Thursday, 17 December 2015

Arsene Wenger: Chelsea will not go down



Chelsea are not in a relegation battle, despite lying 16th in the Premier League, according to Arsene Wenger.
The Blues are one point above the drop zone and boss Jose Mourinho's future has been discussed by the board.
"If you ask me objectively 'will Chelsea go down?' I say no, no chance," said Arsenal boss Wenger, who has clashed with Mourinho in the past but did not discuss his present situation.
"They are in a difficult spell but they are not in a relegation battle."
Wenger was called a "specialist in failure" by Mourinho in February 2014, with the Frenchman labelling the remark "disrespectful" and "embarrassing".
The Arsenal boss also pushed Mourinho in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over the Gunners later that year.
In his first spell as Chelsea boss in 2005, Mourinho called Wenger a"voyeur".
Asked if he thought Chelsea's best chance of turning their form around was to keep Mourinho, Wenger added: "I do not want to assess any other things over Chelsea because it's not my problem."
Arsenal, who lie second in the Premier League, welcome third-placed Manchester City to Emirates Stadium on Monday holding a one-point lead over Manuel Pellegrini's side.
Wenger could have Alexis Sanchez back after a hamstring injury suffered in the draw at Norwich on 1 December.
"There is a very slight chance for Sanchez to be in the game," said Wenger. "He is running but not participating in full training.
"It is still December. We are not fighting for the Premier League on Monday but we will look to nullify individual quality they have."
Leicester are the surprise leaders of the Premier League with 35 points from their 16 games.
The average amount of points earned by the champions since the top flight was reduced to 20 teams is 85.7, but Wenger says the winners may take the title with a lower mark this term.
"It looks to be very tight. The Premier League could be decided at around 80 points," said Wenger.
"If you look at the results, consistency will be the main priority because every week you are surprised by results.
"We have established a good run and it is important we continue that."


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