Arsenal currently lie fifth in the Premier League table after 19 games, level on points with Southampton, whom they play on New Year's Day.
Victory at St Mary's Stadium will see Wenger's side climb into the top four and the UEFA Champions League places, their minimum requirement for this season.
As so often in the past, Arsenal have been beset by injury problems, and Wenger feels his players have coped admirably with the list of absentees up until now.
"I believe that there is a deficit between the potential we have shown and the number of points we have," he said.
"That's what we want to get right. I feel we were very, very unlucky with the injuries we got.
"Overall, with the number of injuries we've had, we have survived quite well.
"But I believe that hopefully in the second part of the season, we'll have more stability, especially defensively, to be more consistent.
"If you look at the number of games some players played and the injuries we have with [Jack] Wilshere, [Aaron] Ramsey and [Mikel] Arteta, we are a bit short at the moment in midfield.
"We will fight to be as close as possible [to the top]. We are not in a mode of calculating [what is needed], we are in a mode of 'let's go to the next game and win it'. It's too early, there's still 19 games to go.
"If there were four or five to go then yes but at the moment let's just be consistent and win the next game."
