Wenger: I see Arsenal finishing on top
Written by Jonathan Chong on Wednesday, August 12, 2009
With the doom mongers in full throttle predicting the end of the Arsenal title challenge even before it's begun, manager Arsène Wenger has made his boldest statement yet on how his club's season will end - on top.
The Gunners have not won a trophy since their FA Cup final victory over Manchester United in 2005, and with most of their rivals strengthening whilst the Frenchman has made just one signing of the summer, it is no wonder why many (including Arsenal fans) don't see the North London club challenging for honours this year.
But Wenger is confident, more than ever, that his club will finish on top of everyone else. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "I envisage only one order. That is Arsenal finishing on top and all the rest can do what they want.
"To rate our potential, look at our pre-season games. We are a team who has a way to play and we are a team who are ready to fight.
"Let's have a go. Let's not talk too much. We know that people are sceptical about us but I let people talk. Let's win the games."
And the 59-year-old thinks that he has the right players now to mount a serious challenge and possibly win the Premiership title despite only recruiting two first team players this year [in Thomas Vermaelen and Andrey Arshavin].
More than ever, he is counting on the experience and maturity that his young players would have gained from the previous seasons. Wenger added: "We are strong enough to challenge for the title; I'm convinced of that. A team which averages 28 or 29-years-old can maybe improve by 5% but a team averaging 22 years old can improve by 30%.
"Will we achieve that or not? That's always a question mark and it's very difficult to rate before the season has started. But I'm very confident because we have quality, we have attitude, we have talent and we have ambition. I am confident we will do very well and hopefully we will surprise many people."
Strong words from the manager, but I share his optimism. I feel that this squad is destined for something special this season. We have the right group of players to cause enough trouble for even the biggest teams, and with players like Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri still recovering from injury, they could prove to be the jokers in Wenger's pack.
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I envisage only one order. That is Arsenal finishing on top and all the rest can do what they want.
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