Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes Arsenal’s squad is as good as any in Europe and has pinpointed Sunday’s showdown with Manchester United as the perfect opportunity for the Gunners to underline their growing confidence.
Hailing victory over Bayern Munich in Germany as a turning point, the young England international also stressed that a win over Fergie’s newly crowned Premier League champions would be the perfect fillip as the race for a top four place heats up.
Speaking at the London Marathon where he was handing out Lucozade and offering hugs of encouragement the young England international told the Evening Standard:
“Obviously it’s a massive game for us with a Champions League place at stake but it’s also massive for next season with the confidence we can get from winning.
“The win over Bayern wasn’t enough to get us to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals but it was still a massive boost for us as a side. We’re still feeding off the momentum of that and a win over United can have the same effect.
“As a team we’re as good as anyone in the Premier League, right up there with the best in Europe and worldwide.
“There’s a few things we need to tie up but we’ve been working hard as a team and becoming an increasingly tight unit and we’re winning games that we should win. We have quality players in our side and believe we can beat anyone.”
The Gunners have won eight of their last ten games in the league, amassing 25 points from 30 in a run which stretches back to the beginning of February. It’s been an impressive show of potential forged on the back of some very harsh lessons.
“It’s been up and down for us this year,” he continued. “We’ve had some lows, the cups in particular. The defeats against Bradford and Blackburn really hurt us, they were games we felt we really should have won.
“And then there was the low of the first leg against Bayern. But as a team we’ve learned from those negatives and been able to enjoy some highs, such as the second leg against Bayern and, hopefully, we will continue like that for the remainder of the season.”
Arseblog News certainly hopes so too…
Just hoping no one leaves again this summer. Last season was pretty identical to this one in that we believed from what we saw if we add a few names, we would be competing very well, but then 2 big names transferred out and at least 2 players who have been influential to our season has come in.
Im actually hoping alot of people leave this summer. Starting with those money grabbing useless cunts who have been out on loan for 7 years. We need a big shake up this year. Some of our highest paid players sit around doing nothing all season.
I hope none of our key players leave this summer though.
On our day, yes we are. but we need to be more consistent to take the final step to glory.
I think we would be more consistent if our best players didn’t leave every year, its would be nice if we kept the team of 10-11 together for a few more years to see what they could achieve with less injuries. But thats the past, lets hope this team can stay together and add the missing parts even if it takes another 2-3 years minimum.
Exactly.
We’ve been consistent in patches though. . . .
well said champo. as a fan, arsenal will always be best, whether they end first or 20th on the log – but what I want is for them to give us more performances like these throughout the season.there is no doubting their potential; we just dont want it to be permanent potential…
I’m hoping that a settled squad this summer will pay dividends next season. I expect signings and they will have the luxury of not having to replace anybody (I hope) and can just focus on their game. That way our team can naturally find its leaders and key players rather than having new faces thrust into heavy responsibility. Had RVP been with us this season (we still would not have fared better) he still would have left this summer and we would have had to rebuild. Where as now we are half way through our rebuild and we just need… Read more »
Of course Ox, this Arsenal team has huge potential. Just build on the momentum from this season and destroy Rotten Van Shit this weekend..please!! We the fans need closure!
I must say I hope to see some heavy challenges heading his way come Sunday
Up there with the best in Europe? All for having belief but its a dangerous thing to say before we play the champions on Sunday.
Sadly we have a long long way to go before that statement is even half true.
Agreed. Need to build and add on this season as opposed to rebuild. If we can bolt on a couple quality players to this squad then I really am looking forward to next season!
I can’t disagree with him, we’ve got the makings of a great squad. I’m surprised at United’s success this season, it’s just van Pussie and some players. Personally I think it’s the worst ManU squad for a long long time.
It would be insane to sell more players – we don’t need to and our best players are in long-term contracts. Except Bac, of course, but I think Jenkinson is ready to step up
It’s fine to be biased to a level, we are all Arsenal fans and if we are asked about who would we choose – Pires or Giggs for example – we wouldn’t hesitate, BUT
after a level, it’s called being deluded, and you are only making other teams’ fans laughing at us. We are levels below United, and not because of the dutchman. The league position tells it all. The 8/2 of last season tells it all.
The 8-2 to the scum was a freak result, brought about by the arrogant stupidity of the club who honestly thought that you could put out what was essentially half a reserve team, not replacing players who’d left. But it shook off their apathy and they bought Arteta and Mertesacker, not to mention bringing in Benayoun on loan who did a job for us, and since then we’ve added the four quality signings of this season. We are not so far behind Manchester United now; if a certain Dutch traitor had not gone there it’s unlikely they would have won… Read more »
progman07, I disagree that we are not within the best of Europe, we do enter the Champions’ league regularly. Obviously, we do not fit into the sub-group of elite within that (Real Madrid, Barfalona, Bayern, to an extent Manchester United) yet.
However, we are not that far behind United. If you say we are, then so are Russian Mafia FC, which we know isn’t true.
Such a shame when a youngster turns to drugs. Clearly, AOC has been huffing Cillit Bang down at the park.
“As a team we’re as good as anyone in the Premier League, right up there with the best in Europe and worldwide.”
Really? Really, Alex?
REALLY?!?!
If it materialised on belief on the pitch, I’d love him to think that way. The issue is that belief in our supposed greatness doesn’t show, when we struggle to dominate against 10 men at Fulham.
We won and got 3 points. That is all that matters.
If it was Giroud handing out fondles of encouragement, I might be tempted to start training.
1) Keep the squad together – only sell deadwood.
2) Sign 2/3 quality players, preferably a defender, DM and a striker.
3) Play like we did away to Bayern for the WHOLE SEASON.
If this is followed, we’d undoubtedly win a trophy.
I think we have plenty of two-thirds quality players. We should only sign top top top supertop quality players.
Top top top toppity top of the topiest top signings
We need to keep this lot together. We have some true quality on our hands. Shed the end-of-contracters (Arshavin, Squalicci and the like), get rid of what we can the best we can (Bendtner, Chamakh, Park et al) and pick up two to three QUALITY players. Ideally a complete finisher striker, and either an experienced GK or a DM (still not sure on this one). Maybe a RB and if Sagna leaves – the exact type of player that will create the same dynamic that Nacho and Gibbs have at LB with Jenkinson at RB. Then we have a team… Read more »
It’s important that we don’t start next season with the wearyness and frustration of a transfer saga. That’s also why we need to give Man utd the guard of honour. we don’t want to carry bitterness & negativity onto sunday’s game &on to the next campaign and give the media one more reason to hate us. If we don’t give the guard of honour it will be some thing that won’t be forgotten for a long time. But if we suck it up and do it I’m sure it will be forgotten by the time the game kicks off.
Well said it will be a bigger deal if we don’t do it and might even fire up those utd cunts all the more. Whereas if we do it i think it should serve to motivate our team more than utd’s.
I know that if had to applaud some cunny, sorry 10 cunnies + 1 uber twat who used to play for my team, on to my pitch it would make me all the more determined to batter them/him.
I wish I could believe this but our records against the teams around us and above us hasn’t been good for years.
What a load of shit, what the fuck is ox going on about? We haven’t even got the best squad in north London any more. I wish football players wouldn’t talk in public.
you clearly are gay nothing wrong to admit that but also clearly are a sperms supporter,you should be very very ashamed to support THAT north London team
The only other thing I’m aware of in North London is a chimp with ten zookeepers up the road.
Hardly a “squad” that.
Oh right, that’s why we’re the highest London club in the league. My bad.
Yeah I hate this shit all talk and fuck all to show for it just like cheez and frimpong. Keep ur nut down and work thats what ur paid for lads
Up until Bayern second leg Arsenal was crap. Arsenal totally froze when we played Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea. Then got dumped by Bradford and Blackburn. With the pressure off to win trophies we have thrived. In fact since Bayern we have been the most successful team in the league. Is third or fourth our level? Freed up wages from Ashavin and Squilacci mean we can at least pay another centre back and powerful midfielder. I too would love a quality striker but we already have 120 million pounds worth of strikers. Girvinho, Walcott, Giroud, Bendtner, Chamak, Park, Podolski,… Read more »
What people don’t understand is that we almost built a new team. We got a new assistant coach, a completely new midfield and attack. Apart from the defence, only Arteta and Theo are in this season’s starting 11. Obviously the 3 new signings didnt play together but on top of that, wilshere, diaby and ramsey, who have been here for years, have never really played enough together to click from the word go! It takes months for everyone to be on the same page but to be on the same line, even more! Really hope Vermaelan and Sagna stay, 2… Read more »
We should take a great deal of encouragement from our result at Bayern especially in light of last nights result BUT the most telling quote here – “The games against Bradford and Blackburn… were games we felt we should have should have won”. We need to go into all games with confidence but without the sense of entitlement that leads to “shock” defeays year on year
defeats
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