Wenger believes Top Four is best way to Champions League – not the Europa

Arsenal have dropped out of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, but Arsene Wenger is still adamant that he would rather that the club return to the Top Four to guarantee Champions League football next season, rather than win the Europa League, like Manchester United did last season.

Jose Mourinho’s side finished below us at the end of the last campaign, but were happy to reach the ECL as winners of the minor competition, but Wenger refuses to think of this as Arsenal’s best route. “Wednesday or Thursday night is no difference for us‚” Wenger said. “Apart from the different competition.”

“But you play similarly. Winning the competition is not the best chance [for Arsenal to return to the Champions League]. It is one of the opportunities. But I have come out many times to say I think the best way to do this is through the Premier League. We’ve qualified for 20 years through the Premier League. We want to win every competition we are in, but we don’t do that for the reasons of qualification.”

That would seem to indicate that he is not intending to take the Europa League too seriously, and judging by the amount of changes to the starting line-up he intends to make tonight it will look like one of his League Cup sides, but Wenger is still pretending that he wants to win it but admits his disappointment at not being in the major event. “Of course the disappointment from not finishing top four was there, but we were one point short‚” Wenger said. “We won 76 points last year. Now we are humble enough to be happy enough to win every single competition we are in.”

I think when we see the team that plays tonight we will think we are watching the Europa League Cup!

Darren N.

29 Comments

  1. Wenger and kroenke. You know I don’t mind arsenal not spending money etc: But atleast show some ambition. We should be up there competing for the league. But instead we are looking at a top4 finish. Leeds show more ambition than arsenal. It is money or spending, it is a question of ambition. We don’t show any and it comes from the owner and manager.

    1. If I ever need a brain transplant, I’d choose yours because I’d want a brain that had never been used. I wish you would climb up your ego and jump off onto your IQ. Guy, must Arsene see the need to answer every question asked? Is there something in his contract that says he must give an answer to every question? I’m proud to be a Gooner and always will be and the Stadium is a monument to the fans’ faith. Your ignorant claim talking about our lack of ambition? Really? Lacazzete for 54m buy is a lack of ambition? Good Lord? Look at yourself in the mirror and have a word with youself, Lad. Is that the right attitude of a true fan? Replacing problem-focused thinking with solution-focused thinking immediately gives you a sense of forward movement, possibility, and hope — the foundations of optimism. Focus on solutions, not on problems. Most people have no control over their emotional well-being. They feel ecstatic when good stuff happens and depressed when things go wrong. Their lives are roller coaster rides: sometimes up, sometimes way down. But what if you could be happy no matter what happens? Like us the true happy supporters that stick no matter what. Instead of blaming others for what’s wrong in your life, focus on what you can do to make things better. Never sulk and try not to feel sorry for yourself too often. It’s your responsibility to make yourself happy: nobody else’s and be happy that our Supreme Leader is still at the helm you ungrateful moaners. Appreciate the sky you see on your way to work each day. Cherish each moment you spend with the people you love. Savor every bite of food you get to eat. Enjoying every experience will give you many new reasons to be happy and bring joy to the monumental Emirates. In short, we tend to have unreasonable expectations. Every non gullible arsenal fans should spread the positivity around our clubs including in blogs. You all disgruntled fans and useless chicken to do anything moaners always seem to simply make things up and attribute them to other people, have a look at yourself mate cos that’s the behavior of a complete tw@ts. I know Wenger has been criticised this season, but Wenger has got the whole club right. It is profitable, growing, cultured & consistent.

      RESPECT ARSENE.

      1. why we should respect arsene ? for his past glory. u fans are the reason is still in charge. Do u notice and i will bet u we will fail against every top team. chelsea man city man utd totenham and even everton
        we may get a draw home but we will loose every single away game against these team. Until ARSENE is dead. hopefully not but he should resign

    2. Owner kept an old dog who doesn’t learn any new tricks, formation n transfer dealing. Same old lies and low down acting to help owner save millions.

      Owner remain happy to stack away all cash and waiting to find chance to move those money back to his home far far away….

      Any one knows what the cash is doing in the bank? Are we building another stadium? Serious puzzling…

  2. The difference between Wenger and Mourinho (love him or hate him) is that he goes out to win everything he enters.

    1. Be careful what you wish for. We all spring from apes but you didn’t spring far enough. Some people don’t hesitate to speak their minds because they have nothing to lose. It turns out there is an Arsenal fan in the Cologne side: their goalkeeper Timo Horn. Here’s what he told the non-accountable Independent. “I’ve always thought of Arsene Wenger as a fantastic manager. “I like the football culture in England and Arsenal just had something in my view that the other teams didn’t have. I’ve always enjoyed the style of football they try to employ even if they haven’t won that many titles. “People forget quite quickly the times gone by and the years where he made a real impact on the club to get them where they are today, which is why I don’t quite understand the protests.” He also noted Olivier Giroud as “a player I admire in terms of his style of play.” Timo was voted best goalkeeper in the German League behind Manuel Neuer last season. And who are you compared to Timo the someone?

      RESPECT ARSENE.

      1. now the 4th place junkies have turned in to followers of charles darwin … though obviously not survival of the fittest variety … i believe cologne are bottom of the bundesliga so like janis said when you aint got nothing you’ve got nothing to lose including with silly praise for opposing team manager and players …

    2. Yes, that is the big difference, and you can add that the difference also is, that Mourinho works in management positions in clubs, that will sack him, if the team doesn’t win, whereas Wenger work for Arsenal, which these days seem to be content even when we fall to top 5-6 in England and get totally humiliated by better clubs/teams in England and in Europe.

      1. I don’t know about you guys, but i would love it if Arsenal won a European trophy. It would only enhance us for future champions league matches.

        Its disgusting that Wenger has been been a manager for a rich/top football club for 22 years and not to have won a european trophy.

  3. Id rather win europa league trophy and finish 5th or 6th than win no trophy and finish 4th. 4th place doesn’t help us since we never challenge for the champions league trophy.

    1. The strange fantasy world inhabited by some who comment on Arsenal and it’s all time Best Manager. It’s hard to get the big picture when you have such a small screen. Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion? Our Supreme Leader is a class while your obsessed Jose is a disgrace with no class. As our Great Supreme Leader says,”I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art.” There are people who see the world in a way so different way from us the true fans, but that’s fine,everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Now maybe I was doing the usual supporter thing of seeing the world through Arsenal coloured glasses. But even if that were so, how does that affect the reality of the issue? all the pundits the media put out to comment on Arsenal’s management have either never been managers, or when they were managers they failed. Earth is full, go home.

      RESPECT ARSENE.

    2. Spot on Quantic – start with the Europa and move on.

      To compete for 4th we need a tighter and more organised midfield and defence. 4th is way out of reach this season.

    3. I would rather finish 3rd then win the EL and finish 6th. Finishing 3rd gets you direct CL football so it helps in recruitment of external reinforcements. But finishing 3rd also shows that you really only have 2 teams above you for next season where you have tried to close the gap. Whilst the teams below, you have to try to close the gap on you. Closing the gap on our budget and with our manager is a lot harder these days and having to win the EL every other year to qualify for CL football is probably statistically an even longer shot. So I would take 3rd over the EL and 6th and have to accept that there are now 4 or 5 teams in the PL above for me for the second year in a row.

  4. All the other fans take the p**s out of us for finishing in fourth place! But when their team does (liverpool) it’s all fine at least they’re in the champions league!
    I hope we do give the europa league a really good go, yes it’s not the Europe we wanted, but hopefully we’ll get back into it next season. COYG

    1. This is the behaviour of a true fan. Bow down people you ungrateful moaners.

      Let’s clear our Magnificent Emirates from the pest inflicted fans and support the team and the manager with joy and fresh air.

      ONE ARSENE WENGER.

      1. @jembut Dude put down the joint. So unless we are myopic lemmings like you then we aren’t true fans?
        You are the type of fan kronke dreams about. Pay your money, never question anything, and blame the fans for anything and everything.

        I guess Chelsea doesn’t have real fans because they are ok with running off managers.
        Too bad man utd doesn’t have any real fans either for wanting all their coaches fired.

        They would still have moyes or LVG managing if they took your advice.

        Do you even bother reading what you type, or do you just click the “post comment” button?

        You like positives, so here’s one; at least all the thumbs down hide your comments.

        Now, go ahead with your insults…..

  5. So we finish 5th last season and have a disappointing summer made worse by the lies told by Wenger and people are getting thumbed down for showing discontent. We will more than likely be humiliated by Chelsea this weekend and there will be anger but then we will beat a west brom or Burnley and then there will be article like get behind the team still in the title race. Ive gone from believing that Wenger was the main to believing that it’s us the fans. How can we let our club fall this low its not even about spending big its about buying the players we need. Would Nzonzi at 25 million bankrupted us no, would have taking on the PSG lads wages who went to West Brom have bankrupted us no, would it improve our midfield ten fold yes. Wenger is a cancer and Arsenal cannot recover until he is gone

    1. Think about the money we wasted on Perez, Gabriel, and Chambers none of whom were appreciated by Wenger!!! And then remember a player like Wanayama who went to Spurs for just 11 million last summer and how he contributed to Spurs campaign.

      It is not only, as you say, about spending money, it is the fact that the money we have spent doesn’t yield as much as it should. Even the purchase of Xhaka is dubious IMO and has still not proven to be a master stroke. So if you look at our acquisitions over the last 3 or 4 windows we have had too many mistakes. At least it looks like Laca and Kolasinac are good additions.

      But it is such a shame we never got much bang for buck from Gabriel, Perez or Chambers (until now) and that the jury is still out on Xhaka and that Mustafi’s situation and up and down performances are shrouded in mystery.

      1. You my friend have a selective memory but don’t worry I will remind you of some bad purchases by Spurs. Sissoko, Jensen, Soldado, N’je, Paulinho, shall I continue

        1. Did I say Spurs didn’t have bad purchases? I only recall saying that we had too many misses ourselves (Perez, Chambers, Gabriel all players Wenger ended up not eating and hardly using).

          I always liked Wanayama and used him as an example to show players don’t need to cost 30+ million to add quality and options to a squad.

  6. Firstly whatever arsenal or wenger does is never going to be good with the pundits and mark my words it will continue when wenger leaves or get the sack, secondly all the players you pundits want us to sign do they want to sign for arsenal? Based on what is being said on these site I wouldn’t sign for arsenal, we need a director of football performance which is different from director of football

  7. Wenger believes in everything that his mind thinks…He believes.. Wilshere can be iniesta xhaka into a viera welbeck to lumberg ozil to be a one henry … The list continues he stil believes we r gonna win the ligi…we the fans just see we r abit short y is it so difficult for wenger to see or may b ‘believe’ in reality?

  8. Arsenal should win europa league. Come on lets handle what we at hand its what we worked for and winning the cups however big or small builds winning mentality in our team. Top 4 finish we have achieved that goal for the last 13 years. Here is an opportunity for us to win something and get direct qualification lets do it as we prepare the team for next season.

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