Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to believe in one more day of shocks in
the Premier League in order to preserve his proud record of qualifying
for the Champions League.
The 67-year-old has never failed to guide the Gunners into a
qualification spot for the competition in his 20 full seasons at
Arsenal, but his side face an uphill battle to finish in the top four
this season.
Arsenal are a point behind fourth-place Liverpool and three adrift of
Manchester City in third going into the final round of matches on
Sunday.
A win for Wenger's side would lift them to 75 points – four more than
they managed last term, when they finished second – but that would not
be enough to move into the top four if Liverpool beat Middlesbrough and
City avoid defeat at Watford.
But Wenger, pointing to City's dramatic title win in 2011-12 when
Sergio Aguero struck the crucial goal in injury time, insists anything
is possible.
"We can do 75 points, so let's do it," said the Gunners manager.
"Will it be enough or not? I don't know. If you had to bet, you would
say: 'No, it will not be enough'. But you never know.
"Man City won the championship in the last minute against QPR, so it can happen.
"It's unpredictable. Liverpool will certainly be up for it;
Middlesbrough will be up for it. Is Liverpool favourite? Yes. But we
played 0-0 at home against Middlesbrough. It was not easy."
Arsenal were in a similar position in 2005-06, when they leapfrogged
Tottenham to go fourth on the final day of the season after their north
London rivals – whose squad had been blighted by food poisoning the day
before – lost 2-1 to West Ham.
But Wenger says the fear of missing out that year was not as great
given that they had the chance to qualify for the following season by
beating Barcelona in the final, although they went on to lose that match
2-1.
"In 2006, we had the Champions League final to prepare and this
season we have the FA Cup final," he said. "We thought we had the chance
to win the Champions League and to be in the Champions League again, so
the fear to be in it was less big.
"This time, we are less likely to be in it but we still can manage it
by only focusing on what we think is important, which is to win against
Everton."
Wenger has also hit out at the importance being placed on a top-four
finish following years of criticism for delivering few other successes
of note at Emirates Stadium.
"For 20 years, I had to answer: 'Is that all you have to offer?' So,
Sunday, it becomes an absolutely vital subject? Absolutely
unbelievable," he said.
"Financially, you don't suffer any more [by failing to qualify].
During the period when we had to pay the Emirates Stadium off, the
income of the Champions League was absolutely vital. But it does not
have the financial weight that it had before because television money
has gone up.
"It's more the fact that we want to play in the best competition but
did Chelsea play in the Champions League this year? Did Liverpool? No.
If we have to cope with it, we have to cope with it."
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