Arsene Wenger has claimed that this season would not necessarily be “disastrous” for Arsenal even if they do finish outside the top four and is adamant that his team are again growing stronger.
A nightmare sequence of results between January and May is likely to mean Arsenal narrowly losing out to Liverpool and Manchester City for the third and fourth Champions League places but they could still accumulate 75 points – four more than last year in finishing second – and win the FA Cup.
Asked if that would be “progress”, Wenger said: “It would mean that the season has not been as well as I hoped at the start. I started to win the Premier League and, when you don’t do it, you’re never completely satisfied. But, as well, it’s not disastrous. I think what’s encouraging is the way the team develops recently and the way the ambition of the team is back.
“It shows that if you can make 75 points it’s a decent total because I won the Premier League (in 1998) with 78. We have created a momentum again. We had a difficult period and we recovered from it. I’m very positive because it looks like we’ve got stronger in every single game. Against us, the other teams fight and we have to dig deep every time to win the games. We’ve won six of our last seven games and we have created the momentum again after having a period where we were not stable away from home.”
Liverpool must beat Middlesbrough at Anfield on Sunday to be sure of finishing above Arsenal while Manchester City have a three point advantage ahead of matches against West Bromwich Albion and Watford.
Wenger remains adamant that finishing outside the top four would not affect the club’s summer planning or a decision on his own future. “It will not have any influence on the way the club will be led and how we will behave on the transfer market,” he said.
“I just think that if we finish outside the top four, it will maybe be down to one point. One point would be difficult to
swallow but that should not as well change the judgment on the quality of the team to a way where you think you have absolutely to change everything. It will mean just keep the same focus to try to strengthen the squad. We know where it has to be and that’s what the club will have to do.
“We lacked defensive stability in some important games this season, and we had to completely rethink the system. I had to make some changes and now we look more stable at the moment.”
Wenger also complained about the performances of “many” other Premier League clubs once their safety was confirmed. “It looks at the end of the season that many teams who have been assured to stay in the league have just released their focus and, as well, you had basically two leagues; the top six and the rest of the Premier League,” he said.
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