Cech refuses to abandon title hope

LONDON: Petr Cech believes Arsenal could be in contention for the Premier League title come the end of the season despite trailing leaders Manchester City by 12 points going into Wednesday’s match with Huddersfield.
A win would probably still leave the Gunners well adrift of record-breaking City, with Pep Guardialo’s unbeaten side hosting Southampton, but Cech — a four-time Premier League champion with Chelsea — is looking long-term. “You have to play game by game, not think too much about what’s going on around you because if you win your game then you give yourself a chance,” he said.
“Let’s win our game and see how the others are doing. If the other teams at this moment above us keep going, keep winning, then you can’t catch them.“First you need to win your games and keep putting pressure on them.” Though City have left their rivals in the starting blocks, Cech believes there is still time for the situation to change drastically.
“It’s only 13 games in,” he said. “That’s the most important thing and there’s so many points to be won. You need to carry on for 38 games and show consistency. “There can be plenty of twists in the table and you see yourselves climb after two wins then have a draw and fall out of the top four pretty quick. “It’s packed in there and I think it will be until the end of the season.”
Arsenal broke into the top four with a 1-0 win at Burnley on Sunday, although that required a controversial stoppage-time penalty that was converted by Alexis Sanchez. Mesut Ozil missed that match because of illness and may not be risked against the Terriers, with Manchester United visiting the Emirates at the weekend. That could open the door for Jack Wilshere to make his first Premier League start of the season.
The England midfielder, whose career has been hit hard by a series of injuries, has been used from the beginning in cup matches this term and came on in the 67th minute at Turf Moor for Alex Iwobi. Wilshere is in the final year of his current contract, but has been reassured by manager Wenger that he is likely to get more action if he remains patient.