Wenger keeps the faith after Arsenal's glorious failure

Arsenal's failure to win a trophy this season is a shattering disappointment for manager Arsene Wenger and a team who have played some of the best football in the Premier League.

However low they may be after being knocked out of the hunt for Champions League and Premier League glory in the space of six days, they at least went down with all guns blazing.

If any failure to meet objectives can be seen as a glorious failure, this was it. Wenger, though conceding the title chase was over, remained defiant after last Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.

"We will continue to play the way we do but better," Wenger told reporters. "The main target is to keep the team together. They are absolutely amazing.

"I feel the difference between success and failure is very little."

No-one would dispute his words. Their football at times has been sublime.

They played superbly for the first 25 minutes against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final last week before losing an early lead and ending up being beaten 4-2, going out 5-3 on aggregate.

They then carried their must-win Premier League game to United on Sunday, dominating much of the play and taking a 1-0 lead.

Those two games encapsulate their season. Few teams can live with Arsenal at their best, but they have too often been unable to sustain their best for 90 minutes.

Apart from a few weeks in January, Arsenal led the table from mid-September to mid-March, when they began to run out of gas.

On Feb. 11, after a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal had played 26 matches, won 19, drew six and lost just once. They were five points clear of United and eight ahead of Chelsea.

Their eight league matches since then have produced just one win, five draws and two defeats. They are now third, nine points adrift of leaders United.

January sales

If Wenger was guilty of doing anything wrong, it was probably not strengthening his squad during the January transfer window. In that, he was hardly alone though.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson did not sign anyone significant in January either and Chelsea's only major addition was Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers.

However, United and Chelsea both have more experienced squads than Arsenal.

The injury absences of Tomas Rosicky, Eduardo da Silva and Robin van Persie also hit Arsenal's chances, while after a prolific mid-season, Emmanuel Adebayor's goal on Sunday was his first in the league since February.

Cesc Fabregas, their 20-year-old playmaker, has looked tired after an outstanding first half of the season.

He has not missed a match since early January and although Wenger admitted last week that the Spaniard looked jaded, he has not been able to rest him.

The turning point came at United in the FA Cup fifth round in February when a weakened side crashed 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Their 2-0 win at ageing European champions Milan on March 4 proved to be their last hurrah of the season - though its echo could resonate into next season and inspire Wenger's team.

Arsenal beat Milan because they were full of youthful running, energy, wonderful skill and complete self-belief. All they need to add is more experience.

The record book is likely to show Arsenal finishing third this season. It will not show that at times they were the best team in England. Next season's final table might, though.