Arsene Wenger airs dismay over Arsenal’s title capitulation: We are more frustrated than ever because we were so close to winning the league

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Arsene Wenger has revealed his frustration with his Arsenal side after recent performances have blown any chance of them winning their first Premier League title since 2004.

The Gunners boss admitted the title is very ‘unlikely’ to come to the Emirates after his side dropped points from winning positions against Liverpool and Tottenham, but also defeat in the dying seconds against Bolton on Sunday.

However Wenger insists his team will fight to the final game of the season to ensure their Champions League place.

He told reporters: “We feel more frustrated than ever because we are closer than ever to winning this league. The most important for me above all is the league and I think this year we had the quality to win it.

“Well yes because if you look at all the numbers, it is the closest we have been and just look at the last week – we could have had nine points quite easily against Liverpool, Tottenham and Bolton and in the end we finish with two points.

“Manchester United is now in a very strong position, but we have to fight until the last second of the championship. It’s very unlikely for us now, let’s not hide the truth but the pride of our group is to first of all finish in the Champions League. We have to look back, and we have to look up front because even if there is a minimal chance we have to fight for it.”

The Arsenal manager outlined his ambition to keep his better players including captain Cesc Fabregas over the summer, unless they feel a bid is too good to turn down.

He added: “We will play our game against Manchester United and we are not on the transfer market, we do not want to sell our players. So all the players who have contracts will stay here unless we decide otherwise.

“We want to keep our best players. This is a subject that in fairness is not very creative. We have answered that in nearly 80 per cent of our press conferences and I think at some stage it has to stop because the past has shown this question is useless.”

Wenger also refuted Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho’s claims that there is a conspiracy against teams that play Barcelona.

The Frenchman does believe that the Catalan players overreacted at times but conceded that Pep Guardiola’s side are probably the best team in Europe at the moment.

He added: “I do not want to go that road, you have to accept that the manager, when he comes out of a big game like that and you have a disappointment you have to accept that you can sometimes go a bit too far, but I refuse to believe there is a script behind the stage and that Barcelona is advantaged.

“I think they Barcelona overreact certainly, but they play certainly the best football at the moment in Europe and you have to give them credit for that.”