Arsenal round-up: Draw with Manchester City; Arsene Wenger talks of positives; Bournemouth want permanent Wilshere move

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Arsenal managed to keep their top four hopes alive with a draw against Manchester City. It was billed as a match that they must win, but a point isn’t the worst result, especially considering that the visitors had the better chances in the match. The Gunners managed to come from behind twice and they deserve credit for showing fight that few thought they had. Shkodran Mustafi scored the second equaliser and both of their goals came from a set piece. They could have given away a late penalty as Nacho Monreal appeared to handle in the box, but they won’t care about that now.

They are now seven points behind the top four with a game in hand. It is crucial that they go on a run of wins to give them the best chance of catching either Liverpool or Manchester City. Arsene Wenger’s men have only ten matches left and they can’t afford to drop many more points. They still have two matches to play against sides in the top six, but they can take great heart from their performance against City and believe that they can compete in big matches.

Arsene Wenger was in focus yesterday as his future hasn’t yet been sorted out and there were doubts about whether he retained the supports of his players. He watched on as his team fought back from behind twice and there were positives for him to take from the game. The Gunners came into the match after four defeats in five Premier League matches, which was the worst run of the Frenchman’s career. However, they competed well and managed to take a point from the game, a result that Wenger believes could have galvanising potential according to the Guardian.

“We came back in the second half and I would say it will help us to rebuild confidence. Hopefully, the confidence is there again and it will help us to restart.”

They need to take the positives from this and move on rather than worry too much about the gap that has opened to fourth place. There is no room for error now for the Gunners as they chase a top-four finish and it is important that the players perform to the best of their ability. During the week, they have West Ham and it is a must win match for Arsenal. They need to put the pressure on the sides above them and hope that they slip up.

Jack Wilshere has enjoyed a positive loan spell with AFC Bournemouth, but his long-term future remains uncertain. He hasn’t entered into talks over a new deal with Arsenal, while a number of clubs across Europe and in the Premier League have been credited with an interest. Although he has been out of the Cherries side in recent weeks, Eddie Howe has confirmed that he is interested in making a permanent move for the midfielder. The Guardian report the following quotes from the Bournemouth manager:

“I’ve always said we would love to sign him, but that decision will rest with Arsenal.”

This is an interesting line as there hasn’t been much discussion about the midfielder remaining on the South Coast and considering he has struggled to start matches recently, it could be that he doesn’t want to sign permanently with the club. The midfielder will have plenty of offers this summer as he is a very good Premier League player and one that could deliver a higher level of performance. That said, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will stay with Arsenal.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane