Arsene Wenger says there is a 'fantastic spirit' in Arsenal squad as they chase Premier League and FA Cup honours

The Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League this week

Arsene Wenger leaves the field at Stade Louis II arena on Wednesday (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsene Wenger hopes that Arsenal can ride their good form through the final weeks of the season, in the Premier League and FA Cup, even after their disappointing European exit.

Arsenal went out of the Champions League on Tuesday night, losing to Monaco on away goals, even after winning the second leg with a spirited display at the Stade Louis II stadium. They never recovered from their disastrous first-leg defeat, but that one poor performance stands out among months of impressive form. Wenger admitted at his press conference this morning that, despite the events of this week, the feeling is good ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle United.

“The mood is down and disappointed but it’s quite strange at the moment,” Wenger said, “because we feel we are on a positive trend, but we have paid by being out.”

Arsenal are in another tight race to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and Wenger said they could take confidence from their recent form.

“I believe we have to continue to improve,” Wenger said. “We are a better team today than four months ago. Just keep that attitude. I believe there is a fantastic spirit in the team, there is great quality as well, and rectify what we haven’t done well in the first leg and continue to improve. I think we have won 13 of our last 15 games and I thinks that's down to consistency, quality and improvement.”

Despite that, Wenger was not confident that Arsenal could catch up with Jose Mourinho’s likely champions Chelsea. “We would love to [be in the title race],” Wenger said. “At the moment we are too far away from Chelsea, but we have an opportunity every week to get closer and for that we need positive results from us, and negative results from Chelsea. The only thing we can master is positive results from us. I believe Chelsea still has a very good cushion and very good security.”