Arsene Wenger praises Arsenal's mental resilience

Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger saw his side return to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa last night and praised his side for recording a “big win.” Wenger saw his side slip to third in the league table over the weekend due to other results and lauded his side’s “strong response.” He also praised match winner Jack Wilshere, who produced a goal and an assist, before talking about the two injuries picked up by the Gunners.

“It was a big win for us tonight. It was a nervous finish and we had to fight until the end,” opened Wenger.

“We had to give a strong response tonight. Everybody was looking to see if we would drop points because they claimed their points over the weekend.

“You’re always under a bit more pressure when you play last as you know you cannot drop any points. You can only give one answer, which is to win the game. I like the fact that we’re mentally ready for a fight.

“It shows you that we have to be cautious, as football can change very quickly.”

England midfielder Jack Wilshere has reverted to his favoured central position in recent weeks and his performance led Wenger to declare that he is back to his best form.

“Jack has found his change of pace back, and his penetration. His game is about that. He’s not only a passer, he’s a guy who’s incisive with the ball.”

“That’s his strength, and for that you need to be at the top of your game physically. You can see it when he’s training well physically. He’s coming back to his best.”

The Gunners have had a number of injuries in recent weeks, and the crisis shows no signs of abating with both Nacho Monreal and Tomas Rosicky coming off injured at Villa Park.

“Rosicky has a bad nose”, said Wenger. “I don’t know if it’s broken or not, but it looks bad. It was an elbow, but I didn’t see it honestly. Tomas told me it was an elbow, but he doesn’t know if he did it on purpose.”

“Monreal was an accident, but we have to check his metatarsal in the morning. He got kicked on the top of the laces.”

Almost a third of Wilshere’s 25 chances created this season have come in the last three games. (8)