Arsène Wenger has not given up hope on Arsenal’s Premier League ambitions. “The championship is far from over,” he says. “I’d just remind you we’ve beaten Leicester twice and have done our job against them. People should look at other teams. We will not give up and will fight until the end.”
Arsenal’s form is well below par for a title challenge with three wins from their last 12 games, but Wenger senses the mood has changed with the team’s recovery from a difficult position at White Hart Lane. They now turn their attention to the FA Cup and a fifth round replay at Hull City on Tuesday night.
Wenger will make some changes. “We have to,” he says. “But I’m not so much concerned about playing one player more than another one. It’s more about rotating a little bit and keeping the right balance in the team. I have [THE]same respect and [THE]same idea that every player in my squad can play and win the game.”
A group including Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Mathieu Flamini and Calum Chambers, who did not start at Tottenham, are likely to start, and Wenger spoke enthusiastically about the one young player who will be drafted in to the squad, Alex Iwobi, who has played in the Mesut Özil position in recent cameos.
“What I see in him is a creative player with a high level of workrate, the manager explained. “He has a good team spirit and develops very well. He has a big passion for the game. Overall he can score a goal as well, he can play on the flanks or down the middle. He’s a very interesting player.”
(Guardian service)
