WENGER: GUNNERS MUST START FIRING
Arsene Wenger admits the need for Arsenal to get their bid for a top-four finish in the Barclays Premiership back on track has now become "urgent".
The Gunners suffered a third straight league defeat on Saturday when relegation battlers West Ham became the first away team to win at the Emirates Stadium.
It was an all-too-familiar story as Wenger's men created chance after chance, but could not find the back of the net and were then made to pay as Bobby Zamora struck in first-half stoppage time.
Despite still having a match in hand on the sides around them, fourth-placed Arsenal are now only two points ahead of Bolton, who visit the Emirates next weekend.
Wenger knows there is now little margin for further error in their remaining games, which continue up at Newcastle on Monday.
"Routine in football does not exist. It is just always the consequence of the quality of your performances," said Wenger, on the expectancy of Champions League football again next season.
"Of course we feel we will do it and I am convinced we will. The situation becomes very urgent."
Wenger added: "Now we just think about regrouping, and not feel sorry too much and not be down too much because in two days we have a big game again.
"It is very hard, but the team is going through a patch where if we deal well with that situation we grow old very quickly.
"That is why it is very important that we do not let ourselves down and be too negative - there were a lot of positives and now let us show that again at Newcastle."
Given the way they raced out of the blocks, Arsenal should have been out of sight by the time Zamora lobbed in what proved to be the winning goal.
West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was a busy man, denying Cesc Fabregas inside 90 seconds and then keeping out efforts from Freddie Ljungberg and Tomas Rosicky, which really should have been put away.
When the England stopper was finally beaten midway through the second half, Fabregas saw his 18-yard strike come back of the underside of the crossbar.
Wenger accepted his squad - without injured captain Thierry Henry and marksman Robin van Persie - had lacked a cutting edge.
"We know it can happen - but the way we lost it is very difficult to accept," said the Arsenal manager.
"It shows that in football, you need everything.
"It is good to have a good game, it is a good basis - but at the end of the day as well you need to have all the qualities that make a strong team, that is all part of a quality team."
Gilberto returned to skipper the side on Saturday having missed the 4-1 thrashing at Anfield last weekend through injury.
The Brazilian was guilty of missing two great chances in the second half, heading wide from six yards and then shaving the post with a low, angled drive.
"This season has been quite frustrating for us," said the World Cup winner. More
The Gunners suffered a third straight league defeat on Saturday when relegation battlers West Ham became the first away team to win at the Emirates Stadium.
It was an all-too-familiar story as Wenger's men created chance after chance, but could not find the back of the net and were then made to pay as Bobby Zamora struck in first-half stoppage time.
Despite still having a match in hand on the sides around them, fourth-placed Arsenal are now only two points ahead of Bolton, who visit the Emirates next weekend.
Wenger knows there is now little margin for further error in their remaining games, which continue up at Newcastle on Monday.
"Routine in football does not exist. It is just always the consequence of the quality of your performances," said Wenger, on the expectancy of Champions League football again next season.
"Of course we feel we will do it and I am convinced we will. The situation becomes very urgent."
Wenger added: "Now we just think about regrouping, and not feel sorry too much and not be down too much because in two days we have a big game again.
"It is very hard, but the team is going through a patch where if we deal well with that situation we grow old very quickly.
"That is why it is very important that we do not let ourselves down and be too negative - there were a lot of positives and now let us show that again at Newcastle."
Given the way they raced out of the blocks, Arsenal should have been out of sight by the time Zamora lobbed in what proved to be the winning goal.
West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was a busy man, denying Cesc Fabregas inside 90 seconds and then keeping out efforts from Freddie Ljungberg and Tomas Rosicky, which really should have been put away.
When the England stopper was finally beaten midway through the second half, Fabregas saw his 18-yard strike come back of the underside of the crossbar.
Wenger accepted his squad - without injured captain Thierry Henry and marksman Robin van Persie - had lacked a cutting edge.
"We know it can happen - but the way we lost it is very difficult to accept," said the Arsenal manager.
"It shows that in football, you need everything.
"It is good to have a good game, it is a good basis - but at the end of the day as well you need to have all the qualities that make a strong team, that is all part of a quality team."
Gilberto returned to skipper the side on Saturday having missed the 4-1 thrashing at Anfield last weekend through injury.
The Brazilian was guilty of missing two great chances in the second half, heading wide from six yards and then shaving the post with a low, angled drive.
"This season has been quite frustrating for us," said the World Cup winner. More
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