Published: 13 December, 2012
by TOM FOOT

ARSENE Wenger has insisted Arsenal are not out of the race for the Premier League – despite losing to Bradford City in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

Arsenal are back in league action on Monday night when they take on Reading and the Gunners could, if results go against them, slip into the bottom half of the table.

But while the Arsenal manager admitted that the gap of 15 points to leaders Manchester United was big, he said it was “not big enough”.

“If you’re consistent you will be there at the end of the season,” he said. “From now on it is important for us to be consistent. The gap [to the top] is big but not big enough to think it’s done. Where [Tuesday’s defeat] leaves our season is to focus on the next game.

“Sport is about that. Win the next game, focus on the next game.”

Before they do, however, Arsenal will have to pick themselves up from the penalty shoot-out defeat by Bradford, but Wenger said his team of internationals showed “fight” and should not feel humiliated.

He added: “You feel embarrassed when you don’t give everything. I feel the team did fight and will be more disappointed and frustrated. I know people will say ‘it’s League Two’, but a cup game is a cup game.”

He did not think his side was suffering from a psychological problem, adding: “What is disappointing is we played basically over an hour with five strikers, and couldn’t score.”