Arsene Wenger has admitted that Arsenal are suffering from a crisis of confidence after last night’s shock 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea City left them six points off the Premier League title pace.
The Gunners took a 15th-minute lead through Joel Campbell, but goals either side of half time from Wayne Routledge and Ashley Williams earned the struggling Swans an unlikely comeback win.
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Following disappointments against Barcelona and Manchester United, Arsenal have lost three successive competitive games for the first time since 2010, and Wenger is concerned about low morale.
The Frenchman has even admitted that Arsenal have surrendered the right to consider a first Premier League crown in 12 years ahead of Saturday’s massive North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur.
“It looks a little bit like that, yes,” Wenger told Sky Sports when asked if Arsenal’s confidence has been shot. “We have to focus on our job and come back reminding ourselves that we have some quality as well. We’ve got to analyse this result and bounce back. We have a big game this weekend.
“At the moment I am worrying more about the result than the title,” Wenger added. “At the moment we don’t dream, we have to be realistic and come back to what we do well. And do the basics.
“At the moment, I believe that we need to get back to positive results before we speak about the championship which is at stake at the moment. It is very difficult as it is unpredictable. Manchester City lost, Tottenham lost. It is very difficult to predict what will happen in this league.
“Let’s focus on winning the next game and not talk about the title tonight. I’m not in the mood to do that tonight. It is a big disappointment for us to swallow this and we need to bounce back.”
Arsenal are three points behind Spurs heading to White Hart Lane this weekend. They were seven points in front of their local rivals, and two clear at the top of the table, at the start of January.
And to make matters worse for the Gunners, Wenger has confirmed to Sky Sports that goalkeeper Petr Cech. and senior defender Laurent Koscielny will both miss the game with calf injuries.
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