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Finishing fourth 'like cup win', says Wenger

ARSENE WENGER has suggested that Arsenal should regard the prospect of securing fourth place in the Premier League and entry …

LOUISE TAYLOR
Mon Feb 20 2012 - 00:00

ARSENE WENGER has suggested that Arsenal should regard the prospect of securing fourth place in the Premier League and entry into next season’s Champions League qualifying round as comparable to winning a cup.

“The first trophy is to finish in the top four,” said Arsenal’s manager in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat at Sunderland. “And that’s still possible. I believe finishing fourth is vital for us, so let’s focus on that.”

Barring a Champions League miracle in the second leg of a tie in which Milan lead 4-0, Wenger is contemplating a seventh consecutive season without a trophy. The Frenchman’s critics believe he is in denial about Arsenal’s current decline but on Saturday he mounted a robust defence of a team which Roy Keane, as an ITV pundit, said was the worst Arsenal side he had watched and one who are letting their manager down.

“That we lost here is basically down to the fact that we had to give a lot in Milan on Wednesday night and then travel again, and that is difficult for any team in the world,” Wenger said.

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Arsenal’s next game, at home to Tottenham on Sunday, has now assumed even greater importance than usual, but he is approaching it with confidence. “We put a lot of spirit into playing Sunderland and if we keep that spirit and recover a little bit physically then we can win the next game,” he added.

Asked if the squad requires rebuilding or tweaking during the summer, he indicated that evolution rather than revolution is his preferred option. “When everybody is available we have what it takes at the club and we will add what it takes,” Wenger said. “But at the moment we’re not making plans for next season, we’re making plans for the next game.

“We have many missing: big, big players, too. We’re in February and [Jack] Wilshere has played zero games, [Abou] Diaby has played zero games, [Per] Mertesacker is out for the season and [Andre] Santos for three months. That would be difficult for any club in the world to deal with. But let’s win our next game and we’ll be fine.”

Guardian Service