Arsene Wenger says nobody should underestimate the importance of Sunday’s game with Manchester City even if Arsenal can’t win the title.
When the fixtures were released last summer the game was billed as a potential title decider, however, after Leicester were crowned on Monday both sides are left fighting over automatic qualification for the Champions League.
The Gunners are currently three points ahead of Manuel Pellegrini’s side and know they’ll secure at least third spot in the table with a win at the Etihad.
Looking ahead to his plans for the summer, the boss made clear that avoiding a European qualifier is absolutely vital given the international tournaments taking place.
“Sunday’s game is still important, even if Leicester are champions today and we are second best,” Wenger told press on Friday.
“It is still a very important game because part of the responsibility of being professional is to prepare the future. The future of Arsenal Football Club depends on this game.
“There’s a European Championship and there’s a Copa America [in the summer]. To get our players back, we made a schedule. It’s absolutely very difficult because the European Championship finishes on July 10.
“If you think that you have to give at least three to four weeks of holiday to the players who go to the end [of the tournament], that means they come back at the beginning of August.
“Our target now is to secure a position in the Champions League next year. If possible, to get second place or at least secure third place. On Sunday we can achieve that. We still have two games, and if we win those two games we will be alright.”
COYG… Still make something out of this season by beating man city and Aston villa
A few years ago we had 2 points deducted for “failure to control our players“ sp*rs have now been charged by the FA for the very same offence. Win today my beauties and St Totteringham’s dad is ON.
COYG
Day Not bloody dad. Shame on me for not checking before posting. Hangs head in shame
City have been in pretty bad form recently. So they will play like world class players against us. I wouldn’t mind a 0-0 draw.
Of course all fans want Arsenal to win, and it wud be grt to get one over City esp at Emptihad.
However to say its crucial to summer plans … y do u need to win at City to not buy anyone in the Summer, and finish 3rd or 4th the following season?
?
Is there an English version of that comment..?
I wud recommend u get a good English Tutor
That, my friend, is called irony
Thought that was the joke.
I wouldnt mind a 4-0 win
The mindset we need right there!
I would absolutely take a draw, then a win against Villa would secure third place
And if the tots lose at Newcastle, second. And that would be so funny.
I just want to win and spuds lose so we are 2nd 🙂
No way, our goal difference is worse. To finish above Sp*rs they have to loose at least 5 points from 2 games and we win both ours. Miserable chance.
Have some faith bro, you never know hey we might just be lucky for once.
We need lasagna man.
Lasagna man, sign da ting!
Nope. If they drop four points and we win both of our games, we’ll finish above them.
Essentially, if spurs win one of their last 2 games, they finish above us. We’d have to win both of our games aswell.
Exactly. So we can celebrate St. Totteringham’s Day on the last day of the season!
It’s up for grabs now!
If pool win the Europa then third has to go for playoffs and fourth don’t get champions league right?
Wrong, England would have a fifth CL place in that case, and 3rd place would still get into the group stage.
I hv never understood how this things works.
So if Eng hv 5 teams then which wud be the 5th team … I am assuming top 4 get in as always, and then the 5th place team gets CL … or wud the 5th team be Liverpool?
England has 4 teams, but if Liverpool win the Europa League, they will enter Champions League next season as the 5th team. England basically gets an extra team if Liverpool wins, a “free spot”.
Ah ok
I can’t help looking up the table. The idea of overhauling the Spuds is a powerful one. Until that is impossible it’s the dream.
This is the shittiest City have been for years – probably the Robinho days. Although our team hasn’t been that better but a result in their stadium shouldn’t an issue. Play the counter like we did it at the Etihad last year, and coast to third or even a late St. Tot’s.
It’s funny how many fans were bitching about not winning the league this season, ‘it was arsenals for taking’ and so on so forth, then I get to read comments that somehow think that a draw is enough. I just hope we have 0 players with that kind of mentality. As a professional sportsman you should always compete for a maximum success and only injury is a good reason to refrain yourself from pushing to maximum, as to not make it worse, and if a football player lacks motivation to claim the maximum number of points at any point in… Read more »
If you look at the interview, what struck me was Arsene saying the result is VERY important for next season.
Dunno what to read into that?…
Its important for two reasons: 1. There are competitions our key players are in that will cut down on their pre-season rest. If we end up in 4th place we get stuck with the dilemma of whether to use them or not in the UCL qualifying round. So we either use players who need further rest in order to win in qualifying or take the chance of losing in qualifying with players who did not make it into a big European or Latin American tournament. Giroud, Koscielny, Cech, Ramsey, Ozil, Campbell and Alexis are certain starters for their teams. Coquelin,… Read more »
Giroud has never been a certain starter for France.
True. Certain call up then. Although with a man under suspicion as a blackmailer as primary competition his chances are somewhat enhanced even given his recent form. The French must be freaking.
As an aside, who do you prefer more in the world class striker category: Bitey McRascist or Karim BuyBackThisPhoto?
Did anyone notice Arsene saying “Sunday’s game is still important, even if Leicester are champions today and we are second best”.
We are second best behind Leicester city and not Tottenham, eh! Pretty subtle by the professor
Heh. Those bastards got lucky, that’s all.
By the way John Terry got himself sent off in his last Chalski game. Good riddance
I’m not looking forward to this summer as far as Arsenal are concerned. We’ve got a lot of transfer and contract business to sort out and not a great deal of time to do it. If we could do ourselves a favour and at least avoid the cl qualifying round that would be great.
No one gives a shit about Arsenal Coming 3 rd or 4th,this season has been a busted flush and even If Wenger is trying to polish this Mega turd, No one is having it.So his mentally weak team cant handle a qualifier in August,give me a break what a loser.
It is so important this year to finish third so we don’t have to face the CL qualification playoff in August with so many likely just returning to training in early August with the Euros and Copa America this Summer. Need to at least draw and then win vs Villa. Luckily 4th seems fairly secure now with just needing a win vs Villa (though with us this year nothing is a given even a home match against one of the worst teams in the league).
If we go out and win 3-0 then we’ll be making progress already and won’t need to buy anyone over the summer. I bet this is what Wenger is really thinking.
Tired of listening to the old man talking about his trophy. How can the future of Arsenal football club depend on the city game! Please this man is boring, so help us God
Wenger and his usual end of season talk. The club has taken up his mentality and the team reflects the same. No pressure to deliver. Strange situation we are in. This summer is going to be critical. Hope the club gets decisive and makes the right calls.
the future of arsenal fc depends on tomorrow’s game.
Time for all the players and the manager to take responsibility and pull their fingers out of their asses.
This has been a huge season of missed opportunities, don’t add these last 2 games to that list.
Watching Leicester atm with sadness in my eyes, we were close…. *sob sob
Hats off to Leicester!
We weren’t close at all.
Just a reminder that Leicester was at the bottom of the league, had no ‘star players’ and spent 22m on the entire squad. Nor was their gaffer the sort of football genius in reputation that the likes of Klopp or Brendan Rodgers seem to be attributed as. So pundits said Arsenal are stagnant and will never win a cup again, our cabinets were gathering dust. He just won two FA cups back to back RECENTLY. And the way Leicester have climbed from bottom to top of the pile, who’s to say we can’t do it next season? Where’s the logic?… Read more »
Lol Brendan Rodgers
Fuck all this debate .. Wenger WILL get another year ,, So next year will be the defining year of the manager .. He will have a decent squad . money available . champions league football .. we’ve got the new ground . paid the debts .. so the success or failure will be purely on him and no one else … lets see !
What plans ?
I don’t care about the game tomorrow. Just want Wenger gone this summer.
No shit Fats?
Dear Fats
He’s not leaving so enjoy another glass of Italian Gelato
I just can’t understand that mentality. From your moniker on this forum I can deduce 2 things, one of which is that at some point you were an arsenal fan. Why is the obsession with Wenger leaving more important than the results of the team? Personally, I like Wenger and appreciate and respect everything he’s done for this club, from really trophies and records, to champions league consistency and behind the scenes development such as the stadium and youth setup. However, I now think it is time to part ways. Not because of anything Wenger has done, but because of… Read more »
Apologies for the rant!
Don’t apologise, Basti. Good points well made imo.
No, being out of the title race by early March is the very definition of not competing. The fact that other “big” teams also underachieved this season does not mean that we should be 10+ points off from Leicester. But yeah, let’s hope for a fairytale ending to Wenger’s reign…
But you really it ain’t gonna happen, right? What’s coming up is another contract extension.
Don’t! My blood pressure is shooting up!
I thought the whole Leicester City wining the 2016 ELP is a great advert for the Premier League.
It’s great to applaud a team that’s not insufferably.
I thought it amusing that John Terry “left the football building’ with a red card. What an end to his footballing legacy
I feel sad for Rafa. He almost made it. But his players forget to play.
Mancity will be up for the game. Yaya Toure might actually move his legs a tad.
The contract extension will not happen until the season ticket renewal date has passed.
Then bang a 3 year extension will be in the offing. He may not sign it who knows. But I would be amazed if they don’t offer it to him. He meets the criteria that is the mindset of the club. Cl qualification with as little spend as is possible to achieve that goal.
I ain’t looking forward to this must win or more realistically at least draw game as we usually flop like a limp lettuce in such situations!!!
We qualified automatically last season and you bought…..a GK.
I don’t believe a word this man says anymore.
Yeah, I’ll believe this when I see him finally get rid of the players that are not of the level required of a serious CL contender, and see him actually splash the cash on a fair-market value deal for a world-class superstar or two (not like the Ozil/Sanchez deals where we basically got a 30% discount because their clubs desperately needed to sell them to make way for other bigger deals). Paying Zlatan whatever wage he wants would be a start. An Arsenal-record deal for Greizmann or Aubameyang would be another good step. If Mahrez is open to coming, get… Read more »
Losing to Swansea, drawing to CP and West Ham were more critical than this, why so late?
So we are third again and that must mean these players are good enough so no money will be spent?
I hope I’m wrong. I really hope so.