LONDON: Arsene Wenger refuses to panic about Arsenal's spluttering start even though the Gunners boss admits his side aren't firing on all cylinders.
Wenger's men head to Newcastle on Saturday looking to win for just the second time in their first four Premier League matches.
A goalless draw against Liverpool on Monday left the north Londoners already lagging five points behind leaders Manchester City after a worrying repeat of the slow opening that eventually doomed their title challenge last season.
Wenger acknowledged his players aren't at their best yet, but he cautioned against writing them off too soon.
"We have not had the ideal start and we are conscious of that but we want to play 60 games in the season," Wenger said.
"We have played three games now and we have lost one that we should not have lost, but we have to be conscious that the season is not decided yet.
"Maybe we are not firing on all cylinders at the moment. Not everybody is ready physically. Certainly at the moment we want it so much at home that we're trying to force it a little bit."
Meanwhile, City winger Jesus Navas has warned the Premier League pace-setters not to get complacent after their blistering start.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have reeled off three wins from their opening three matches and the swaggering manner of their performances suggests City are back to their best after tamely surrendering the title to Chelsea last season.
With Raheem Sterling bedding in nicely after his move from Liverpool and a big-money deal for Wolfsburg's Belgium playmaker Kevin de Bruyne reportedly close to completion, City are assembling an awesome array of attacking talent that could leave the rest of the top tier trailing in their wake.
The leaders are firm favourites to maintain their flying start when they host promoted Watford on Saturday, but Spain international Navas is well aware of the dangers of underestimating a team who have drawn all three of their league matches so far.
"It is not only that we have won these three games, it is that we didn't concede any goals and we created a lot of chances. We are really happy," Navas said.
"But we need to keep the same attitude, working really well defensively and also creating a lot of chances. That is the way to win more games this season."
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