London - Arsene Wenger says that Arsenal will have to be perfect until the end of the season if they want to challenge for the title, but maintains that they will be ready if Chelsea slip.
Arsenal thrashed Liverpool 4-1 at home with goals from Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud and are seven points behind Chelsea, with the Premier League leaders having to visit The Emirates in two weeks time although Jose Mourinho’s team still have a game in hand.
And Wenger says his team have to focus on winning every game in order to be ready for any setbacks that Chelsea may suffer.
“If the opportunity presents itself, we will have to be perfect and Chelsea have to be not perfect,” said Wenger. “The only thing which we can master is to be perfect. Chelsea have a difficult programme and so do we.
“We want to keep the momentum” win, win, win and win again. We know the top four is in our hands now. The title is not in our hands. We are looking up, but we are looking at our next game because that is all we can control. What we can master mathematically is the top four. Let’s focus on what we can master ”our own performance.”
But Wenger insisted that the performance against Liverpool demonstrated that had they not be hampered by injuries and the late return of World Cup winners Ozil and Per Mertesacker, then they would have been closer to Chelsea in the table.
“We have moved forward,” he said. “We missed important players at the start of the season when we dropped too many points. When you look at the points we’ve made since everyone is back, I believe that shows you we have the quality to fight at the top.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Liverpool must give Raheem Sterling’s first club, QPR, up to £15million of the profits if they sell the 20-year-old.
The winger, who has controversially put contract talks on hold at Anfield, has admitted that he has been flattered to be linked with Arsenal.
Liverpool agreed a 25 percent sell-on clause with QPR when they signed Sterling in 2010 as a 15-year-old for £500 000.
It means QPR would be entitled to £12.375m if Sterling is sold for £50m and is seen as an important reason why Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to keep the talented winger.
Daily Mail