Arsenala s Arsene Wenger said that he relishes the season climax games as it requires teams to be focused and composed.
Speaking before the game against West Ham, Arsene said, a I like it because every game is important and you feel it is a period where you need composure, focus and mental strength. It is interesting to watch your players and see how they respond to that.
a It’s important to have a good mixture between focus and composure. That’s not easy to find because the tension can be too big.
a Every year it gets more difficult because you have more teams who can compete for [the top four]. In future years it will be even harder. We know that every single game is decisive now. We are already looking forward to the next game.a
Arsene Wenger also spoke about the impact Alexis Sanchez has had at Arsenal
a We are very happy with him – he is a credit [to Chile] because he shows qualities that I hope you all have in your country,a Arsene said. a He is committed, ready for a fight and has a huge desire to win and of course he is an exceptional player.
a You know what you want when you are a manager; that a player develops and expresses his quality and meets his needs in the way you play football and the way he can achieve his targets.
a I believe he is extremely focused, he is happy to play and what I expect him to continue to develop as a player and become even stronger.a
On present form for Arsenal, Alexis is on his way to completing the most prolific season of his career and Arsene believes it is down to a few different factors.
a That is linked with ability, technique and work in training, and confidence as well,a he said. a Maybe with the position as well, because when the right footed play on the left, when he comes inside he has a chance to score.
a When he plays on the right [because] he is right footed, he is less in a position where he can score because he has better angles on the left. Also because maybe we play very attacking football and he gets better opportunities to score.a
Arsene also touched on former Arsenal man Alex Song, who could return to play against his former club.
a He looks extremely focused and motivated,a Arsene said. a I brought him here when he was not 17 years old, so I know how good he is.
a West Ham had a very strong start to the season and he was one of the influential players in there, with the strikers Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, and the repositioning of Stewart Downing.
a Another player I think has done extremely well is Cheikhou Kouyate. They were a very good pair in there and have given some technical quality to West Hama s side.
a We have been consistent against West Ham, especially at the Emirates. We are consistent against everybody [at Emirates Stadium] but away from home we have been successful against West Ham recently.
a When you look at the table every point is important now and our home form will be decisive as well. At the end of the day we have six home games and every game is vital now.a