Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal side are now proving they have the character to fight for the Premier League title.
The club have been questioned in the past about not being up for the fight required to win silverware on a regular basis in recent seasons.
They welcome Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night looking to keep their title credentials intact having already seen off fellow top-four sides Leicester and Manchester United with relative ease this season.
Having lifted the FA Cup for the past two years Arsenal ended a barren spell without trophies and are right in the title picture once again.
Read more
Richard Jolly on Arsenal and Manchester City, misfit front-runners still searching for a title spark
A 3-0 victory at Olympiacos last week also saw them progress into the Champions League last 16 – where they will meet Barcelona – and Wenger feels recent results are showing his players are answering the critics in the right fashion.
“We have to accept that’s part of it but we have to give our answer on the pitch week in, week out, and that will slowly die,” he said.
“It was true for a while because we were a young team and a young team can be up and down. But I believe now we have shown that what we did at Olympiacos is not a team of no character.
“You need to be special to achieve that. We won the FA Cup in the last two seasons and you need character to win the FA Cup. Everybody would love to do it every year.”
Wenger feels consistency is the main proof of characters and his team need to show that over the festive period to prevent themselves slipping away in the new year.
The inability to put together a largely consistent season is one of the reasons Arsenal remain without a league title since 2004 but, having gone to high-flying Leicester and won 5-2, Wenger has backed his current crop to turn that around.
More Premier League
Andy Mitten asks if Louis van Gaal can realistically continue as Manchester United manager after a harrowing run
He said: “We are the only team who have beaten Leicester basically, and in a convincing way. The character is down to consistency in life.
“That’s what I call character. All of us can be for one day in our life exceptional but character is to have a target and maintain your focus on that target.
“That’s what I call character and that’s what we have to show in the league. What I feel is great team spirit and great unity in the dressing room, and focus to go forward, that’s for sure. After that, we have to answer on the pitch ‘are we good enough?’”
Wenger has not ruled out influential Alexis Sanchez recovering from a hamstring problem in time to return against City.
The former Barcelona forward, as well as club-record signing Mesut Ozil, have been in fine form for Arsenal this season while Olivier Giroud continues to confound his critics having scored 27 goals in the calender year.
In the past, those types of names could have been tempted away from North London, with City flexing their financial muscles over Arsenal on several occasions.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy have all left the Emirates Stadium to join City in recent seasons but – now they are on a better financial footing themselves – Wenger insists the club can decide whether players will leave or not.
“That was difficult at the start to take but we had to survive financially and we had to live with it,” he said when asked how it felt to lose key players to the Etihad Stadium.
“We are in a much stronger position. I cannot say it will never happen again because you never know but we are in a position today where we have not to give in.”
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Stan%20Lee
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Gelb%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Super heroes
Iron Man
Reduced risk of dementia
Alcohol consumption could be an issue
Hulk
Cardiac disease, stroke and dementia from high heart rate
Spider-Man
Agility reduces risk of falls
Increased risk of obesity and mental health issues
Black Panther
Vegetarian diet reduces obesity
Unknown risks of potion drinking
Black Widow
Childhood traumas increase risk of mental illnesses
Thor
He's a god
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
Company%20Profile
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Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney