Arsenal are currently 3rd in the table as they prepare for their encounter away to Aston Villa with Chelsea and Manchester City having won their respective matches against Hull City and Newcastle United on the weekend.

This is not the first time Wenger’s men find themselves in such a scenario, as they were displaced at the top, first by Liverpool and then by Man City over the Christmas period, but they responded both times to reclaim first position on New Year’s Day.

Wenger has admitted that he prefers playing before their rival’s matches but is seemingly up for the challenge of reclaiming their top spot. According to Yahoo! Eurosport, Wenger said, “That is the disadvantage when you play last, but all of us have to deal with that situation and it is part of the Premiership as well to handle these kind of situations.”

However, the Gunners will be without key player Theo Walcott who was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament knee injury in their 2-0 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup.

They have been heavily linked with a replacement in the current window but Wenger has focused instead on the game on Monday at Villa Park. He said, “I do not want to speak about any specific names. For us it is important to prepare well and to win the game on Monday night. The people who are in the newspapers do not help us to win the game on Monday night. It is the players who play here.”