Disappointed after Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side have lost their momentum and look destined to make a frustrating second-place finish in the group standings.
Pointing out his side's unbeaten streak of 18 games, the 67-year-old manager, however, called on the club to try to convert their draws into wins.
"We have not lost but we have lost a winning momentum a little bit. There is a special spirit in the squad. We are unbeaten for 18 games and sometimes you go through a period where you are a little bit less effective. It's up to us to transform the draws into wins, but there is no reason to panic," Sport24 quoted Wenger as saying.
Arsenal were on course to take the top spot in the Group A when they were leading 2-1 late in the second half of the match at the Emirates Stadium.
However, in the 77th minute of the match, Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi deflected Lucas Moura's header into his own net to deny his side with a much-needed victory.
Following the loss, Wenger conceded that it looks unlikely for his side to take pole position following their third successive draw in all competitions, adding that they would probably get a tougher tie in the knock-out stages.
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"It's not over, but we have a 90 percent chance to finish second. We wanted to finish first. We haven't lost a game in this group so we have done well, but we haven't finished the job," Wenger said.
"We dropped off after it was 2-1. We didn't maintain the pressure and paid for that. It's frustrating. We were a bit passive on the corner for their second goal," the French manager added while reflecting on the match.
The draw also left Arsenal levelled on points with PSG but behind them on a head-to-head record, meaning Unai Emery's side will grab the top spot if they win their last group match against minnows Ludogorets on December 6.
In spite of that, Wenger remained upbeat and said it is not necessary even for the group winners to get an easy draw in the knockouts.
"If you finish first you play the second game at home, but you look at the groups and it's difficult to tell what is better. For me it's more frustrating not to win the game but they are a team with top technical quality," he insisted.
Arsenal will now look to grab some point when they take on FC Basel in their last group clash.