WENGER: THE FANS STILL LOVE US
Glamour European quarter-final to test resolve of stay-away Gooners who have voted with their feet
IT is a match to test the resolve of stay-away Arsenal fans.
They swerved routine wins over Stoke and Watford, the humbling by Manchester City, and the formality of a Europa League second-leg win over Milan but a European quarter-final at the Emirates tonight is an altogether different proposition.
Especially when boss Arsene Wenger believes the Europa League has become harder to win than the Champions League.
Yet there is a combination of apathy and anger among Gunners fans, borne out by the empty seats broadcast to the world for the last five home games.
Wenger, the target of fan protests, has done well to keep his men focused enough to reel off four wins on the bounce and he remains confident that the supporters are still behind the club.
“Let’s not go overboard.” he said. “We played the final at Wembley and it was half-full with Arsenal people and half-full with City people so I don’t think Arsenal has a problem with its support.
“It’s just that Arsenal fans are disappointed that we aren’t going for anything in the Premier League. “There are other reasons. “They were not our most prestigious opponents. It was Easter. There were other stadiums which were not full.”
Well, it is not Mother’s Day, Easter is over, and the Beast From The East has long gone, so will the stay-aways be back tonight? “The target for us is not to count the fans in the stand,” Wenger continued. “The target for us is to focus on our performance and accept the public judgement. “We have to do our job and not be concerned about anything else. Our job is to perform on the pitch and play well. All the rest? We will deal with it. It is as simple as that.”
Arsenal take on a Moscow team third in their domestic league and in good form having won five of their last six in all competitions.
And Wenger believes that the carrot for the winners of a place in the Champions League has made the Europa League the toughest nut of all to crack.
“I believe the level of the Europa League has gone up,” he said.
“If you look at the teams who were involved, and even some teams who went out, like Dortmund, it is more difficult than ever before – especially as there is more focus on it now you can qualify for the Champions League.
“In some big leagues it is more and more difficult to qualify automatically for the Champions League so teams become more focused on the Europa League.” The match takes place against a backdrop of diplomatic tension between the UK and Russia. Wenger is hoping 500 travelling Moscow fans are accommodated peacefully and Arsenal’s supporters are treated likewise in the second leg.
“It looks as though diplomatic relations between England and Russia at the moment are a little bit complicated,” the Frenchman said.
“I just hope it won’t affect both ties and that it will not affect the supporters. Not the Russian people who come over here and not for English people who travel there.”