Wenger: Arsenal's title chances will be decided by next four games

Arsene Wenger last night admitted Arsenal’s title chances will be decided by their next four games.

Wenger begins the big test of Arsenal’s aspirations at Aston Villa tonight and that is followed by blockbusters against Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Gunners boss Wenger has led his players to second in the Premier League but the Frenchman says now comes the real acid test for his young team.

Wenger said: “I have never known a run of four league games as significant as these. Never before in all my time here, not four on the trot. It is a coincidence that we have these games one after the other that are all decisive.

“If we win them all we are in a very strong position for sure, so let’s start with the first one and ignore all of the others.

“I believe we are in a strong position having lost at Manchester City, at Manchester United and against Chelsea at home, so you can’t say it is a make-or-break because in this league a lot can happen.

“But if we win these games then we can really have a big hope. We are here despite having lost some games that we should not have lost.

“It is a great opportunity to send a message to the rest of the Premier League. We want to take it and I am very confident that we are in a good position and let’s go for it.

“To win the next game would satisfy me. What is important is our capability to focus on each game 100 per cent and to give 100 per cent.

“At the start of the season we said we would give absolutely everything in every game for the whole season, and I believe this team has respected that contract until now so we need to do the same again at Villa.”

Wenger already has the psychological edge over Martin O’Neill, having beaten Villa at the Emirates three weeks ago.

But Wenger says the real turning point in Arsenal’s season came last month at Liverpool when they fought back from behind to win at Anfield.

Wenger says that victory has given his squad - boosted by the return of fit-again Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Nicklas Bendtner at Villa - the belief they can win the title.

“Winning at Liverpool was massive,” said Wenger. “It was a turning point because we were 1-0 down, turned the game and we have done it since many times.

“We did it again at Stoke in the FA Cup on Sunday, we came back from 1-0 down to 1-1 and afterwards we lost the game, but we showed the potential to come back.

“It shows immense mental strength to come back. Before Liverpool, we had not won games where they were big games. We didn’t win against Chelsea, we didn’t win against Manchester City, Manchester United.

“Even if we felt we should have won, we didn’t and it was in the head of the players. But we did it at Liverpool, we beat Villa and we overcame something in our head.

“I believe there are moments in the season where you have decisive wins, they strengthen belief, they’re important for the belief in the team.

“The Villa game was important. It will give us belief because we know we have played in a strong way, a disciplined way against Villa at home and we want to do that again.

“Villa are well organised, strong in challenges, strong on counter attack and they are very efficient up front. But we know we can beat them and they know it as well, don’t worry.”

Wenger was again fierce yesterday in his defence of fielding a weakened team at Stoke in the FA Cup on Sunday, maintaining the likes of Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela and Sol Campbell have enough experience.

Campbell is likely to drop down to the bench tonight and even though Bendtner and Nasri are fit they are likely to be substitutes with Bacary Sagna in the starting line-up.

Wenger, however, insisted that the return of Bendtner could save him millions in the transfer market as he said it is now unlikely he will sign a new striker before going back for Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh in the summer when he is free.

Wenger added: “Bendtner has qualities that are important in the squad because he’s a good football player but as well he is tall. There may be Chamakh in the summer but he is not an immediate problem now.”

Arsenal (probable) : Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Denilson, Ramsey, Fabregas; Rosicky, Eduardo, Arshavin.