Arsenal will not give up on league title, says Wenger
REUTERS - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is refusing to write off his side's chances of lifting the Premier League trophy this season after Saturday's 2-2 draw with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur left them eight points behind leaders Leicester City.
A three-game winless run in the league has severely dented Arsenal's hopes of ending their 12-year wait for the league title. However, they still have nine games to turn their fortunes around.
"The championship is far from over," Wenger told reporters on Monday ahead of his club's FA Cup fifth round replay against second tier side Hull City on Tuesday.
"We have beaten twice Leicester. People have to look at the other teams. We will not give up in the championship. We will fight until the end."
Wenger also confirmed he will make a few changes to his side for Tuesday's game as they bid to become the first club since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to lift the FA Cup trophy three years in a row and only the third club ever to do so.
"I will have to make (changes). I'm not concerned by replacing one player for another. I have to rotate a bit and keep the balance in the team," Wenger said.
Wenger heaped praise on goalkeeper David Ospina, who made nine saves during Saturday's draw with Spurs, after doubts were raised about the Colombian's ability to fill in for the injured Petr Cech, who has been a major factor in this season's successes.
"I rate him as a world-class goalkeeper and he had been unfairly treated," the Frenchman said of Ospina.
"I played him against Olympiakos (Piraeus) and it's a shame at that time his stats did not come out in the press, but I never questioned his quality."
Midfielder Alex Iwobi, who has made 10 appearances this campaign, has been included in the squad to face Hull and Wenger described the 19-year-old as an "interesting player".
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)