UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says victory over Everton is a must if the Gunners want to keep pace with Manchester City and Manchester United in the Premier League title race

Record ID: 862138

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says victory over Everton is a must if the Gunners want to keep pace with Manchester City and Manchester United in the Premier League title race
  • Date: 10th December 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT) (REUTERS) WENGER WALKING DURING TRAINING
  • Embargoed: 25th December 2011 12:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
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  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA92DJ4T56871JYXNOJIDXB6BA3
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  • Story Text: Arsenal must keep winning in order to keep up with the pace setters in the English Premier League, manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday (December 9).
    Ahead of his team's match at home to Everton on Saturday (December 10), Wenger stressed that any poor results would see the gap to the two Manchester clubs at the top of the competition increase.
    "We are in a position where we just came back from a convincing win at Wigan and we are in a position where we want just to collect points," Wenger said.
    "Because the pace dictated to us by the teams in front of us is tremendous. And that's why to keep in touch with them we have to win our games."
    Wenger will be without winger Andre Santos for the match after he injured an ankle in the Champions League defeat at Olympiakos.
    "We lost Santos for a while. The ankle injury is more severe than expected. For how long he'll be out I don't know but it will be more than three weeks, that's for sure."
    While Arsenal are safely through to the last 16 of the Champions League, Manchester United are out and now face Thursday night fixtures in the second-tier Europa League.
    Much has been made of United's failure to advance from a seemingly weak group and the focus has shifted to how they might now approach the competitions they remain involved in.
    Wenger remained wary of the threat Alex Ferguson's team would be, regardless of the competition.
    "You can't forget that Manchester United played three finals in the Champions League in four years which is absolutely outstanding. And what happened there was an accident, an accident can happen to any club. And that doesn't question their quality at all."
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