Arsene Wenger: 'Antonio Conte deserves huge credit'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 30 December 2016

Arsene Wenger heaps praise on Antonio Conte, who has turned Chelsea into "super-favourites" for the title after guiding his side to six points clear at the top.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has conceded that Chelsea are now the "super-favourites" to win the Premier League title due to the impressive work of manager Antonio Conte.

The Blues have not looked back since suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Gunners and Liverpool in September, racking up 12 wins on the spin to move six points clear at the summit.

Wenger, whose side sit nine points off the top after a recent slip-up that saw them lose successive fixtures, does however believe that the pressure could potentially get to the runaway leaders as the season progresses.

"At the moment Chelsea are the super-favourites because they are quite big and made a big difference," he told reporters. "But it is theirs to lose as we say here in England. They can still lose it - at the moment they have won it but they can still lose it.

"It's still a long way to go and very difficult for everybody so the head-to-head matches will have a vital importance. They have addressed their problems well. You have to give credit to Conte to find a solution that has balanced well his team.

"They bought David Luiz who stabilised their defensive record and I think overall they are the team that has been the most consistent until now."

Chelsea are just one win away from equalling Arsenal's 15-year record of 13-successive victories in the English top flight, with games against Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur to come over the New Year programme.