Arsene Wenger says prestige not pounds is the main motivation ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League qualifier with Besiktas even though defeat over the two-legs would see the Emirates outfit lose out on a bumper pay day from UEFA.
The Gunners stand on the cusp of a 17th consecutive season at Europe’s top table with the boss hoping victory in Turkey can help build momentum for the season ahead.
Last year he watched his side record an impressive 3-0 victory in Istanbul over Fenerbahce, a result that sparked a 12-game unbeaten run following the opening day defeat to Aston Villa.
“Every game you win makes you stronger and, on that front, winning the games helps to gain confidence,” Wenger told his pre-game press conference.
“The group still needs to grow and to gain confidence we have to grow.”
“[The play-off is not] not affecting too much my transfer policy,” he continued in response to questions about whether his recruitment policy is affected by progression to the group stages.
“Financially it is a big game but it’s not that that’s the most important thing. We want to compete at the top level, we want to fight against the best in Europe and that’s the real target of the competition tomorrow.
“It’s more than the financial consequences. We have always in the history of the club adapted to our financial potential but what is very important is that we want to play with the best. That’s the real target of the qualifier.”
Sureeeeee 😉
COYG. Lets tear them a new one
Any win will do nicely, please. oh, and a clean sheet ahead of the trip to Goodison would be a bonus…
Thanks in advance,
gooners everywhere
if per and kos are not properly fit i would rather we play with three defenders in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 system. early days and we dont have to aggravate the situation. COYG
So what you’re saying is if we don’t have any centre backs available we should play with three defenders? How much sense does that make?
But.. it’s trendy and the pundits will like it!
Yeah, it definitely looked fantastic when that tactical genius van Gaal tried it against Swansea!
or like another “special tactical genius” whose specialty is “parking the bus”
All I am saying is they shouldnt be rushed back for sake of a game. Injuries always haunt us. Would love to see Miquel get a match if 4 defenders are playing. Kos was fit for CP and got a little
niggle.Again I dont have field reports but thats just my opinion.
Fair enough, but a 3-5-2 requires more CBs than a 4-4-2, not to mention properly-drilled wide players with some defensive ability.
If we want to play Debuchy as part of that back 3, we have to play one of our attacking midfielders as a wingback. Considering that we already find fault with them for not tracking back, the situation would be vastly exacerbated if they had no one behind them on the flank. We’d just be inviting crosses at the back and lose out on the width that overlapping full-backs give us up front.
@ goonerb: well that did come to mind. hoping for a good result with no further injuries.
I bet we play a 4-2-3-1 with Arteta and Flamini as the two holding midfielders – which is a terrible idea. Last season in 12 games where Flamini and Arteta played 60+ minutes together Arsenal’s record was 5-4-3. With just Arteta the record was 18-4-4 and with just Flamini 9-0-2. According to whoscored.com the team’s overall rating with just Arteta was 7.07, with just Flamini it was 7.00 and when they both played it dropped to 6.88. They just don’t play well together (exclude the 1st tie against Napoli), but Wenger plays them together when we need to shore up… Read more »
If we’re worried about center backs we’re much better off with 4 across the back and the outside fullbacks staying closer to home and providing cover. Kos had an ache before the CP match, but was declared fit. And yes, it is a risk playing him so soon. Dunno what to do about that. Ideally Alexis bags an unanswered hat trick in the first half and we can put Miquel in! Hopefully he can get a rest after this match and Per comes back into the team, although it sure would be nice to have him to mark Lukaku. Just… Read more »
If Koscielny and Mertesacker aren’t fit then, based on your idea, shouldn’t Arsene then play a 3-5-2 but with 1 centre defender and two wing-backs? It leaves you very exposed in the middle but leaves the main two central defenders on the bench/at home. It would certainly give Chambers a baptism of fire and we’d see if he could run the entire backline by himself….
Don’t be fooled this game is massive with regards to our finances. If we get through I guarantee that we will see another three big names at the club I include a forward in that figure.
Wenger has his hunger back as well as the continued backing from the Board financially. I can’t see him holding back knowing how finacially healthy we are.
I think 3’s a bit optimistic. We have some amazing attacking players already at the club, a defensive mid/defender or both and I think we’re set for the season!
Your first sentence is spot on; the second is nonsense. The headline to this article made me laugh out loud: sadly, our club is all about making money, and so winning this tie is absolutely vital to Kroenke and the Board. Wenger’s job is not to win trophies but to make sure that the cash keeps flowing in – that’s why Champion’s League qualification is vital. Actually capturing a piece of silverware would be a pleasant coincidence. And don’t think that if we get through to the group stages then there’ll be a crazy spending spree: Wenger will probably just… Read more »
I’m sure you totally saw the Ozil and Sanchez signings coming, right?
Any investor in any business cares about the financial streams in and out, true, but I don’t see how that precludes investors caring about winning trophies too, if only because winning them brings prestige, which grows the brand, which in turn brings more lucrative commercial endorsements. It’s a win-win situation for everyone when we obtain silverware. I don’t see what you’re accusing the board of–there are assuredly still funds available for Wenger to improve the squad, and, as we know, he usually takes his sweet time in using them and would usually saves them for next time if he can’t… Read more »
“Actually capturing a piece of silverware would be a pleasant coincidence” like the FA Cup last year? Do you just have a word document filled with negative comments that you just copy and paste, but never get changed no matter what happens? Your stance on everything is very bizarre and it’s moved from ‘supporter with his opinion’ to just being ‘support is negative about everything the club do’. Very very odd….
It does make one think if Wenger intentionally wanted the qualifying games so we have extra matches to play, hence more opportunity to build momentum and fitness. And extra revenue too, you know.
let’s get into the group stage
then not buying true Arsenal level ST and DM would be another reason for not a really successfull season
Can you list who you would like sold? I’ll put a bid in then to make sure your wish comes true.
be happy for winning the FA cup then
that’s our limit at the moment
Wow, you named two positions that are much less vital than CB.
That kinda weakesn your point.
They will be sick of us by the time we’re done with them. Oh they will.
It’s starting already, clueless commentators going on about how we missed a coup in taking Cesc back after his two assists. Against the mighty Burnley, well fuck me. These wankers just write up any shit about us there is possible it’s unreal.
It’s so predictable too. They’re completely ignoring Ramsey and Özil, not to mention that we used the money on Alexis instead. I wanted Fabregas before Chelsea signed him, but if I knew we were going to get Alexis, I would pick the Chilean, easy!
It’s because so many Gooners are easy to froth up. Suckers for it. And so easy to turn on the team and players.
Well, to your average person money doesn’t exist. They can’t uinderstand that we’re unable to spend loadsa money on positions that aren’t vital, they’re so used to the stockpiling system used by those with the blank chequebooks.
I’d have loved him back here but there are more pressing issues than his position.
How many times does Wenger have to say he’s not buying another striker before you believe it?
“Cazorla? I don’t know this guy” – Arsene Wenger, August ’12
For once, I wonder whether having a midweek game might even be a good thing? We looked so off the pace on Saturday, I get the impression the players just need games at the moment to build up fitness and sharpness. This game might not actually be a bad thing as we go into a tough couple of months where we need to get going quickly.
A win tonight please lads, if possible a slightly less stressful one than Saturday’s. Ta.
COYG!!
For all the talk Bilic might end up requesting for selfies with AW
Il be watching coyg
Come on let’s do this! How will you be ‘watching’ though? It looks like this match will not be televised by Sky Sports…
ITV. Marginally better than not on at all..
Streaming, ITV, being there, through some weird interplanetary wormhole? You can pick one although that last one is a little unstable….
I’ll catch the replay later tonight on Fox Soccer 2Go 🙂
Come to Canada. The match is on basic cable across the country.
we can always play diaby at CB or DM…diaby?…diabyy???? diabyyyyyy???
Billic reminds me of the GTA IV character. By the way dont worry we will win. We have done that against a better side last term.
He might not want to take selfies, but he’ll surely be calling AW frequently during the game asking if he wants to go bowling. lol
“we want to fight against the best in Europe”
That statement highlights what the problem is with Wenger, he’s too happy to make up the numbers and not hell bent on being the best.
Far to content to be in the competition for the sake of it and always 2 or 3 players short of actually being properly competitive.
Please, please, please Wenger buy the 2-3 players we need to make a proper fist of winning the thing otherwise what the hell are we doing being in it?!
I’m not sure how you got any of that from the statement you have highlighted….
Surely you have to be in a competition to fight against the best, also you need to fight as they aren’t going to simply open their legs to you. Seems like you wanted to have a negative opinion for the sake of it.
Would ‘we want to steamroll the best teams in Europe’ have been better if not realistic?
I’d rather he ignored the opposition and just made the best team he could.
I want Arsenal to be the best team in Europe not playing against the best team in Europe.
I don’t want us to be in the competition just to go out the moment we face one of the better teams, I want us to actually try and win it and do everything we can to be the best.
The focus on the “fight against the best in Europe” is negative. He shouldn’t even think about them, I wish Wenger was himself more positive.
Wow, this comment is just full of contradicting statements that go completely against the selected statement from Arsene. Again, I have no idea how you came up with your comment or even opinion based on what he said. “I want Arsenal to be the best team in Europe not playing against the best team in Europe” surely you need to be one of the better teams in Europe in order to face the better teams in Europe. “The focus on the “fight against the best in Europe” is negative. He shouldn’t even think about them, I wish Wenger was himself… Read more »
There’s no contradiction. Whilst Arsene Wenger seems to be just happy to play against the Real Madrid’s and Bayern Munich’s of this World, those teams are actually trying there damnedest to be the best. And no you don’t have to be one of the better teams in Europe to play them, you just have to be in the competition and that isn’t the same thing. Neither of those teams give a monkeys what Arsenal are doing, and they aren’t content just to have the opportunity to play us regardless of the result, they’re in the competition to win! I never… Read more »
CoyG..
And the tide of negativity returns.
It only took one Community shield win and opening day win. Can you imagine if they’d lost?
It took the sight of Fabregas turning in a MOTM performance for Chelscum to make me depressed.
The worst team in Europe and Fabulous is playing for THEM…
A MOTM performance against those powerhouses of English football Burnley FC. Let’s see those MOTM performances against us, City, Liverpool, etc… before we start thinking we’re missing out.
All the negative gooners who demand more and more money spent should feck off and support €helski or $hitty… Ul get what u want and we won’t have to listen to ur negative crap. That’s what I call a win-win 😉
not really
you should support some team like Everton for being so happy about winning the FA cup and Community shield
Why would you not be happy about winning trophies?
Why should fan’s not want us to be the very best?
Besiktas will be fresh after not playing at the weekend and sound up for it. They are going to come out crunching. Which, isn’t such a daunting prospect knowing we have the smouldering pace and physicality of Alexis as an outlet. Would like to see the Ox get a start too. COYG!!
CBack – Manolas heavily rumoured. I’d like Subotic but the Greek will be hard to beat price for value. DM – No need for a replacement. Arteta is sterling. But possibly (and sensibly) Rabiot for the future (in concert with Chambers Striker – Still think we could do with firepower up top. Sanogo has been potentially impressive but will benefit from a strong stint on loan. vargas has been linked on loan for free but I personally prefer us to grab Falcao if Madrid don’t bite. It will deny the mugmashers but more importantly give us creativity and goal threat… Read more »
Bsiktas away will be very tricky and followed by Everton.
Hope we start to click quickly
It would be cool to see Hayden play, there are some encouraging reports about him from Jeorge Bird.
Call me crazy but I’d give Bellerin a go today too.
Why do I get the strong feeling that the “rumored” big signing is waiting for these next two weeks to pen a deal with the Arsenal.
Qualify for champions league, and we should see a couple of great players join the club!
#COYG