BLACKPOOL – Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal have finally recovered from the mental damage caused by their recent poor run as the Gunners got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 win at Blackpool. At the end of February, Wenger’s side were dreaming of a quadruple but they lost the League Cup final against Birmingham and crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League, while their Premier League hopes were derailed by three successive draws. Wenger admits those setbacks left his squad seriously traumatised but he saw signs in Sunday’s victory at Bloomfield Road that a return to the title race is on the cards.
Goals from Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboue and Robin van Persie moved Arsenal to within seven points of Manchester United and the Gunners also have a game in hand on the leaders, as well as a May clash with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at the Emirates Stadium. “It was a massive disappointment,” Wenger said. “You go through a period of grief and of denial first and then you have to stand up and show you have the mental strengths to respond. The team has done that remarkably well. “This was only three points but it could help us to keep a chance. We have promised ourselves to give everything until the end of the season.
“There are still seven games. It is a long time – there are many games.” Wenger was also encouraged by the way German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann played on his first appearance in 11 months. Lehmann, 41, came out of retirement in March to help his former club following Wojciech Szczesny’s finger injury against Barcelona. After first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia broke down with a knee problem in the warm up at Bloomfield Road on Sunday, Lehmann was called into action for the first time since he left Stuttgart in May last year. Wenger is unsure of the severity of Almunia’s injury and Szczesny’s injury could clear up before Sunday’s match against Liverpool. But the Frenchman insists he would not hesitate to use Lehmann once again if he has to.
