Arsenal sent out a title warning as they moved top of the Barclays Premier League after clinically dispatching a sinking Aston Villa.
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The Frenchman scored a hat-trick in the Champions League last week to secure their progression to the knockout stages, and followed that up by scoring his 50th Premier League goal in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa yesterday.
“I believe Olivier is at the top of his game”, Wenger said. ‘We have now a week to prepare and it will be an interesting one.
The Gunners took an eighth minute lead from a penalty by Olivier Giroud after Alan Hutton held back Theo Walcott.
Wenger said to Arsenal Player, “I’m very proud and happy of the spirit we show”. “He’s questioned some times, but the numbers get people to realise that he’s a quality player”.
“I think it’s probably the tie of the round and it’s not going to be easy”, he added.
Cech equalled David James’s Premier League cleansheet record, Ozil’s assist meant he has now supplied more than double the amount of goals of anyone else in the division and, most importantly, the Gunners have players back fit, and firing on all cylinders ahead of a busy festive period. “Mentally he is very strong”. Medically my people think Sanchez will not be ready.
The biggest worry to Arsene Wenger however was for his side not to concede against Villa, the side now managed by one of his first ever Arsenal signings, Remi Garde who won the title under Wenger.
Spurs were seeking to go 15 successive top-flight games without defeat for the first time since 1967, but instead succumbed to their first loss since a 1-0 reverse at United on the opening day, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s side three points below the Champions League places.
After Villa’s protestations had subsided, Giroud stepped up and converted easily after eight minutes, sending Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan the wrong way.
“I believe there are a lot more teams now capable of taking points off each other”.
Following their midweek heroics in Greece, Arsenal went into the game at Villa Park in confident mode.
His team looked in good spirit with good cohesion and they are a bit short of confidence.
“We’ve got our own world-class players and it will be two fantastic games that we are looking forward to”.
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“In the second half, every time we had the ball we started to make some mistakes and we give them the possibility to a right to a goal”, Pochettino said. “We are struggling, I still haven’t won a game and I’m very frustrated but I know in football you can change things with work”.
