Wenger wary of qualifying drain

AT ARSENAL, on more occasions than Arsene Wenger would care to remember, it has been a focal point for early-season stress, the elephant in the dressing room, stomping around, spreading unease.

They have contested the Champions League qualifying playoff in seven of the past nine seasons and, although they have always advanced into the group phase, it is difficult to quantify just how much it has sapped the squad, both mentally and physically.

Wenger had a try. The manager talked of the tension and the pressure, of the dire consequences of failure that can nag away at the players and how it would to have a bearing on the team’s desire to make a fast start in the Premier League.

Udinese in 2011 is the one that sticks in Wenger’s mind. He remembers the stifling heat in Italy and, more than anything, the relief after Arsenal had squeaked home. The payback would come four days later. Arsenal went to Manchester United in the league and were walloped 8-2.

Wenger goes back to Old Trafford on Monday morning ( NZ time) and the Champions League playoff forms the back story. Arsenal are eager to dodge it for a change and they would do so with a win. A draw, too, would be a positive result for Wenger’s team, and even a defeat ought not to derail them with their game in hand.

‘‘It’s very important for your season preparations not to have that kind of stress of the playoff over your head from the first day you start again,’’ he said on Saturday. ‘‘We know what it means and we know it’s always tricky, because you can play against teams who are in the middle of their championship when you are in preparation.

‘‘ It is the pressure and the consequences of not qualifying that are massive. Every day in practice you have to focus on thinking you have to be ready. When you qualify at Udinese, it is a relief but days later you go to Old Trafford to get exactly the same focus. You know you have more chance to lose the game than to win it, so sometimes you pay the price Arsenal face losing Chilean playmaker Alexis Sanchez for the start of next season because of the Copa America tournament. in the Premier League.’’ Wenger said that a playoff – and the uncertainty over whether the club would make the Champions League group phase – could affect the incoming transfer deals. ‘‘It is difficult,’’ he said. ‘‘They think that most of the time you’re playing in the Champions League but you’re not sure.’’

There is also the issue of players who may be involved in the Copa America. Wenger stands to have three players in Chile for the tournament which kicks off on June 11 – Alexis Sanchez ( Chile), David Ospina (Colombia) and Gabriel Paulista (Brazil). The final is on July 4 and Wenger always likes to give his players a four-week break.

If Arsenal win the FA Cup, they will play the Community Shield on August 2.

The league season begins on August 8, with the first Champions League playoff leg scheduled for August 18-19.