Arsene Wenger has admitted that Arsenal are enduring another November stumble after their 2-2 Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners responded to Edinson Cavani’s early goal to go 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium through Olivier Giroud’s penalty and Marco Verratti’s own goal, only to see PSG snatch a draw thanks to a Lucas Moura header.
The result means Arsenal have fallen behind PSG at the top of Group A on their head-to-head record and means they have drawn their last three matches in a row in all competitions.
Wenger – whose side have often struggled for form in November – was keen to highlight their 18-match unbeaten run but conceded that momentum has ebbed away.
“We have not lost, but we have lost a winning momentum a little bit but we played against a good team,” he said. “I believe I have to be careful on the choice of my words. I say ‘stuttering’ and it comes back at me.
“We have a special strength in the squad, a consistency in results. We are unbeaten in 18 games. Sometimes you go through spells when you win a bit less. But we have to continue without losing and transform draws into wins. There’s no reason to panic.”
Finishing top of the group would allow Arsenal to play the second leg of their last-16 tie at home, and would make it more likely that they would avoid drawing one of the competition favourites.
They must better PSG’s result on matchday six to have any hope of snatching top spot back, but Wenger is refusing to abandon hope.
“We are second but it’s not over,” he said. “We have a 90 per cent chance to finish second but we’ve not lost a game. Overall we’ve done the job well.
“The advantage if you finish first is to play the second game at home. We had a very strong start in the second half and were dominant, but then we dropped off.”
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