Wenger urges Arsenal to keep title belief

LONDON: Arsenal welcome fast-improving Hull City to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (today) looking to recover from two deeply damaging results that have all but ruined their Premier League title hopes.

Defeats at home to Watford and away at Chelsea have left Arsene Wenger’s side a mammoth 12 points behind the latter, who lead the way.

But Wenger is refusing to give up on his side’s chances of clawing back that deficit and has urged his players to respond following their twin setbacks.

“It’s never over,” the Arsenal manager said. “We cannot behave like that. Even if you think it is, I don’t. We cannot even think like that.

“We look at the teams around us and we are all in a pack that is very tight, where the fight for every position will be massive like it has always been in the Premier League, maybe even more this season than ever before.”

Wenger goes into the game under heavy pressure, with fan protests at Chelsea including one banner reading “enough is enough”.

He is out of contract at the end of the season and again refused to elaborate on what may happen when his current deal expires.

“My future is not the most important thing,” he told reporters at his weekly press conference on Thursday.

“My future is in front of me every time I make a half-turn. What is important for me is that Arsenal Football Club does well and I dedicate my whole energy to the club doing well.

“Arsenal is made of special strengths and that strength is to be united when things go wrong.

“It’s very nice for you to take care of how I feel, but it’s not the most important. I am a professional and I have to do a job and that’s what I want to do.”