Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal must remain ‘calm, relaxed & focused’ to win the Premier League

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal

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Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal must maintain their focus ahead of their title run-in with Manchester United.

After exiting three competitions in two weeks, Arsenal looked as if their title aspirations might also be given a severe blow after going 2-0 down against West Brom in their least Premier League fixture but goals by Andrey Arshavin and Robin van Persie salvaged a point for Wenger’s side.

Arsenal are looking to end their six-year trophy drought and Wenger insists his team must retain belief in themselves in order to pip Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the title.

“It’s important to keep calm, relaxed and focused,” Wenger told the club’s official website. “Not to rush your game, not to become too nervous. That’s an important part of it.

“Every year we have a stronger second half of the season. I think in the last five or six years we have always had a young team, and they grow up during the season. This year that’s happened again.

“You need belief too because if you look at what everybody outside was predicting for our team this season, nobody was counting on us to fight for the title. So we are doing better than expected, but now we want to get over the line.”

While Wenger is refusing to rule out a possible call-up of Jens Lehmann to the starting squad in their next game, the Arsenal boss dismisses the idea that winning the title is just about experience.

“I am not worried about that, the main thing that I look for is a desire factor – the desire to get the job done.

“So we only want to focus on our desire, and not any negative ingredient that can interfere with that. I try more to focus the team in that way.”