Gun down Canaries

Wenger: No reason for Arsenal to slip up at Carrow Road

NORWICH: Arsene Wenger knows Arsenal must not squander the chance to strengthen their Premier League title challenge when they face struggling Norwich at Carrow Road today.

Wenger conceded his team had failed a major test when they claimed just one point from backto-back meetings with Manchester City and Chelsea, and the Gunners boss was particularly critical of the performance in the home defeat to Roberto Di Matteo’s team.

To their credit, Wenger’s men responded with victory at West Ham ahead of the international break.

And with Norwich, who lie second bottom, yet to secure three points this season, Arsenal have a good chance to force their way closer to the leading group.

TheGunners will head toNorwich having been handed a lift this week with Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna making significant steps towards a full return after lengthy injury absences and Olivier Giroud netting a confidence-boosting goal for France in Spain.

Giroud had struggled to make an impact during the opening weeks of his first season at the Emirates Stadium following his £13mil move from Montpellier but opened his Premier League account with a goal atWest Ham.

And he admitted the added-time equaliser against Spain will help kick-start his career at his new club.

“The goal in Spain is definitely in my top five,” he said. “It has also come at a time when I am looking for trust.

“After the West Ham game I felt a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I am convinced this last goal will also do me a lot of good.”

Wilshere and Sagna, meanwhile, came through 90-minute appearances for the club’s under-21 team, although both are still at least two weeks away from a first team callup.

However, Theo Walcott is likely to miss the next two games after injuring his ribs in England’s World Cup qualifier against San Marino.

And Poland goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski faces a three-month absence with an ankle problem, meaning third-choice Vito Mannone remains the club’s only fit senior keeper until first-choice Wojciech Szczesny returns in three weeks’ time.

Mannone, though, is convinced Arsenal are destined to challenge for the biggest honours this season.

“The team are doing great, we have had many of the big games already,” Mannone said.

“We have started the Champions League well too, the team have got a good base to kick on from. I’m looking forward to some big achievements. “We have a good solid squad and I think we can go for it. I have no doubt that if we keep our focus and we keep our mentality, we are going to challenge for the title.”

Norwich have so far failed to match the progress they made last season but winger Elliott Bennett insists it is too early to write them off.

“People did not think we would stay up last season, but we did. The more people go against this team, the better we seem to be,” he said. — AFP