Tuesday night sees Arsenal host Southampton with memories of our Boxing Day thrashing still fairly fresh.

We haven’t really recovered since then, struggling for form and picking up eight points from a possible 15. Three of those came in the scrappy 1-0 win over Newcastle, while nervy draws against Liverpool and Stoke made up two more.

The 4-0 loss on the south coast clearly affected the side, and Wenger is wary of Tuesday’s opponents.

“They gave us a tough game last time and we have to put that right,” the boss said in Monday morning’s press conference. “It is a very important time in the season as we go into big, big games and have 13 matches to go.”

With a game against league leaders Leicester City on the horizon, there’s no time for more slip ups. We’re not only three points behind the Foxes but also level with Manchester City and just a point clear of Spurs.

The 4-0 defeat from December was a poor one, but Wenger is confident the flaws in the performance have been highlighted and won’t necessarily repeat themselves.

“They were dominant in the challenges and the duels. We just came out of a very tough game at Man City, and maybe didn’t have the urgency to cope with that. We were a bit unlucky with three goals on the decisions of the referee as well,” said the boss. At least two of the Southampton goals were contentious, but that doesn’t mask what was a poor showing from the entire Arsenal side.

“The message [this time] is that we play at home and we want to put things right and put a strong performance in because the strength we show at home now in the remaining games can be decisive.”

Winning every home game from now until the end of the campaign would go a long way to bringing the title back to north London. Doing so against a side which has troubled us in the past would be a great boost for confidence, as well as providing a much needed three points.