Premier League title is Chelsea’s to lose: Wenger

Arsenal manager acknowledges his side’s frailties after Swansea loss

SWANSEA: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger all but conceded the Premier League title to leaders Chelsea after seeing his side let slip a one-goal lead in a 2-1 loss away to Swansea on Sunday.

Defeat left the Gunners 12 points behind Jose Mourinho's table-toppers after only 11 league games played.

There might be more than two-thirds of the season left and the small matter of 81 points to play for, but Wenger believes Arsenal's London rivals are unstoppable.

"At the moment Chelsea are on course for 100 points this season," said Wenger, who won the last of his three Premier League title as Gunners boss during the 2003/04 season.

"If you look at the number of points they have today, if they keep that up nobody will catch them, that's for sure," the Frenchman added. "There doesn't look to be anybody capable to challenge them at the moment."

Having relinquished a three-goal lead at home to Anderlecht during a 3-3 Champions League in midweek, the Gunners' defensive frailties were on display again in south Wales.

Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal a 63rd-minute lead at the Liberty Stadium, but two goals in three minutes in the final quarter, from Gylfi Sigurdsson and substitute Bafetimbi Gomis, left Wenger empty-handed.

Spurs' slump a pressing problem for Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino said time was not on his side if he was to turn Tottenham Hotspur's fortunes around after a defeat by Stoke left the club in the bottom half of the English Premier League.

Sunday's 2-1 loss was Spurs's fourth defeat in six home league matches and manager Pochettino, who left Southampton in pre-season only for the Saints to now be second in the English top-flight, could be forgiven for wishing he'd stayed with the south coast side.

"It's clear we need to improve a lot," said Pochettino. "In football, you always need time, different methods and philosophy but we need to improve quickly.

"In football you never have time, that is, a long time — you need to gets results.”

 

 

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