Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal have come through their ‘mental test,’ having strung three wins in a row after losing six games in 10 between February and April.

A switch to a back three is being largely credited with the uptick in Arsenal’s fortunes, but as Stephen discussed at length, three games is far too small a sample size to draw any meaningful conclusions.

“The [last few weeks] have been very important, first of all because they tested our capacity to respond to a crisis of results,” Wenger said. “The mental test was of course important.

“Also we got positive results where we needed to fight and deliver something special under very difficult circumstances, like the semi-final of the cup against Man City. That rebuilt some belief and reassured everybody that we have the mental strength to do it.

“I think we have shown persistence, tenacity and a desire to win and keep going at any cost. You could see what it means to the squad when we scored [against Leicester]. These qualities will of course be very important.

“We know it means a lot not only to our fans, but to us as well. We play for our future and we play to continue our run. We have clarity – we know what is needed from us until the end of the season.

“On that front, it’s quite simple to prepare. We will not sit back, we’ll try to go forward and win the game, because that’s what is wanted on our side.

“The only advantage in our position is we don’t need to calculate. We just need to give everything and to win our games.”

Should Arsenal lose this weekend’s game against Tottenham, they can effectively seal their place above us this season for the first time in over two decades. Failure to win would also most likely confirm Arsenal’s place in the Europa League next season.

So is this a powershift in north London as many in the media are suggesting? Arsene Wenger doesn’t think so. “Let’s be honest, I’ve answered that question about a shift in power over 18 consecutive years. Nothing changes in that.

“You cannot say that the weight of one year has the weight of 20.”

Indeed, Arsene. Indeed.