Arsene
Wenger admits Chelsea are the "super-favourites" to win the Premier League
and believes the title is "theirs to lose".
The Blues sit six points clear at the top of the table having won their last
12 league outings - one behind Arsenal's 15-year-old record - to establish
themselves as the team to beat in the race for the championship.
Antonio Conte's side have been perfect in the league since a 3-0 loss to the
Gunners on September 24 led to a change in formation from the Italian.
Now they are nine points ahead of Arsenal heading into their weekend clash
with Stoke and Wenger conceded they are certainly in the driving seat at
this stage.
"At the moment Chelsea are the super-favourites because they are quite big
and made a big difference," said the Arsenal boss.
"But it is theirs to lose as we say here in England. They can still lose it,
at the moment they have won it but they can still lose it.
"It's still a long way to go and very difficult for everybody so the
head-to-head (matches) will have a vital importance.
"They have addressed their problems well. You have to give credit to Conte
to find a solution that has balanced well his team.
"They bought David Luiz who stabilised their defensive record and I think
overall they are the team that has been the most consistent until now."
Arsenal won 13 consecutive Premier League games on their way to the title in
2001-02, extending the run to 14 the following campaign, but Wenger says he
would do nothing but congratulate Chelsea if they match their single-season
run.
"What they do is fantastic," he added. "If they do it, it's absolutely
marvellous because nobody expected that. At the start of the season, they
had a little bit of a dodgy start, but after, since they've changed their
system, they are on a run where the confidence plays a big part.
"If they do it, you can only say 'well done'. Record are there to be beaten
and if somebody does better than you, you have to acknowledge it and say
'well done'."
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