Source: Team_Talk
Wenger wants Gunners to believe
Arsenal - knocked out of the FA Cup at Stoke on Sunday - travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday night, before then hosting Manchester United, which is swiftly followed by the small matter of a trip to Stamford Bridge and then the visit of Liverpool.Just two points separate the top three, although leaders United have played a game more than Arsenal and two more than Chelsea.The Gunners, who were some 11 points adrift following home defeat by the Blues at the end of November, have hauled themselves right back into what looks set to be a classic title race following seven league wins in nine matches.Wenger feels that strength of character can serve his young squad in good stead for the challenges ahead over the next three weeks."It is an exciting period for us, because we are in a very good position," said Wenger."We have a good level of confidence and know that with so many big games, psychologically it is important to go in with a high level of confidence, so every result has an influence on the next one."Is it make or break? I make it a good opportunity to strengthen our position in the league. That is how I see it.Wenger added: "We have taken 23 points out of the last nine games so let's keep our momentum going."We are on a strong run and we have a good opportunity to extend it and strengthen our position in the league on Wednesday night."We want to take advantage of that."As well as there being little in terms of points between the two sides, United's 4-0 romp over Hull at the weekend means all three teams now have exactly the same goal difference - plus 34.Wenger believes this season's battle for the championship could come down to such small margins."It could be that tight," the Arsenal manager reflected."Let's go well through the next four games and then we will see what the situation is."The goal difference is an indication of the quality of the teams - it is 34 for the top three and after that it goes down to 20."Wenger declared: "There is always another way [to play], but the way we have chosen is to score goals."The fact that we have a good goal difference speaks well for us."Arsenal may be the league's highest scorers with 59 from 22 games, but have conceded more - 25 compared to 19 for United, from 23 matches, and Chelsea's mean 18 in 21.Wenger, though, believes the Arsenal defence, with regulars Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas set to return tomorrow after being rested at Stoke, is now a more compact unit."I believe we are improving our defensive record, even if we conceded a few goals recently."I feel we are stable enough to go into big games and keep clean sheets."Arsenal's injury list has become shorter in recent weeks, with midfielder Samir Nasri and striker Nicklas Bendtner both back in full training and could come in contention for the weekend.Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are set to return from international duty at the African Nations Cup after Cameroon and Ivory Coast both went out at the quarter-final stage.Wenger is likely to give Song some extra time to recover, and maintains his squad have coped well without the defensive midfielder."We will see how he comes back. I must say he looked tired in the game yesterday," the Arsenal manager said."I believe you focus always on the players who play."We won twice against Bolton, so we cannot complain."You want all your best players here, but I believe we did quite well." Barclays Premier League To Be in Top 4. Click here to bet.