Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits: We collapsed under pressure last season

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has conceded that his charges were unable to handle the pressure last season.

The Gunners were on a quest to break a silverware drought that had lasted five years, and were competitive on all fronts before crashing out of the League Cup, Champions League and FA Cup in the space of a fortnight.

To make matters worse, the north London outfit squandered a potentially title-winning position in the Premier League to finish a distant fourth and end yet another season without a trophy – making it six consecutive years without a major triumph.

“I believe we have not dealt well with our disappointments because there was room to win this championship quite easily,” Wenger said, according to The News of the World.

When quizzed as to what his team had lacked over the course of the campaign, the Frenchman said: “The nerves to get over the line.

“When we were under pressure we conceded some unbelievable goals – against Liverpool, against Bolton. They were decisive moments where we were not strong enough to deal with pressure.”

The former Monaco boss also admitted that he was disappointed with the way things eventually turned out, as he claimed that he put in more work this season than in any other during the course of his managerial career.

“I worked maybe harder this year than ever,” said Wenger. “It is very frustrating because when you look at the amount of effort we have put in and what we have got at the end of the season – it’s very difficult to accept.”

The team’s inability to break their trophy drought inevitably drew criticism and prompted questions about whether the Gunners’ boss is still the right man to lead the club.

But Bacary Sagna and Alexandre Song have defended their boss, with the former saying: “We all support him. He’s a great manager and he’s achieved a lot for the team.”

Song added: “We missed something this season and I am sure next year will be very good for us