PREMIER LEAGUE:TOMAS ROSICKY has conceded that Arsenal's Premier League title hopes are all but over while his team-mate Bacary Sagna admitted they have been undermined by the loss of the injured Robin van Persie and urgently "need to find a solution".
The players reflected the sense of deflation inside the Arsenal dressingroom as they considered the wreckage of Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea.
“It will be very difficult for us to win the title now, we know that,” Rosicky said, after his team’s fourth defeat of the Premier League season which has left them 11 points adrift of Chelsea, with one game in hand.
“It’s not easy, of course, to take this defeat but well done to Chelsea because they took their chances. If they continue to play like they did against us until the end, then it will be difficult for anyone to stop them.”
Arsenal have battled a raft of injuries since the beginning of the season but van Persie’s is arguably the most demoralising. The striker was originally told the ankle ligament he damaged on international duty with the Netherlands was partially ruptured yet further tests have revealed a complete tear. The anticipated absence of five months would be a huge blow to Arsenal.
It has also led to renewed calls for manager Arsene Wenger to sign fresh blood in January. Nicklas Bendtner, another of his recognised strikers, has been out since the beginning of last month with a groin injury and is not expected to return until Christmas.
“Robin’s absence is weighing heavily on us,” said Sagna. “We need to find a solution and we can’t afford to fool ourselves. There was too much of a gap between ourselves and Chelsea. They were better than us in the individual battles, they retained possession better than we did and they passed the ball better. Chelsea swept us aside and we are very disappointed.”
Wenger was asked whether Van Persie’s long-term absence would prompt him to enter the transfer market. “I’m not in the mood now to say I will buy players,” he replied. Wenger has little chance of signing Marouane Chamakh, the striker he chased over the summer, in January. Bordeaux blocked Chamakh’s move then and they will do so again in January. Wenger has also shown an interest in Toulouse and France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac.
Wenger has promised to field his usual blend of young hopefuls and fringe first-team members in the League Cup quarter-final tie at Manchester City tomorrow but it will be the visit of Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday when the onus will be on his regulars to bounce back. “Letting our season fall apart would be the biggest mistake we can make,” Rosicky said. “The next match is vital for us to get back on track. After a defeat like Chelsea, you need to have a good reaction. ”
Guardian Service
