Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hails Samir Nasri display
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes
Samir Nasri can get even better after his two goals beat Fulham 2-1 and
put the Gunners top of the Premier League.
Arsenal went top
after Chelsea extended their winless streak to four League games and
Manchester United's game at Blackpool was postponed. "What's important as a manager is to get the best out of a player," he said.
"There's more to come from him. Many questioned me when I took him but he's showing he's an exceptional talent."
The French midfielder's 10th and 11th goals of the season mean he has almost matched his total for his first two seasons at the club in the first half of this campaign.
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"He needed to be patient to finish on both occasions and he did that very well.
"I'm happy because he had a game that was, at the start, only based on coming to the ball.
"But now he has more variation in his game: turns, runs in behind without the ball, and as well coming to the ball and taking it to his feet.
"So his game is improving and he is, of course, more efficient."
It was not a day free of concerns, however - Wenger admitted his side's defence looked "vulnerable" and also revealed defender Laurent Koscielny had suffered concussion after a clash of heads with team-mate Sebastian Squillaci in the build-up to Fulham's goal, scored by Diomansy Kamara.
The win was a welcome relief for Wenger after seeing his side lose their two previous home league games, but he refused to get too excited about the Gunners' title chances.
"We have the spirit, we have the quality but we face tough opponents. And it will be down, as I have said already many times here, to consistency," he said.
"We are far from winning the championship yet.
"The only thing I can say: we have the desire and the spirit to fight for it. Will it be good enough? We'll have the answer in May."
Fulham boss Mark Hughes admitted Nasri had been the difference between the sides, but said he was proud of how his team had played.
"Nasri is an excellent footballer, great feet, and once he gets in those positions in the area it's very difficult to stop him," said Hughes.
"From our point of view, we're happy with the performance.
"We showed real belief in what we were trying to do today, took the game to Arsenal and caused them problems. At the end of the game, the crowd were asking for the final whistle."