Wenger hopes 2013 ‘will confirm we are a great team’

Manager Arsene Wenger hopes 2013 will be the year that Arsenal confirm all the promise the Frenchman believes his team have.

The Gunners head to Southampton today on the back of a thrilling 7-3 win over Newcastle, which was a fourth straight Barclays Premier League success.

Wenger has had to endure one of the most testing spells of his 16-season tenure at Arsenal this season, including a Capital One Cup penalty shoot-out defeat by npower League Two side Bradford. However, there is now genuine optimism for the second half of the campaign as the Gunners are now back within striking distance of the top four and ready to tackle Bayern Munich for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

“My hopes (for the new year) are that the win (over Newcastle) will give even more confidence, desire and ambition to our team, and that 2013 will confirm we are a great team,” Wenger said yesterday.

Theo Walcott bagged an impressive hat-trick against Newcastle and is relishing a chance to shine in his preferred central attacking role.

Despite the England international, 23, having yet to agree terms on a new contract with the Gunners, Wenger is glad to see Walcott enjoying his football.

“I have worked with Theo for seven years and the fact that he had an exceptional game against Newcastle will not influence me more or less – if he had played a disastrous game, I would still have wanted him to sign with the same intensity,” Wenger said.

“It is good that he gets rewarded for his effort and for me that is more important.”

Walcott will return to his old club today, along with midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was also on target against Newcastle.

Wenger is likely to rotate his squad at St Mary’s, but could well opt to unleash Walcott down the middle again.

“I like the fact Theo can play through the middle because it gives us more opportunities to do that and more possibilities to change from game to game. I will do it again,” Wenger added.

Walcott came through the youth ranks at Southampton before joining Arsenal in a big-money move as a raw teenager in January 2005.

The England forward made a subdued celebration after he scored in the 6-1 win over the Saints at the Emirates Stadium in September, and is clearly relishing the opportunity to return to the club where he was the youngest player to appear in the first team.

“It will be a very tough occasion against Southampton, but it is one I am really looking forward to,” Walcott said.

club.”

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins is proud of the way Oxlade-Chamberlain is developing but warned the winger that he and his Arsenal team-mates face a tough test today.

“I think he will get a fantastic reception,” the Saints boss said. “He is one of the players that came through out system.

“We are excited watching him played. We’d love him to still be at Southampton, but he is an Arsenal player now and an England international.

“I went to watch him against Reading the other night and he was exhilarating, with his acceleration to go away, a desire to get on the football. He is a joy to watch.

“I think everybody at Southampton is proud of what he is doing now.

“Everybody at the football club has had a role and a responsibility to play in Alex’s development, but it is down to him as well. He is an exciting young talent.”