Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his rejuvenated squad could yet hunt down Chelsea and Manchester City in the Premier League title race to emulate the class of 1997/98.
Arsenal – who earlier this week completed the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal – host out-of-form Aston Villa on Sunday looking to record a fifth win in the last six league matches which would see them move back within striking distance of the top four.
With Chelsea and Manchester City drawing 1-1 at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s late kick-off, Arsenal are now 14 points off the pace.
It is a similar scenario to that faced in the 1997/98 campaign, Wenger’s first full season in charge.
Arsenal trailed Manchester United by some 12 points at the end of February before embarking on a nine-match winning streak which saw them go on to lift a first title in seven years and then complete the double with victory over Newcastle United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Given the likes of Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil, who both scored in the FA Cup fourth-round win at Brighton & Hove Albion, are fighting fit, and with Jack Wilshere also around a month away, Wenger feels the ability is there to put together the needed run of results.
He said to challenge for the title, “is our target, but we have to be realistic”.
“What we want is to win every game we can, but at the moment we are 14 points behind Chelsea, they need to lose five games, and they have lost only two until now.
“What we want to do is focus on our performances and show that we can produce consistent results. After, where we will finish, it is difficult to say.”
Wenger added: “Yes, it is true that I have some real selection dilemmas.
“We have got three players out – (Yaya) Sanogo, (Lukas) Podolski and (Joel) Campbell – so you imagine before the number of offensive players we have.
“Now we have a good squad, compact, but of quality and with the competition it will be very hard.”
Gabriel is expected to go straight into the squad against Villa.
Wenger is confident the 24-year-old can follow in the tradition of Brazilians having a positive impact on the club.
“We were lucky as we also had Gilberto and Edu, who is from Sao Paulo, and so is Sylvinho. We were very lucky with the Brazilians, they are top-level class people,” he said.
“Football is a big meaning for them, they have the hunger and the love for football, it is in their country and it is a religion.”
Wenger is now the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.
The 65-year-old is often a sounding board for issues within the game, and reflected on the recent developments in the Fifa presidential campaign.
Whomever is eventually chosen, Wenger feels continuing to improve the game in emerging nations is paramount to progress.
“You would say to keep developing the game in Asia and to structure the game in Africa and as well to give better education to young people and young players,” Wenger said.
“I believe there is a great job to do at Fifa and you look at some continents with great potential and not enough players come out. In some continents football has become hugely popular to watch and the next target is to develop football in there.
“It is difficult to imagine that China has 1.4 billion and they do not find 11 good players, or maybe there are too many and you don’t find the right one.”
Wenger, though, is not about to follow the likes of former Portugal midfielder Luis Figo into football politics.
He said: “I have great experience on the technical front, but after that, on the administration front, I am a bit limited in my experience and I am not really interested in a lot of hand shaking.”
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