Arsene Wenger admits cup defeats have increased pressure on Arsenal in Premier League title race

Arsene Wenger, the long-serving Arsenal manager. (Getty Images)

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Arsene Wenger has admitted that being knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona has had a psychological effect on his Arsenal side.

The Gunners, who dropped two points in the Premier League title race away to West Brom on Saturday, underwent a nightmare week earlier this month, losing the League Cup final and then crashing out of both the Champions League and FA Cup to see their silverware aspirations take a hammer blow, having not won a trophy in six years.

Now, Wenger’s side are five points behind league leaders Manchester United with a game in hand and the Frenchman has admitted that the pressure to take the title has increased since going out of Europe.

Wenger was quoted as saying by The Sun: “You cannot go out of the Champions League like we did and have no doubt. It’s a massive blow.

“We had four targets and suddenly we have only one. So the pressure increases.

“But this team wants to do well and I’m so desperate to help them get what they deserve because their attitude from the first day of the season has been absolutely spot-on.

“That’s why I think they deserve to be rewarded and I’m confident they will.”