Top-4 finish is Arsenal’s main priority
Manager Emery says Premier League has become tougher and the Gunners need to be tactically different
>> LONDON: Getting Arsenal back into the Champions League is manager Unai Emery’s main goal, but the Spaniard said it won’t be an easy job as the competition for a top-four finish in the Premier League is tough.
Arsenal are fifth in the standings behind Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool and champions Manchester City.
The Gunners have failed to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition for two seasons in a row having finished sixth and fifth respectively in their last two league campaigns.
“Two years we’ve lost playing in the Champions League, but now the Premier League is at a big level with big teams and a big demand for us,” Emery told a news conference ahead of today’s domestic league trip to Bournemouth.
“Our first idea is get the position in Europe and to play in the Champions League... We want [to finish in the top four] but it’s not easy. We are going to work in each training and each match to be closer to the top four.”
Emery, who t ook over from Arsene Wenger in the close season, has improved Arsenal’s form after a slow start, with the club now unbeaten in their last 16 matches in all competitions.
The manager said he expected more from his team, who have drawn in their last three matches in the league, starting with the trip to ninth-placed Bournemouth.
“We need more in some things, being different tactically, individually, in the spirit, in the mentality. But we are a work in progress and are in this process,” Emery added.
“Sunday for us is a big test. A high level test for how we can continue our progress, and it’s very important to show the supporters our mentality.”
Earlier, Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi admitted that forward Danny Welbeck’s long-term injury could force the Premier League club to recruit in the January transfer window.
Welbeck, often used as a backup striker by Emery, underwent two operations after suffering a broken ankle against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League earlier this month.
While Sanllehi agreed that Welbeck’s latest setback could give youngster Eddie Nketiah a chance to establish himself in the squad, he did not rule out the idea of venturing into the transfer market.
“This is absolutely something unplanned,” Sanllehí said.
“I am not saying that is a green light to go to the market because we have some very good players who may now get further opportunities, such as Eddie Nketiah.
“So we need to see. We are in November so it is a good time to start analysing what options we have in the market.”
No time frame has been set for Welbeck’s return to action, although the England international could be out until the end of the campaign, when his contract expires at the Emirates.
“We are sad for Danny and he knows he has all the support from the club,” Sanllehi added.
The former Manchester United striker has been restricted to 126 appearances since moving to Arsenal in 2014, most notably through two long-term knee injuries.