In the grand scheme of things it would make very little difference to Arsenal if we finished up in second or third place in the Premier League table this season. Both places carry an automatic qualification for the group stages of the Champions League, unlike fourth which means a play-off at the start of next season, but there is no extra advantage to coming second rather than third.
That does not stop Arsenal fans from hoping and praying that the Gunners claim that second spot this weekend, though, as it will mean that we stop the Tottenham fans from gaining EPL bragging rights over us for the first time in 20 years. It is not in our own hands though, so all we can do is make sure that we beat Aston Villa at the Emirates and hope.
As well as being an Arsenal player, the England international midfielder Jack Wilshere is a Gooner through and through and so he wants that second place as much as anyone and in a Metro report the 24-year old has backed the Newcastle United team of Rafa Benitez to do us a favour in their final game against the spuds.
Wilshere also made a point of reminding the Spurs fans who the traditional holders of power in our neck of the woods are, while also suggesting that their poor recent run of form and their loss to Southampton last weekend has really helped Arsenal to keep going and avoid a really disastrous campaign.
He said, ‘We all knew the Spurs result and of course that motivates us.
‘We want to finish above them and show we are the best team in north London.
‘We expect to win our home games so hopefully Newcastle can do us a favour.’
‘I saw about 10 minutes of the first half and when I turned it off it was 1-1.
‘Obviously, then you are checking your phone in the dressing room. When we saw it finished 2-1 it gave us a real lift.’
It certainly seems that the pressure that was all on Arsenal has now switched firmly to the white bit of north London and with the Magpies having something to play for, could Jack be right about them doing us a big favour?
Bob.
Who knows what could happen? Newcastle has a lot to play for to avoid relegation, so being at home (St James park) they will have the fans behind them cheering for Victory over spurs and epl survival! So a Newcastle victory will be sweet indeed!
@Greg……..and since when did St James park become a fortress?
..i expect both sides to fight Tooth and Nails tho
a battle Line is Drawn
*Finish Above Relegation* VS *Finish Above Arsenal*
the spuds are well aware of the fact that they sit two points ahead of us…..are they willing to throw away that chance now (after Losing out to the saints in their Last outing)?……I don’t think so
Newcastle are in a relegation battle for survival……are they willing to play in the championship?……I guess Not
Then comes the worst case scenario…..what if they share the spoils and go home with a draw?……it will mean we’d be Level on points with the spuds (if we beat villa)
But then there comes the Biggest Drawback…… “Superior Goal difference”
Oh!….the Joy of scoring and scoring and scoring
whatever the outcome, would be Interesting!!!!
The out come is:
Wenger has achieved his seasonal Goals!!
And his goals are far more important than the one’s you’re on about! ?
The Boards minimum requirements:
Qualify for the champions league [✔]
( 4th is Golden ?)
Qualify from the Champions league [✔]
Group stages.
Congratulations Mr Wenger!
You May Now Sign on the dotted line ……………. ?
Sunderland have 2 games very dodgy for newcastel lets hope everton beat sunderland first
Well done for having some knowledge, mate ?
As long as Sunderland don’t win against Everton,
Even if that game finished a draw, Newcastle will still have a chance of staying up and thats the senario we need for them to be in, against the spuds.
Don’t forget that Newcastle beat the Spuds 2-1 at white fart lane.
Bottom Line is…….if the spuds somuch as win or draw against the Toons, Then there’s no way we are finishing above em……even if we beat the villains 5-0!
Where did it all go wrong?
*ThanksToTheGoaLDrought*
There is a dark cloud to every silver lining, isn’t there?
what goal drought? it ended on monday…
Apart from on internet or in the TV then I can go ahead and say that totenham doesn’t exist to me, trust I have never met a single totenham fan in life (where I live) so its even surprising to me people consider them as a big team.
If a pLayer Like Sanchez is asked…….
What do u think on finishing above the spuds??
He will be Like WTF….i’m Looking to Lift the EPL instead
well we know Jack wilshere and the other bunch (not gonna name names)……they will do everything to finish above spuds
but can’t do the easiest thing needed to carry the League!!
#MentaL#
Winning the league is so easy that 19 teams didn’t do it… Wait! Only one team per year can do it…. so that means that every year 19 teams are useless failures and one team has been successful. What a depressing, moribund, small-minded way to think.
@paul……..u are the one not thinking broadly ere……look again
We will even miss out on 4th Place Trophy this season and no Emirates Cup
So no Trophies this year
What is Wenger doing at Arsenal like seriously? What good does £8 million a year do for a man with no family?! He has already soiled his legacy with his constant failure to address obvious issues and to win meaningful trophies. Whatever he has been trying to proove for the past 12 years he has failed and he must man up, accept it and give somebody else a chance. His “love” for us is killing the club.
It would be amusing that, after a season of nothing but Arsenal suck, Wenger out, the team has gone to shit, all our top stars are leaving, Mourinho is going to Man U… Wouldn’t it be just terrific to finish in second? Of course, it will still be failure. After all Jose mourinho said Wenger’s a specialist in failure, so the guy who took his team from winners to 17th, he’s the guy you want to listen to when you evaluate your club.
Seriously though, is that the roller coaster Arsenal fans want? Winners, then relegation zone? The hardest thing to listen to is the attitude that somehow, just because Arsenal have consistently remained title challengers despite having less than a third of the resources of Chelsea, Man City, and Man U; they are somehow owed the title by their manager and owners. One team a year wins it all and anyone in the top four, with a little more luck, could be winners.
Think that’s wrong? Okay. By Christma, Leicester had 10 penalties awarded, double the next club. That’s ten points. Minimum. Minus those points, would Leicester be winners? Well… they’d be tied with Tottenham going into a game against Chelsea. Tottenham have a better goal difference, and are playing relegation candidates Newcastle. Arsenalmight be two back, playing bottom feeders Aston Villa.
That’s how close it is between first and all the glory, and third and being told you need to sack your manager, sell all the players, chuck out the owner, buy a whole new starting XI for about £1,000,000,000 and and hire Mourinho to coach them.
So is that a ridiculous scenario? We’ve all seen plenty of penalties given that shouldn’t have and plenty not given that should have. Is it so far fetched that instead of getting double the penalties of every other team, Leicester city got the same amount. Or, maybe, one or two less than the next highest? Then what? Would Leicester, trailing Spurs by six going into the last five or six games have eked out those 1-0 wins?
Ask yourself this one; if Diego Costa were ejected from the first Chelsea/Arsenal game for twice slapping Koscielny, Gabriel would never have been in the alteraction with the little thug. To that point, Chelsea generated nothing and Arsenal clearly looked the better team. If Arsenal don’t lose that game, what else changes?
The competition at the top of the league is fierce, it’s waged on the pitch, in the board room, and in the transfer market. And despire Leicester’s incredible victory, in 22 years, only six different teams have won the league. Claudio Ranieri himself said that Leicester’s miracle won’t be repeated any time soon. Man City, Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea will spend £1,000,000,000 between them to upgrade. Tottenham may not lose any players but how will the club react if Real Madrid offers £100 million and £300,000 per week in wages for Harry Kane and Barcelona offer £60 million and £200,000 for Dele Alli. What if Man City do something similar? What if Barcelona come in for Hugo Lloris with triple wages offered? Even if they don’t leave, is it possible it will affect the team’s cohesion?
The second hardest thing to do after making top four is staying there. Ask Liverpool. Or Spurs.
p35….
What a load of nonsense…… All the what if’s are great WITH Hindsight. The what if’s concerning other teams doesnt concern me. What I wanted at the start of this season was to strengthen the team… we had a feeling, there were areas to be filled but noooo so looking at your what if’s? what if Wenger had bought some players… what if wenger had not played his favourite…what if wenger had changed his tactics to suit the teams arsenal were playing…. what if kronke hadnt bought shares you could go on and on.
From our point this is the perfect season for Spurs to finish above us because they thought they were gonna win the league so they can’t appreciate it properly whilst we laugh at them and at the same time 2nd and 3rd achieve exactly the same thing with CL qualification .perfect scenario for it to happen ! End of the day they will always be in our shadow no matter what just like Madrid over atletico liverpool over everton , it’s just the way it is