Arsene Wenger has urged his former club Arsenal to keep pushing in their pursuit of the Premier League title, insisting they will not get a better opportunity in future seasons.
The Gunners, who sit three points ahead of Manchester City at the summit of the table, have not been crowned champions since Wenger's star-studded 'Invincibles' went undefeated in 2003-04.
But two negative results on the spin - a 1-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park and 1-1 draw with Brentford last weekend - has cast fresh doubt over whether Arsenal will lift the elusive trophy in May.
Mikel Arteta's side host the reigning champions at the Emirates on Wednesday in what promises to be a crucial six-pointer in the title race, with City able to leapfrog the Gunners with a win should they emerge victorious.
Wenger fears his old club will regret not capitalising on their fruitful start to the season, as traditional title rivals such as Liverpool and Chelsea will likely bounce back next campaign.
'You win it when you can win it and you don’t care too much about the rest you take the title and let the rest talk about it,' the Frenchman told beIN Sports.
‘I agree the conditions next season won’t be as favourable as they are now so let's not miss this opportunity. Arsenal has 51 points after 21 games, which is remarkable.
‘I feel the usual threats are all out of the race. The only threat is City and even City is no not as dominant as they were last year or two years before, and I feel since the start of the season City was more vulnerable defensively than before.’
Pep Guardiola's side have experienced issues of their own of late, suffering defeat against Tottenham before returning to winning ways at the Etihad versus Aston Villa on Sunday.
Despite the exceptional goal-scoring tally chalked up by Erling Haaland, who has already netted 25 Premier League goals since arriving from Borussia Dortmund for £51million last summer, City have already lost more matches than they did during the entirety of last season.
The champions have also endured a host of off-pitch issues in 2023 - sanctioning Joao Cancelo's bitter exit to Bayern Munich in January before facing a host of charges from the Premier League for allegedly breaching financial rules.
Wenger returned to the Emirates on Boxing Day to watch Arsenal's victory over West Ham, which marked his first time back at the stadium since his emotional departure at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
The former manager admitted he had 'mixed feelings' about returning to north London, having been ruthlessly sacked from his role after 22 years in charge.
‘I wanted to take my family there and I think it’s the end of the chapter, I was happy to see the players in the dressing room after. It was mixed feelings, I sweat to make this stadium for 10 or 12 years every penny,' he added.
‘It was a good feeling to see what it is now with the crowd happy the team is doing well. Part of your life is over forever so a bit mixed feelings.
‘I felt at the start it was good to take a distance and not sit there straight away and be a weight for the guy who is there. Today it’s all different and I thought it was the right moment. The timing was a fraction late but it was good around Christmas as well so it was nice.
‘I like what I saw and I like what I felt in the dressing room. I feel the team spirit is great the humility and hunger of the young players is absolutely amazing. They are humble and hungry.'
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