Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reckons EVERYBODY wants Leicester to win the title race

Gunners manager faces the surprise-package Foxes next week and knows they have become the second team of fans across the nation

 

People's champions: Wenger knows fans of all but a few clubs are cheering Ranieri and co on

Arsene Wenger accepts that Leicester have captured the hearts of the nation in their quest for the Premier League title – but his focus is on victory at the Vitality Stadium.

A win at Bournemouth on Sunday is ­essential if Wenger's Arsenal side are to maintain their championship push after drawing blanks in their last three matches — they have lost 1-0 to Chelsea and drawn 0-0 with both Stoke and Southampton.

Arsenal host rampant league leaders Leicester at the ­Emirates next Sunday, but Wenger insisted: “The next game is important for us. The Leicester game is only ­important if we do well at Bournemouth. We are conscious it is a vital game. That is the game for me – more than the Leicester game.”

And boss Wenger knows that, outside a few elite clubs at the top, the rest of football in England would relish a Leicester triumph in May.

“The whole country wants Leicester to win it, of course. And it is natural, it is normal,” he said. “The advantage they have until the end of the season – apart from our fans, the Manchester City and Tottenham fans – is that the rest of the country is behind Leicester.”


And in his own way, Wenger too is delighted at the success enjoyed by Claudio Ranieri and his men.

He believes they are an example of excellent housekeeping, with the two stars of the show – Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez – costing the Midlands club a mere £1.35million in transfer fees.

And he used that to defend his own policies.

“You reproach me about not buying big names but you support the team who has no big names," said Wenger.

 

Cheap and cheerful: Leicester heroes Mahrez and Vardy cost less than £2m combined

“Leicester is a fantastic example that football is not only about just spending the money. It is the quality of work. Leicester is a very good example for our league.”

The concern for Wenger now is to end their goal drought, and he will look to the likes of Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil to restore the winning mentality.


 “I am convinced we have a spirit to deal with the present situation,” he said. “No matter how big the game is, you have to pass well and defend well. You have to focus on that.”
And is there pressure from not scoring among the players and the supporters?

"In games sometimes, yes," added Wenger. "But for me the big pressure is not to be in the race in the first place. That is the real pressure. All the rest, you should fancy it and enjoy it. Go for it, take it, be happy to do it. What you want is to be in there."

Wenger is clearly a fan of Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe and of the way the South Coast club have backed him.
He said: “They play well and he has done a great job there.”