Arsene Wenger nervous over chasing pack

Arsene Wenger has conceded that Arsenal’s current form means they are looking over their shoulder in the Premier League — even if he insists his side can still win the title.

The Gunners have crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the last week and are on a run of one win in eight games across all competitions.

They travel to Goodison Park to face Everton at lunchtime today and, if results go against them this weekend, Wenger’s side could be 14 points adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester.

The worst-case scenario for Wenger would be wins for both Manchester City and West Ham — which could see Arsenal drop out of the top four altogether.

He reaches 20 years in charge this September and has never finished outside the top four — some suggest the financial benefits of qualifying for the Champions League has protected him against losing his job in the past.

But now Wenger, whose contract expires at the end of next season, admits it is a real possibility and will be keeping a wary eye on the chasing pack.

“Yes of course. It’s very tight,” he replied when asked if he needs to be looking over his shoulder at the likes of City, West Ham and Manchester United.

“But I believe the Premier League is far from over. We also have to look behind us because things can change very quickly. We want to move forward, but I’m conscious that our position is not secure, even where we are.

“Things will change until the end of the season, that’s for sure. We have to take care of our own destiny, and that’s by producing the performances we expect from ourselves.

“We are in a position where we hope for the best. I agree that a negative result (at Everton) would be very bad for us, but we focus on a positive result. We know now is the time for us to produce the result we want.”

One side who are still in with a shout of winning the Champions League is Paris Saint-Germain, and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has this week been linked with a summer move to Arsenal. Wenger dampened such reports.

“At the moment, no. We are not on that case,” he said when asked about interest in Ibrahimovic.

“We have other worries at the moment. It’s short-term. We are not on Zlatan’s case. Even at 34, he’s had a great season at PSG.”

Wenger also refused to criticise television scheduling despite his Arsenal side’s demanding fixture list — insisting the revenue made from rights deals can help Premier League clubs reestablish themselves in Europe.

“Does the schedule in England help or not? I would say overall no,” Wenger said.

“The TV do not pay all that money and then say: ‘Oh, finally, we pay you and don’t want an audience’.

“We have to accept that, it’s not an excuse, we have squads of 20 or 25 and it should be enough. I could change six or seven players between Watford and Barcelona. It’s not too bad.”