Wenger: Fabregas vital for title push
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2010, Tuesday
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CESC Fabregas holds the key to Arsenal's hopes of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004, manager Arsene Wenger said after the Spaniard inspired a 2-0 victory at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.
The 22-year-old is enjoying some of his best form since arriving in north London as a teenager and already has 10 league goals to his name this season despite some niggling injuries.
He scored a clinical opener at Bolton and produced a dominant performance which illustrated perfectly why he is considered one of the best players in his position in Europe.
The 22-year-old Spanish livewire scored the opener and played a big part in compatriot Fran Merida's first league goal as Arsenal moved to 45 points with United, which has played a game more, on 47 and Chelsea on 48 after it both enjoyed convincing victories on Saturday.
"I have not seen all the games but what is very interesting for us is that Cesc gets stronger and stronger and has more personality on the pitch, like the whole team. He will be 23 this year so he is just starting," Wenger told Arsenal's Website.
"In the last 48 hours we lost Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri to injuries and we now go into a period where every game becomes very, very important.
"For us it is important not to lose any more players and especially Fabregas because he is just coming back now. We survived OK when he wasn't there but in the period coming up now where we have so many big games it is important to have him."
Arsenal was being written off for the title earlier this season having lost three games before the end of November but victory by two goals against Bolton again tomorrow in a re-arranged fixture will put them top of the league.
"Our motivation will be 100 percent," said Wenger, who may have midfielder Denilson and winger Theo Walcott back for that match. "We know that we are in a quite interesting position where nobody expected us to be.
"We have the belief and we really want to have a go. We know that there is a long way to go. We are a big club and when you are a big club the most difficult thing is like what happened last year, when in October you know you will not fight for the title. Now we have a chance to fight for it so let's have a go."
Aston Villa became the latest top-four challenger to squander an opportunity when it was held to a disappointing goalless draw by West Ham and Fulham's poor away form continued with a 0-2 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.
The battle for the final Champions League qualifying slot is as wide open as the scrap for the title but the four clubs best-placed to fight it out all faltered. Tottenham Hotspur occupy fourth on 38 points but it was held 0-0 at home by Hull City. Manchester City is fifth, also on 38, after losing for the first time under Roberto Mancini, 0-2 at Everton, with Villa sixth on 36. Liverpool is seventh on 34 following its 1-1 draw at Stoke City.
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