Wenger to announce future plans soon as West Brom dent Arsenal’s top-four hopes

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, says he will announce “very soon’’ whether he will remain at the Gunners after reaching a decision on his future.
The Gunners boss was speaking after a 3-1 English Premier League loss at West Brom on Saturday meant for them a fourth league defeat in five matches.
The loss increased the pressure on the Frenchman and left Arsenal facing the prospect of not finishing in the top four for the first time since he joined in 1996.
“I know what I will do,’’ said Wenger. “You will soon know.’’
The 67-year-old continued: “Today, I do not necessarily worry about that. We are in a unique bad patch we never had in 20 years.
“We lose game after game at the moment and that for me is much more important than my future.’’
Wenger’s current contract expires at the end of the season, but he has been offered a new two-year deal to stay at the club he joined in 1996.
He has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, with fans responding to defeats in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League by calling for him to leave.
Arsenal lost 2-10 aggregate to German side Bayern Munich in the Champions League’s round of 16.
On Saturday, more anti-Wenger banners were held aloft by Gunners fans in the closing stages at The Hawthorns.
In the first half, two planes pulled banners overhead — one criticising the Frenchman and the other supporting him.
“We’ve never had this before,’’ he said about his side’s run of form. “We face big problems to regroup and find resources to sort the problem.’’
After the international break, Arsenal’s next Premier League game is against Manchester City, the side they face in next month’s FA Cup semi-final.
“It’s very worrying because we are not used to that (a poor run of form),’’ Wenger said.
“Overall, I think we have a hell of a task to fight back. But we need to regroup and focus on the games coming up, because we have many big games.
“Even though it is a disappointing result, everybody goes away now to recover and prepare well.’’
It was another weak performance from Arsenal on Saturday as they went down to two Craig Dawson headers from corner kicks and a goal from substitute Hal Robson-Kanu.
The substitute scored with only his second touch after coming on.
The Gunners did rally quickly after falling behind through Alexis Sanchez’s 18th league goal of the campaign, but this was completely overshadowed by their vulnerability at the back.
Their problems were compounded by injuries to Petr Cech in the first half and Sanchez in the second.
Wenger confirmed that Cech was forced off with a calf problem and that Sanchez was substituted after a knock to his ankle.
“It was a typical Premier League game. A team that likes to play and a team that defends well,’’ he said.
“It was a tough performance. They caught us on set-pieces and one break and that made the difference.
“Overall our record against set-pieces is quite good. We were a bit naive, maybe, on the corner kicks. Then we were punished. It’s a shame. We looked in the second half to take completely over.
“We didn’t create enough. We lost Sanchez in the second half, he was very dangerous in the first.
“He came out in the second half and he couldn’t move any more. In the first half he was a guy who created a lot.
“We face some serious challenges. The (Manchester) City game at home is a big game for us.’’
In the Saturday match, Craig Dawson’s double helped West Brom inflict a major blow to the Gunners’ hopes of a top-four finish.
Dawson capitalised on some awful defending from the Gunners to head both of his goals from corners – the first to give the Baggies the lead, the second to seal their win.
Arsenal had initially rallied after falling behind, levelling through Alexis Sanchez’s close-range finish – the Chilean forward’s 18th league goal of the season.
However, they fell behind again 10 minutes into the second half when substitute Hal Robson-Kanu rolled the ball home with only his second touch after coming on.
Arsenal, who lost goalkeeper Petr Cech to injury, were outfought and unable to rally a second time, their challenge wilting soon after Danny Welbeck’s header from a corner struck the crossbar.
It was an eventful encounter, both on the pitch and above it as two planes pulling banners – one pro-Arsene Wenger and the other against the Arsenal boss – made circles around The Hawthorns.
It was the anti-Wenger camp who were most present and vocal by the end, though, holding aloft banners declaring “Enough is enough’’ and booing their beleaguered manager’s decision to substitute Sanchez, who had picked up a knock.
Wenger’s future beyond the end of this season remains unknown, but the facts are these – Arsenal trail fourth place by five points (albeit with a game in hand).
They must arrest a run that has seen them win just one of their last five league games if they are to continue their proud record of finishing in the top four in each of Wenger’s 20 seasons at the club so far.
After claiming a top-two finish in every season between 1997-98 and 2004-05, Arsenal have often flirted with fifth or worse since.
However, this is looking increasingly likely to be the campaign when they drop below the division’s premier quartet.