Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hoping final day chaos can help the Gunners qualify for the Champions League
- Arsenal face Everton on the final day of the season sitting fifth in the table
- They need Liverpool or Manchester City to slip up to secure a top-four finish
- Arsene Wenger said it 'can happen' but 'what we have to do is to win the game'
Arsene Wenger is hoping that the haphazard nature of the final day of the season will somehow see Manchester City or Liverpool slip up and Arsenal qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal need to beat Everton and hope Liverpool can’t beat Middlesbrough or win and hope that Manchester City lose at Watford and that they can make good a five-goal deficit in goal difference.
And though it seems unlikely, Arsenal were in a similar position in 2006 when a bout of illness saw Tottenham’s first-choice line up severely weakened and Arsenal overhaul them on the last day for Champions League qualification.
Arsene Wenger hopes Liverpool or Manchester City will slip up in the race for the top four
Arsenal face Everton, knowing they rely on other results to qualify for the Champions League
Alexis Sanchez's brace against Sunderland helped maintain Arsenal's hopes of a top four finish
Wenger also cited the madness which saw Manchester City win the league on goal difference in 2013 with an injury-time goal from Sergio Aguero.
‘Man City won the Premier League in the last minute against QPR, so, it can happen,’ said Wenger. ‘But what we have to do is to win the game, first. What is always very difficult in these kind of games is to keep your focus on what you think is important
‘In 2006 we had the Champions League final to prepare. So we were focused on that, as well. Now we have the FA Cup final. But in 2006, you are playing Barcelona in the final and you still thought you had a chance to win the Champions League and to be in the Champions League again, so the fear not to be in it was less big.
‘This time, we are less likely to be in it but we still can manage it only by focusing on what we think is important, which is to win the game.
‘Overall, I believe what is vital for me is that we keep our focus on what we can influence and not too much on what is happening elsewhere. We can do 75 points, so let's do it. Will it be enough or not? I don't know, like you don't know. If you had to bet, you would say 'No,' it will not be enough but you never know. We have to do the 75 points.
‘Is Liverpool favourite? Yes. But we played 0-0 at home against Middlesbrough. It was not easy. But let us do the job. If it’s not enough, it’s not enough. ‘
Liverpool, currently sitting fourth in the table, face relegated Middlesbrough at Anfield
Third-place Manchester City, meanwhile, travel to Watford on the final day of the season
Wenger though insists that the financial implications of missing out are nothing like as calamitous as they once were, especially when Arsenal were weighed down with considerable repayments to make on their new stadium between 2006 -2010.
‘It has not the financial weight that it had before, for sure, because (Premier League) television money has gone up,’ he said. ‘Financially you don’t suffer anymore. I was sitting here during the period when we had to pay the stadium back and the income of the Champions League was absolutely vital. On the financial point, we are not in trouble. It’s more the fact that we want to play in the best competition
‘Financially, no it’s not a disaster. Sporting wise, did Chelsea play in the Champions League this year? Did Liverpool play in the Champions League this year? If we have to cope with it, we have to cope with it.’
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