Arsene Wenger: Arsenal manager says topping table no guarantee but it does reduce the stress

'Being top on goal difference doesn’t make a big difference, it is just down to how well you play'

Mesut Özil is congratulated by Hector Bellerin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after scoring against Bournemouth (EPA)

Arsène Wenger wants his Arsenal team to lead confidently from the front for the rest of the Premier League season, knowing that holding top spot now ensures his team do not have to worry about anyone else.

With half of the season gone, Arsenal are ahead of Leicester City on goal difference. They host Newcastle United on 2 January, hoping to extend their lead at the top.

While Wenger acknowledged that their margin over Leicester is very narrow, it does give them a psychological edge: having to focus solely on themselves.

“Being top on goal difference doesn’t make a big difference, it is just down to how well you play,” Wenger said. “Your performances dictate that, and you have to be guided by your performances.

“After that, it is reassuring to know that if your performances are right, you do not need bad results from somebody else. That is one less stress.”

Wenger knows from experience that it is easier just to concentrate on his own team’s form. “It is a bad thing in our job: we always want to be successful and we wish that others are not,” he said. “That is not a very good feeling in our position. Once you are first, you can just focus on your performance.”

It is performance levels, of course, rather than their position today, that will determine who wins the title. But Wenger took confidence from historical precedent.

“This is not the date that decides if you win the league,” he said. “It shows that we have a good chance, as statistics show you that in eight of the past 11 years the team who was top on New Year’s Day won it.”

While the openness of this year’s title race has led to criticism suggesting a lack of quality, Wenger defended this year’s competition, saying it was far preferable to a one-horse race.

“I heard last night, you have clichéd thinking that ‘nobody wants to win the league’,” Wenger said. “I can say as well that everybody wants to win it. And if you were in the game you would think that is not the case – everybody wants to win it, but it’s difficult.”

Wenger remains a staunch defender of the Premier League compared with some of Europe’s more lop-sided leagues. “How do you measure that on entertainment? Look at the audiences of the Premier League, and the rest of the world, then come and give me an answer. It is yes. Public opinion decides that.

“In Greece, Olympiakos are 14 points ahead, with 14 wins from 14 games. In France, Paris Saint-Germain are 19 points ahead. If you have that, everybody will say it’s boring. It is better you have the situation we have today, where seven or eight teams can win it.”

The contrast in reactions to Arsenal’s win over Manchester City, defeat at Southampton, and win over Bournemouth shows what they have to cope with.

“Public opinion is not always stable, it changes a lot,” Wenger said. “It is always linked with the last result. We have to rise above that.”