Arsene Wenger says Arsenal are 'more angry and determined' than ever after Manchester United defeat
The Gunners are now some 12 points off leaders Manchester City, but Wenger insisted that he will continue to believe they can win the title until mathematics deem it impossible
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Arsene Wenger refused to rule Arsenal out of the title race but admitted that he was “angry” to not even have taken a point from a promising performance against Manchester United.
The 3-1 defeat leaves the Gunners some 12 points off leaders Manchester City, but Wenger insisted that he will continue to believe his side can win the league until mathematics deem it impossible.
While Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has now ruled his side out of the race to overhaul City after a desperate run of form in November, Wenger said Arsenal are more “angry and determined” than ever to climb the table and fight for honours.
“Every point you drop impacts, and [Manchester] City are so far in front that everybody has made them champions straight away. But we have to worry about the next game, to analyse really how can we be more efficient with the potential we have shown today.”
“I am not Pochettino, I am Arsene Wenger. 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.
“I believe the game today, it has to make us angry and even more determined. If I am a player, and I think with what we produced today, 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.”
Looking back at the helter-skelter defeat on Saturday evening though, Wenger couldn’t help but lament his side’s inability to convert a number of good chances - with David de Gea in astonishing form between the sticks for United.
“He is an outstanding goalkeeper, I don’t want to take anything away. But we had situations, despite De Gea, we should have scored.
“When the performance is of that quality, we have to be efficient. We are in this job to be efficient, you know. So I blame first myself.”
“The spirit of the players, the attitude and quality of our combinations were top class. But we have the experience to get better out of a game like that, you know.
“I take a lot of positives and I feel sorry for the players, that’s why I’m angry. When you produce the quality of performance we produced, and we have lost games here against Man United where we didn’t deserve anything.
“But tonight, 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.”
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