UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Arsene Wenger says title is more that a " three-horse race"

Record ID: 862937

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Arsene Wenger says title is more that a " three-horse race"
  • Date: 3rd December 2013
  • Summary: LONDON COLNEY, NEAR LONDON, UK (NOVEMBER 25, 2013) (REUTERS) AARON RAMSEY TRAINING WITH ARSENAL
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2013 12:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
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  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVABEHV6VPYJ39313C63WKNIVEC6
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  • Story Text: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has refused to accept the Premier League title is a three-horse race. With his team four points clear of Chelsea and Manchester City a further two points behind in third, Wenger said teams of the quality of champions Manchester United in eighth cannot be ruled out, despite what the bookmakers are saying.
    "Look the bookies have an opinion that you can understand, because they just look at the table and I wouldn't rule some other teams out like Man United and it's a bit early to make any prediction on the championship," he said at the club's London Colney training ground on Tuesday (December 3).
    With games against Manchester City and Chelsea to come before Christmas, Wenger is under no illusions of the challenges to come.
    "It's a very difficult month we have in front of us," he said. "If we can maintain the quality in our game and our concentration and our solidarity levels we have a good chance."
    Much of Arsenal's success this season has been down to the form and goalscoring exploits of Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey. Wenger has shown faith in him after an indifferent spell last season and Ramsey has repaid Wenger's faith in him by being outstanding in a strong midfield consisting of Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshire, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta. Ramsey scored his 12th and 13th goals in the
    3-0 win at Cardiff at the weekend.
    "I did not predict that he would score as many goals as that," said Wenger. "But I was always confident that he would make a good career. How good can he be? What do you mean how good, when you're a midfielder you want to defend well, you want to attack well and you want to give assists and score goals, that's how good you can be, at this moment he does all these four things very well, and he can still improve."
    Arsenal's next opponents in the Premier League on Wednesday (December 4) are Hull City, one of the surprise sucesses of this season. Newly promoted, they occupy tenth place, following an impressive 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday (December 1).
    "No fear, they are very strong in the challenge, they are very dynamic going forward, they are very good in the transition from defence to attack and on set pieces they look strong as well," Wenger said.
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