Arsene Wenger understands that we Arsenal fans are desperate to win the Premier League title again. He wants the same thing of course but like the fans he has had to be patient through the frustrating years of spending little and selling our best players while all the clubs around us, especially Chelsea and Man City, spent money like it was going out of fashion.
At least the new stadium is no longer holding back the manager in the transfer market, although Stan Kroenke is never going to splash any cash that we do not have, so the pressure and expectation on the Frenchman is only going to increase. A lot of people are suggesting that the Gunners need to finish next season as champions to save Wenger but as he pointed out in his interview yesterday, reported on the Arsenal website, winning the Premier League is not that easy.
In fact, as Wenger reminds us, finishing in the top four is not that easy and those who have derided him by dubbing the top four as the Wenger cup seem to have conveniently forgotten that a lot of our rivals in the BPL cannot even manage that, or can only manage it on occasion. He used the case of Liverpool to highlight this point and it is hard to disagree.
Wenger said, “I don’t feel that we are affected too much by the pressure. We went to Manchester United in the FA Cup, we had to qualify in the Champions League. If you look at the start of the season, we had too many injuries in the first part of the season. Since January we haven’t lost any points compared to all our opponents. We have made progress and we had our players back as well. You fight with top-level teams and it’s difficult.
“Liverpool were a point away from winning the league last year and they are not in the top four this year. To be in the top four is not easy. It always looks obvious but you have to fight.”
Do not forget or underestimate the fact that until the last couple of years, Arsenal have been heavily outspent by the likes of Liverpool and our north London rivals as well as the really big clubs. The Spuds actually spent £350 milion to our £214 million in the decade up until the summer of 2012, with Man United just ahead of them, Liverpool blowing £414 million, Man City on £572m and Chelsea with a massive £673 million.
Let’s look at Liverpool as the boss suggests. They are a big club but have not managed a single Premier League title and last won the First Division back in 1990. And since we were last champions in the Invincible season, Liverpool have finished above us a couple of times but have also finished 5th, 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th and 6th.
You get what you pay for they say, so I reckon we should be glad that Wenger seems to be able to make more of Arsenal’s money than his rivals. But will he be able to get enough to finish at the top of the Premier League next season?
Great article. It is not until Wenger is gone that we will realise that everything we love about arsenal was created by Wenger. Wenger is the arsenal we know today. Of course it will not remain that way because he cannot coach forever but Wenger for now is Arsenal and Arsenal was created in his image. It is amazing what he has achieved with limited means while trying to play clean football without cheating or breaking the opposition’s legs.
Absolutely B@llocks statement. Arsenal was Arsenal before Wenger and will be when he has gone. Everything I love about Arsenal is not thanks to AW. His early years were phenomenal but his tenure in the second part of his AFC is a little less impressive to say the least.
I thank him for what he has achieved but I like many others feel the club could move further with new impetus and new ideas & blood.
His overall body of work is legendary. No other big name manager would have stuck it out under the financial constraints he had to live under. He turned down Real Madrid to stay at Arsenal and take grief from ungrateful cretins like you.
Ungrateful cretin?:)
Did I not just thank him above (give gratitude)?
Anyhow, Can you show me the evidence of Wengers refusal to go to RM? Would love to see it.:))
Show you evidence of Wenger turning down Real Madrid?
You mean like the comment from Florentino Perez in 2009? Google it… not hard. Or do you need the forum base to also cut up your steak into small bite sizes as well due to a total lack of capability to do anything for yourself?
Pellegrini got the job because Wenger rejected it.
Perez was quoted “He didn’t come because he feels very responsible about what has happened and what will happen at Arsenal. He didn’t want to abandon the club that he has given such a lot to.”, again many sources so just pick one. It is closly linked to another quote saying Pellegrini is the spanish Wenger LOL!
Now can you show evidence that Wenger has done worse than any other manager could have done for Arsenal since the stadium move?
Show the evidence, you ask for it so you should of expected someone asking the same from you.
Very nice googling. Sucka!
It changes nothing.
You’re right it changes nothing – you are still an ungrateful cretin. Nice description by GoonerG1 – which could be applied to all the haters here.
Well said mate,those who speak the truth tend to get thumbed down on here,but you are spot on
Money does a lot of things and money actually does buy you titles, PSG, Juventus, Mancity, Chelsea, Barca, Real madrid, money heavily spent to assemble a team that can win trophies.
Yes new stadium cost us some titles, but we had opportunities to win, if only the manager had made the right decisions, we need to improve our steel content, Coquelin has done marvelously well and additional Defensive Midfielder would go along way, a pacey forward with good finishing skills would be great.
We have had the money problem,, now we are basically over it, all is needed now is wenger to put trust in his squad and not in some players only
“if only the manager had made the right decisions,”
Like?
Care to pick one?
I know there have been missed oppertunities if you ignore the fact that everything can’t be done at once and when you realise that wenger isn’t the final voice of authority but Silent Stan is, if you are not ignorant then you kinda realise that Wenger has gotten the best out of a bad situation.
we chose the ‘bad’ situation earlier than letting it get into a worse situation with the stadium move, sometimes you got to pick the lesser of 2 evils.
Wenger should take the phrase ‘wenger cup’ as a compliment of how consistent we have been compared to others and I don’t see any other managers to have something named after them.
Hahahaha shut the F up haters 😀 😀 😀
Wenger has done tremendously well to keep us a stable Champions League side for the past 18 years, especially the last 10 years. Now is the point where we have to become more than that though. Being a CL side is taken for granted by clubs challenging for the title. Under Ferguson, United fans weren’t celebrating finishing 4th. After he left they realised how vital it was though.
You know only Real Madrid have more consecutive UCL seasons and that is only by 1 ^.^
Wenger is the longest serving manager in the UCL with a single club, not bad is it 🙂
never won it though,in fact hes never won any trophies in Europe his whole career,thats not very impressive,is it?
How is this for an alternate headline?:
‘Wenger uses the art of distraction in an attempt to make himself look better and slightly less ineffective’.
1 FA cup in 10 years cannot hide anything.
@alwin tank
“To definitely win something and, by the way, I wont be selling the club until I do. And when I say”win something: if we ever get into a position of being in a Champions League place, that also counts as winning something”
Mike Ashley Newcastle United owner…
Mike gets it…LOL
Wenger must win league next season or go.
No more excuses.
When Wenger leaves we will win league in 2 seasons. Something has not been able to do in 10.
Arsene has NO excuses left. 2 seasons in a row we have had money now, and he has failed to challenge for title or do anything significant in UCL. Managers get sacked for less. I would comfortably bet my life we wont win title next season and its all down to Wenger still being at the helm. People want to win the big trophies yet think Wenger can lead us there. Not possible. How does, “it could be worse” make us any better for next season?
Strong statement about betting your life,but i have to say i agree with you
Specialist in failure. How about u telling us to looj at chelsea and mourinho. I suggest u focus on d villa game and get ur tactics right
its clear that arsenal has a wrong altitude..the team plays for number four.in January when Wenger’s trophy was at a threat, you all know how well we played and it happens in all seasons..we always play well until we secure our trophy.And do you remember what happened as soon as we had secured number four? we lost our charge!! three points from four games!!! lol
nb..arsenal can beat any team anywhere in order to secure top four spot…after that is done, arsenal can loose to any team.
@kenyanfan
Exactly…
spot on, once we get 4th, just about EVERYONE seems satisfied. including board, wenger and now even players… HORRIBLE attitude, but this is what happens when 4th place becomes the new 1st.
*OT*
R.I.P.
Bill O’Herlihy RTE’ Sports Comentator
“So we’ll leave it there so. Okey Doke. Good Night and God Bless”
Pathetic, Wenger again trying to make top 4 look like a trophy and all the wnger lovers are eating it up. Arsenal ba bigger club than Liverpool atm and could easily get somebody like Ancelotti, Klopp if the board actually put in the effort. And dont tell me these managers wouldn’t do better than Wenger. How much more delusion will some fans with sense have to endure? Its so sad people on here think we will challenge for ttitle next year. They find themselves saying the same things EVERY single year. Time to move on from Wenger people…
Spot on @RSH
Boring boring Arsenal? How are we known now? We are known for playing the best football in the Premiership. Wenger has taken this club to another level. FACT! No one will ever go the whole season unbeaten. Mmmmm perhaps Wenger………. the tide is turning. We will be the best once more. …….it has started…..
Real Madrid have sacked Ancelotti apparently. How can a club sack the manager after he won the CL with them just last year and managed to get to the semifinals this year too, as well as 2nd in the league. Annoys me when clubs seem to think they’re entitled to success every season. After going 10 years without winning the CL, you’d expect them to value the manager that wins it a little more…
Because Real Madrid are sore losers along with their disrespectful fans.
Ronaldo is a ponce who gets angry and throws his toys out the pram if another player on his OWN team scores instead of him…..
and yet you’d take him at Arsenal in a second…
Nope. I’d take bendtner back
I don’t think they believe they are entitled to be No.1. I guess they just want to do everything in their power that they believe will give them the best chance to be so.
It’s those margins I guess that enable you to win 10 Champions Leagues/European Cups.
I personally wish our club and board had a little bit more of the same focus and ambition.
To me that’s them feeling entitled. Ancelotti won them the CL last year. Their first in 10 years. Plus the Copa del Rey and club World Cup. Reaching the semifinals and coming 2nd in the league is hardly a poor showing. They aren’t the best team in Spain, or Europe. Can’t demand trophies if you’re not the best side…
With the success ancelotti brought to the club during his tenure I would have thought they would maybe give him a bit longer. But like I said they are doing what they think will put them on top again.
As a fan you would at least know they are doing everything in an attempt to be número Uno.
Maybe we will now see him In the premier League next season!
It is a mentality thing. One of arsenal players once said Sanchez is working too hard. Now, if all those arsenal fans who are satisfied with the trophy less experience are real Madrid fans they would have asked that Wenger begin to produce result because they believe we should not win trophy. Until we covet success we can’t be successful. you are right @ArseOver
Imagine if some of the guys on here were Real fans – Wenger getting hung out to dry by his balls for not winning PL in 10 years – RM now one La Liga in 7 seasons, richest club in the world in a 2 team league, two most expensive players in history, 300+ CR7 goals…….and so it goes on. And the one La Liga title was a Mourinho special where he got hounded out of town for stinking up their club.
He is attempting to make his failings look like success by drawing the attention to poorer performing clubs.
Southampton with a rookie manager and considerably less resources managed to be only be 15 points behind us (5 wins). Let’s look at them shall we?
@ArseOverTit
Koeman is not a rookie manager…
I should have elucidated. Rookie in the PL.
Pretty good first season. Young manager, 1st season in PL with southamptons lowly resources.
The same thing was said of Klopp..look at how that turned out…attaining success isnt that difficult, sustaining it is..most of you lot wanted Roberto Martinez to replace Wenger after his heroics with Everton last season..Everton has finished 11th this season..mentioning Brenda isnt even worth it anymore..get my drift?
Too many gooners enjoy defending 4th place… meanwhile Chelsea fans celebrating EPL. Which would you rather be doing, I’d much rather celebrate Arsenal winning the league instead of coming up with overused excuses, and pointing at lesser clubs and saying “it could be worse”. I find it pretty funny that this article points out that Liverpool live in their former glory when Arsenal is doing the exact same thing and dont even realize it. The only thing I see on official Arsenal sites and media are things about the Invincibles. That was over a decade ago. I swear we are quickly becoming Liverpool without even realizing it.
Wenger has made us financially secured by consistently finishing in top four…under him we have toped the FFP league for over 10 yrs. Its not just about winning big trophies but class & traditions matter too!
He is a bargain at £10m a year double his salary & his contract now!
@NIKK
RESPECT…
A Chelsea fan here. yea, thumb me dwn all u want buh I’ll tel u d truth. No progressive-minded man who wants to achieve anytin compares himself to doz he’s better than…only failures do dat. Check dis out: Mourinho bows out of any club if he goes 2 yrs witout a MAJOR trophy, Ancelloti has one trophiless season in Madrid nd he’s gone, Klopp is outta Dortmund 4 one bad yr. Its pathetic for Wenger to come out nd tell arsenal fans to run around London celebrating top 4.
For f*cks sake, we already kno its hard to win d EPL but big clubs do d hard jobs. IMHO, I’ll be happy if Arsenal can rope in Ancelloti (he won us d title in 2010) so dt we can hav a proper London derby nxt season, one as competitive nd unpredictable as d Manchester derby.
tnk u
Give Wenger 150mill+ to spend every season..he will rip Moaninho a new one
Having no money to spend compare to the big teams I think arsene has done great all those years keeping us in the top four. I know we are hugely disapointed it took us 10years to win one trophy.
Arsene did get alot of things wrong, signing wise and tactic wise but it was Arsene who got us through that mess and I honestly think we need to give him a bit more time now to get the title challenging squad ready.
Lets give him a chance, the good thing is tactically he makes changes now, we won the FA cup and we expect to win it again, we have improved in the league and performed better against the big teams. We are holding onto our players something we couldn’t do before and we are spending money on top players.
I hope we sign a top keeper, a DM and a top striker. COYG
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