was keen to stress, though, that winning the title was what mattered most at the Emirates.
"The FA Cup is not more important than the Premier League, the most important thing is the Premier League. I have not fought since August 1 like mad to finally say, 'OK we focus on the FA Cup.'
"The Premier League witnesses the real quality of a team because it tests the continuity and the consistency. We want, of course, to win in the FA Cup but because of that we don't want to lose our concentration in the Premier League."