‘Wenger is right to consider top four as achievement’ claims former rival

Jamie Carragher has claims that finishing inside the top four should be accepted as an achievement, just like Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has previously stated.

The Gunners boss finished outside the Champions League places last season, the first time his side have failed to do so in his 21-year reign with the club. Wenger has come under scrutiny from fans and pundits alike for talking about finishing inside the top four as if it is something worth celebrating, and Carragher now believes it is an achievement.

“We’ve always criticised Arsene Wenger for saying top four was an achievement,” Jamie Carragher said.

“I think top four is an achievement now, certainly for Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal.

“You name those three who probably spend the most money who go for the league, I’d say the other three are probably going for the last position.

“Maybe not Tottenham, I might be doing them a disservice there, I think they could go for the league.

“But it was always a top four when we played and you knew at the start of the season you’d make the Champions League.

“There was always Arsenal and Manchester United going for the league and it would be us or Leeds, us or Newcastle, or Chelsea, trying to get the last two positions for the top four really.

“Now it feels like a top six, where if you’re outside the top four it’s going to look like a nightmare season.”

The league has changed since Wenger first took over the club, and he could previously have expected to finish in the top four every season, but the situation has changed in recent years. With the emergence of the big spenders and with the new TV money being shared throughout the division, even the mid-table sides are getting stronger, and there is no guarantees in the Premier League any longer.

Do Arsenal fans accept that a top-four finish is now an achievement? Would any change other than a free-spending multi-millionaire owner taking over the club actually change our expectations?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Carragher

6 Comments

  1. If I were an Everton or Newcastle fan
    top 4 would be an achievement.
    Unfortunately Wenger gave up
    title aspirations after being butchered by
    Mou in ’05+ ’06 then destroyed by Ferguson in ’07’08’09.
    Stan Kroenke completed the transformation by implementing
    his “winning titles is too expensive sustainable model”.
    Now Wenger and his players are paid vast salaries to never win.
    Stan’s share value increases by 50 mill per season.
    Minister for propaganda Gazidis is always adamant the club is wealthy healthy and wise.
    Every summer the minister assures us we are indeed ready to challenge.
    Challenge for the League title? No. “The” title. The 4th place title.
    A generation who once revered the Invincibles has in 10 years
    been slowly but successfully weened off such expectations
    and is now urged to become loyal top 4 fanatics.
    Leicester won with a team of cheap nobodies and a
    65 year old manager who had never won anything previously.
    But such incidentals fall on deaf ears at 4thplaceisus@arsenal.con
    A famous victory against the Hornets on Saturday evening will
    confirm that the 4th place glory title race is well and truly back on.
    Yeah 🙁

    1. arsenal4life ”Now Wenger and his players are paid vast salaries to never win”…..you have a point worth considering….I say…unlike players now Wenger is paid vast salaries to never win….we have seen in recent past that Wenger deslike seeing Arsenal top of the table….still what is not clear for me is player injuries when Arsenal is on form and leading the table….

  2. Piece of shoot carragher said Tottenham can go for the league and Arsenal for top 4.. Such bad days for arsenal fans.. fook the reality..

  3. Wrong. We have the child of Zeus in our Youth Academy. Nelson will take us to the treble. Who’s Messi.

  4. Hate to agree with Carragher (and Wenger!), but he is right. Top 4 is now a big ask, and is to be considered an achievement. There is more money than ever floating around football, which means those clubs who spend big will attract and retain the top players. So the like of Chelsea, City and United are likely to be top 3 with a few others scrabbling around for the top 6 places with an eye on the prized top 4.

    SO, Wenger was right all along..

  5. His ex-club despite not being Champions of England, went on to conquer Europe. So do we celebrate like crazy when we managed 4th place and FA cups?

    I think we should read between the lines. He basically glorified his club for not being able to win the league.

    I’m sure he won’t say the same if Everton goes higher than his you-never-walk-alone club.

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