Yaya Sanogo says Arsenal’s record of playing in the Champions League for 16 successive years makes qualification for the tournament the ‘duty’ of Arsene Wenger’s current crop.
The French striker was only 3-years-old when the Gunners, led by the likes of Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp, began feasting at Europe’s top table but at the tail end of his first season in London the teenager feels the weight of history on his shoulders.
“It is very important for such a great club as Arsenal to be in the Champions League. It is a duty,” Sanogo told Arsenal Player.
“We really want to get qualified. We have been participants for 16 years so we want to be there again. To do that we have to give our best on the pitch, give 100 per cent in every single match.
“We were very happy [to get back in front of Everton] because we have come from a difficult place. The wins over Wigan and then West Ham and Hull have given a boost to our morale.”
The former Auxerre man also spoke optimistically about ending Arsenal’s silverware drought with an FA Cup final against Hull City on the horizon.
“It is the right time for us to take the FA Cup. Even if it was a painful victory [over Wigan] it is a good experience, we were very happy and so were the fans.
“We have to use that positive pressure, the fans have been waiting for that moment for nine years now. A final is a final so we need all the ingredients to win it. I believe the team has what it takes to win.
“But we are not thinking too much about the final at the moment because we have championship matches before that. We have to think about these matches first.”
Sanogo isn’t the only player excited about the prospect of a showpiece game at Wembley, Mesut Ozil has thanked fans for their support during his recent five week layoff and revealed he ‘can’t wait’ to step out on the hallowed turf of England’s biggest arena.
Writing on Facebook, the German midfielder said:
“I’m still happy about the fact that I was able to play last Sunday fo Arsenal and we even won 3:0. I think that we are on the way up after a rather difficult time.
“There are only two goals for the rest of the season: to be among the first four of the Premier League and to win my first title this year in the UK – the F.A. Cup! All we need is 4 x 90 minutes of full concentration and then it’s all in our hands.
“I can’t wait to play for the first time in Wembley as a Gunner after missing the semi final due to my injury. Herewith I want to thank all who supported me during the last weeks – especially you!
“I constantly followed your comments on Facebook. I was really happy about all the get well soon wishes during these difficult moments.”
Arseblog News can’t help but chuckle at Mesut (or should that be Melvin Orwell) adding ‘herewith’ to his lexicon. @ArsenalGent would be proud of the dear boy.
The focus shouldn’t be on ‘getting there’ the players have to believe they are there for a purpose, not just another team
One step at a time
We’ve been on the same step for a while now
For that to happen the club needs a new strategic focus from the board to the managment. Sadly, that won’t happen any time soon. Champions League adds revenue and revenue only. We aren’t there to challenge.
He’s talking about it, but I don’t think he can make such a huge difference since realistically if Gigi stays fit then Sanogo’s probably going to play a maximum of 5 minutes in each game. It’s up to the big players to step up (or to keep it up) and get us the top 4 spot and the FA cup! COYG! 😀
Let’s give the guy a chance!
Gigi wtf
Titi, yes. Gigi, eh? doesn’t he keep goal for Juve?
HFB is the only acceptable nickname for Giroud,, for now.
So wrote the sports psychologist above. You shouldn’t micro examine each and every word it’s more to do with the general content. He’s positive and motivated.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the attitude, and I think it’s great coming from him, but I think it’s our senior players that should be displaying (or continue to display) this type of attitude since they’re the ones that will be out there playing. 😉
Unleash Gödzilla!
Happy Ozil makes me so bloody happy
Seriously can’t wait for a full season of Mesut! Full pre-season with a fully recovered theo and that lack of ‘cutting edge’ will be just a distant memory. This is of course without mentioning Rambo….
Agree, a nice use of ‘herewith’
I look forward to his future Facebook messages commencing ‘Oyeh, oyeh’.
It’s a rather clumsy and completely literal translation of hiermit (hier=here, mit=with). I’d say a more idiomatic or conversational translation given the overall context would be something like: “I’d like to take the opportunity”. Isn’t language interesting tho?
I assume your ‘tho’ is deliberately ironic?
It may be completely literal but I wouldn’t call if clumsy – it’s actually sort of charming.
haha yeah, i had to double-take it i was so surprised to see it
I’m so proud that i am 12.5% german.
Heard a lot of fans who slam the notion that ‘Top 4’is as important as a trophy. Heard them say, what’s the point of being in a competition we can’t win and ‘look at LFC – it’s helped them not being in Europe. But they are also the same fans who want AFC to buy big name players and who tell the AFC to ‘pay whatever it takes’ to get them. Ok, well the money from the CL group stages effectively pays our loan repayment each season, leaving the other revenue to spend on players. If we want a player… Read more »
Well said, Mr Gazidis! The problem is that Arsenal Football Club is, er, a football club; and the entire point of existing as a football club is winning things. Sadly, our record in the 16 years of qualification is, frankly, pathetic. Just one final and one semi-final is a sad joke. Over the last five or six years a horrible mentality has creeped into the club. It appears that qualifying for the Champions’ League and then reaching the last 16 somehow constitutes a successful campaign. Idiot, muppet supporters and Wenger have somehow brainwashed others that this is all that we… Read more »
Sheesh. Then I guess Fulham, Villa, West Ham, Newcastle, Swansea, etc. etc. ought to just pack it in. If the only point in existing as a football team is to win we can just cut the table down to two and call it a day.
Oh, right, that’s La Liga most years.
Have you thought about supporting Real? Your footballing philosophy would find a happy home.
Sorry but FG is right. Top 4 is not good enough for a team that managed an entire season unbeaten. Yes it’s great that we have managed 16 years in a row in the CL but it’s time we won the fucking thing! And it’s time for some more trophies in a very dusty cabinet. I do not want for us to be having this conversation the same time next year but without serious investment in the squad we will be. I would like to ask all of you do you honestly believe le prof will spend some serious money… Read more »
You’ve said absolutely nothing at all to dispute the original point. Being in the Champion’s League is better than not being in it. You want us to win it but being in it every year is a means to that end. There’s no other way to do it. Anyway, football is about being the best. Would you rather be a mid table Premiership side or win League 1? One of those teams has a trophy, they ‘won’ something but there’s no doubting who’s the best.
The most obvious deficiency Arsenal faces is that instead of actual fans who stand with the team through thick and thin regardless of results, we have overly entitled individuals with no sense of context like yourself, people prone to whining and booing and complaining. This comment is so ignorant it’s hard to know where to start with a rebuttal. AFCEdwards and Mpls both throw the disgusting nature of the mentality behind your comment into sharp relief with their retorts, but I’ll try to add something. “the entire point of existing as a football club is winning things.” This is prima… Read more »
I agree with Fat gooner that we have underperformed in the competition but that wasn’t Al Gilmores point. If we don’t qualify how on earth are we going to do any better then we have ? In my opinion apart from when we reached the final our best chance was when we lost to Chelsea the year Porto went on to win it. Had we beaten Monaco and Porto then things might have turned out differently for that cunt Mouriniho as well.
i don’t think we are under performing.
If you look at transfer spend we are probably not even in the top 500 in europe.
If you look at money available to spend on transfers we are probably not in the top 100.
If you look at the squad quality we are probably near the top 10.
What ever way you look at it, there is no way you can say we SHOULD be regularly in the semis and final.
Pete you are probably correct in terms of what we have spent on Transfers but I bet our wage bill is in the top ten for Europe !
As the mercurial Busta Rhymes once said: “Yaya Yaya Ya Yaya Yaya Ya” And he fucking meant it too.
Mesult we are proud of you son despite all wot your critics said about u.In your first season u will be lifting the FA cup.
Do it for us guyz
Have no idea what you’re implying with the Busta Rhymes comment, but I thumbed you up anyway. That shit was funny!
with Ozil back Rambo,the Ox,rosisky and jack wiltshire due back Ozil will again shine, he has them players who are on the same wave length they make the runs he spots them thats when he is when he is at his best, can hold it up till the pass is on,he has missed them players and especially Theo with his pace for the pass over the top, all looking good for the end of season run in, jus the one game a week to play so fully fit squad and mentally refreshed “come on you Reds”
Yes! Come on you Reds!
COYG!
Melvin Örwell
Win facup will be great for ozil 1st season 1st trophy and great for the squad will give us great belief for the future !
We are all excited for the fa cup final and for the players next season. COYG!
yaya sanogo should be loaned out next season IMO to a less PL club, he’ll get to play regularly and also get acquainted to the PL. And I agree with what wenger said, Ozil will sure be a contender for the PFA award, lets just try and keep the 1st team fit and hopefully bring in good re-enforcements in the needed areas. COYG!
Herewith? Just do the needful! Thank you please
With the likes of Thomas rosicky and wilshere I don’t think whether we can loss FA cup but before that how can our team perform in EPL with Aston villa game becouse we have to win the remaining gamez although everton also will face man city hopefully we will win all.
and if any of you think we are wrong to b celebrating top four finish, consult man rooney-persie, they wil tell u how painfull it is!! Lov u yaya, bigup mesut!
#COYG
A bit presumptuous of Mr Ozil that he will play a part in the final.
Well done Sanogo. He said everything I want to say, but he said it very well. He seems an intelligent young man.
Some of these comments border on farce–under Arsene, the Arsenal has never finished lower than fourth (current campaign TBD); in the previous 20 years, Arsenal finished lower than fourth 11 times, often in the 7-10 range. 7 of the 13 league titles occurred before 1955; of the 6 since, HALF have come under Wenger. This isn’t a defense of Wenger–who we all know can be IN and OUT at the same time–but just a head shake at this mythical pre-Wenger ceaseless majesty that the facts just don’t support. Other eras have been great, too, but since WWII none have been… Read more »
You can add some asinine comments about Wenger not being able to construct a defense and being fortunate in inheriting Graham’s back line. Yes maybe in the first title win but they forget Wenger converted Toure into an effective CBack, bought Sol Cambell, promoted Ashley Cole and went a season unbeaten. Also he developed Henry into a striker and more recently Arteta into a CDM. He has his faults and is guilty of poor tactical decisions on numerous occasions, but he isn’t a mug. Far from it. In fact I am of the opinion that Wenger’s squads flatter to deceive… Read more »
Even by your own incredibly low standards, fatgooner you are talking a lot of bollocks.
It’s almost as if you are purposefully presenting your relentlessly negative opinions as fact, with the explicit attention of annoying anyone else with a brain….
If it’s true you really believe all the things you write about Arsenal then you must be miserable indeed, but watching Chelsea games ain’t the answer.
Cheer up for fucks sake
I don’t even read Fatgooner comments anymore. I just thumb them down
Yes FG u are an oxygen thief
When we play well it’s great
When we don’t it’s not
But for fucks sake stop fuckin moaning
Infinity thumbs up to this comment.
Too good
As a minimum standard, 4th or better for 17 seasons is a luxury for a self made team which most teams would dream of. Just ask Spurs, or Everton who have been trying for years now. Or for that matter Liverpool who have until recently been out for 3 seasons. or United. or Moyes. So if we seal the FAcup and 4th, that would represent progress. Not the best outcome as this season has been deeply disappointing considering the lead at the top for most of the season and 8 points dropped at stoke, Swansea, Everton. But progress none the… Read more »
Re: “Herewith” . . . Özil’s just directly translating the German, hiermit (which is more common in German than herewith is in English).