Wenger: No top four
Arsene Wenger admitted his hopes of a top-four finish and a swift return to the Champions League took a serious blow at the hands of Tottenham.
Arsenal trail seven points behind their North London neighbours after yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at Wembley and are five points adrift of
fifth-placed Chelsea, who play at home to West Bromwich Albion tomorrow.
‘This was a game we couldn’t afford to lose,’ said Wenger. ‘That makes it much more difficult now but we have to fight as long as we have a mathematical chance.
‘There was more at stake than the derby, I said that before the game and that is why it is so disappointing to lose the way we lost it.’
The Arsenal boss refused to embrace the possible consolation of claiming a ticket to the Champions League by winning the Europa League, as Manchester United did last year.
‘It is too early,’ said Wenger. ‘Football is not about switching off for three games and switching it on for one game.
‘Man United decided that once they were in the semi-final but we are far from the semi-final and I think we have to fight to have a chance to come back.
‘Overall it is a very disappointing result because the priority has to be to get to the Champions League through the Premier League.
“I am not a great fan of the Europa League being a qualifier for the Champions League because I think it is not right.
‘If it is an opportunity we will have to try to take it as well, but the priority is still the Premier League.’
Arsenal’s next game is away against Ostersunds of Sweden on Thursday in the last 32 of the Europa League.
Only seven days on from their five-goal demolition of Everton, Wenger was also left bemoaning his Arsenal team’s lack of creativity and mental fortitude. January signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan, so influential a week earlier, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were silenced. Mesut Ozil, forced wide in a tactical switch to accommodate another central midfielder, promptly disappeared. And Alex Lacazette, a £53million summer signing displaced by the muchtrumpeted arrival of the even more costly Aubameyang, was understandably devoid of confidence when he came on as a late substitute. Wenger said: ‘We had dangerous situations that we didn’t transform. We missed opportunities on counter-attacks that are not miss-able at our level with the final ball. You know you won’t have 10 chances so if you don’t take them you will suffer.
‘To be at the level mentally is to be capable to use opportunities.
‘The game should have been finished before half time. My regret was in the final third we missed something.
‘You can say we are not strong enough defending our goal but if you look at the numbers and compare them to the top six, we don’t score enough goals away from home. These two weaknesses explain it.’
TOTTENHAM legend Cliff Jones was taken ill at Wembley before yesterday’s game. But the Double-winning winger later tweeted he was fine, and helped on the mend by Tottenham’s win.