Share

Wenger: 'I am not Pochettino, title race not over'

London - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is refusing to concede defeat in the Premier League title race even though his team are now 15 points adrift of Manchester City in top spot.

Mauricio Pochettino has ruled Tottenham out of contention but Wenger is refusing to throw in the towel despite Saturday's painful 3-1 loss to Manchester United.

The Gunners, who last won the trophy in 2003-04 and have three more points than rivals Spurs, are lagging in fifth spot after five defeats in their first 15 games.

"I am not Pochettino, I am Arsene Wenger," the Frenchman said. "I am here to fight as long as I can. As long as mathematically it's possible, you have to fight. You cannot give any other message out."

Wenger believes the performance in the loss to United, who capitalised on two defensive howlers, has revived belief within his squad.

"I believe from the game, it has to make us angry and even more determined," added Wenger, whose side dominated possession and produced a succession of chances but were thwarted by United goalkeeper David De Gea.

"If I am a player, and I think with what we produced, we have a huge potential, and we lose the game. We cannot accept that.

"That's what you want, the players have produced a quality performance.

"What makes you angry is that you produce that performance and in the end you have nothing to show for it. That's very difficult to accept."

Wenger welcomed the positive reaction of the Emirates Stadium crowd to Arsenal's performance.

"The crowd sees as well that the team produced what is expected from them. The crowd was outstanding. And the team was outstanding. But we were not efficient. I cannot deny that. They have scored three, we have scored one."

Arsenal next travel to the St. Mary's Stadium in an English Premiership clash against Southampton and will be aiming to make up ground on the Manchester clubs.

Kick off is at 14:00.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE