Wenger takes the positives

Arsenal may end the season empty-handed, but manager Arsene Wenger is convinced The Gunners have made giant strides this term.

The Gunners fell off the pace in The Premier League following their glorious unbeaten run to victory in 2004.

The sale of Thierry Henry last summer led many to suggest it could take Wenger some time to rebuild his side, but the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor stepped up and put Arsenal in pole position for the title for much of the season.

Their run petered out and they seem certain to finish third, but Wenger believes there are positives to be gleaned from the campaign.

"We have made a big improvement this season," he said. "We don't think we have been rewarded for the efforts we have put in.

"We have been consistent, losing just three games, and nobody expected us to do that at the start of the year.

"If we had won at Man United, which we could have done, we would be champions.

"You cannot say just these two (Manchester United and Chelsea) have been good and the rest are rubbish.

"It was very tight between the three teams."