Finishing top four is not as easy as it looks, says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

ByTom Bennett

Published 04/04/2017 at 12:12 GMT

Arsene Wenger is hopeful that his Arsenal side can still finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, but believes that the protests around the club’s current position highlight that “people realise suddenly that it's not as easy as it looked always”.

Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City left them seven points outside the Champions League qualifying positions with a game in hand.

But Wenger is still looking up.

"I tell myself to finish as high as possible... It (finishing in the top four) is a good challenge but I think it's perfectly possible,” Wenger said, before adding:

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Certainly for 20 years I have done it and it looked always like it's nothing. Suddenly it becomes important, so I am quite pleased that people realise that it's not as easy as it looks. If you listen to (Manchester City manager) Pep Guardiola, he said the other day that to achieve the top four in England is a trophy because it's so difficult.

Arsenal have come back from weak positions in the past under Wenger, maintaining a record that has seen the club finish no lower than fourth in any of the past 20 seasons. And Wenger, who has overseen that entire run, says that his team’s experience of recovering from positions of adversity will count in their favour.

"The experience will play a part, of course, but I think it is just about sticking together and continuing to fight," he said.

"If we show the same spirit we showed against City, we will win football games. We have played 20 games unbeaten this season, and I think it's a good opportunity to remind people we are not fighting to not go down - we are fighting to have a positive end to the season.

"That's why you want the fans to stand behind the team and that the debate at the moment is about that.

Arsenal fans protest against manager Arsene Wenger after the match

Image credit: Reuters

"Let's finish as strong as we can and show that we have some resilience, some quality and some mental spirit that we have shown against City," Wenger added.

"Of course we have a difficult task in front of us, but I am happy as well that people realise suddenly that it's not as easy as it looked always."

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