Petr Cech believes a win in Saturday’s north London derby would resurrect Arsenal’s title ambitions.
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Arsène Wenger’s side go into this weekend’s match at White Hart Lane six points off the top of the Premier League, having gained nine points from their last eight league matches.
While that run of form is a concern, Cech feels there are still enough games left for Arsenal to turn things around - starting on Saturday.
"It is not only a London derby but it is probably a must-win game for both teams if you want to have a step closer to the title"
“I think it is the game with a big, capital G because it is the one where, if we want to come back and not let Leicester go away with it [we have to win],” Cech said. “If we don’t want to allow the teams behind us to close the gap on us, this is the game where you need to respond.
“We go game by game and there are 10 games to play and the way it goes, everybody has a chance. We know that we are still in it and face a tough opponent on Saturday.
“It is not only a London derby but it is probably a must-win game for both teams if you want to have a step closer to the title. It is a north London derby so everyone knows it is a special game in itself.
“Everybody wants to win the title. All the people in the first five places who say they are not thinking or talking about the title are lying. I have never seen a football player, manager or anyone who was in the top five say ‘I don’t want to win the title’.
“Everyone wants to win it, but the way the season goes it has been strange because in normal circumstances, with the number of points any team has in the top five places, they probably would not even be top five.”
Cech - who won’t play on Saturday due to a calf injury - says the Arsenal squad are determined to recover the form that saw them top the league on New Year’s Day.
“You could see the disappointment in everybody’s eyes [after the Swansea game],” he said. “We wanted to bounce back after the Manchester United game and use the advantage that Leicester had because they had dropped two points. We couldn’t do that so it was a big disappointment for us.
“There is a long way to go and you can only come back the next day and keep working, keep getting ready for the next game and to make sure you win the next game.”
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