Wenger: FA Cup and finishing third

[Swish]

Arsène Wenger last night claimed finishing third is better than winning the FA Cup.

Wenger will have to face up to the grim prospect of another season without a trophy unless Arsenal can claw themselves back into the title race with a victory at Chelsea tomorrow.

Arsenal supporters are getting restless because Wenger has not won anything since the FA Cup in 2005 and last season some fans even questioned the manager’s position after they finished empty-handed.

But Wenger risked upsetting Arsenal fans - and Aston Villa and Manchester United who contest this season’s final later this month - by claiming the League Cup is worthless compared to finishing in the Champions League places.

When asked whether finishing third in the Premier League was better than winning the FA Cup or League Cup, Wenger said: “Of course. It’s much more difficult. I want to win trophies and, like the fans, I’m frustrated if I don’t.

“It’s very important that we win something, we’re here to win trophies, but it depends on what you call trophies.

“Is it the Champions League, the Premier League, the League Cup? If you win the League Cup, for me, you cannot say you win trophies.

“A season in the English league when you fight with Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa to finish in the top three is still not a disaster.

“It’s not enough because you want to win trophies. But you don’t say: ’oh what a terrible season that was.’ We’ve just qualified from the Group stage in the Champions League for the tenth consecutive season.

“That is, for me, three times as difficult as winning the League Cup five times. I know what’s difficult and what’s not difficult.

“But I know people want to parade with a trophy and if you don’t win a trophy you can’t do that. But it doesn’t mean the rest of the season has been completely useless. A season does not go from fantastic to zero.”

But Wenger has by no means given up on winning a trophy this season and insists Arsenal are still in the title race - and will be even if they lose at Chelsea tomorrow.

Wenger added: “We are in a situation - if we are in contact coming out of these games - where we will be in a very strong position. Let everyone write us off. Being six points behind is not dramatic.

“The team is mentally strong and dedicated. I see them everyday and I wouldn’t defend them if they didn’t have the right attitude. But they do have to find that final part to win the big games.”

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[Bossa]

Wenger is still thinking that getting 3rd spot is enough for the fans and that its a big achievement for a club like Arsenal. No way it is! Its the same sad excuses right before a big match that will make or break our season.

No biggie if we lose against Chelsea because 3rd spot is an great achievement, nobody was expecting this from us and blablabla..

We fans aren't blind and we expect at least a trophy. Wether its Carling cup or FA cup. We want concrete results not finishing third. Finishing third means that we havent improved over the last 4 seasons.

 

[Del Boy]

Oh dear. For me finishing 3rd this season can not be classed as an achievement.
Winning the FA Cup would be though.

Not suprising he comes out with this since we lost to Stoke and United.

 

[Rorz]

What happens if we finish third, but are still 10-15 points off second or first? I wouldn't really call that league success in any way (apart from perhaps automatic CL qualification) and to say that's better than winning the likes of the FA Cup, (something that could be achieved fairly easily ALONGSIDE finishing 3rd) sounds a bit unambitious to me.

 

[GunnerPL]

It's good to know where Wenger's priorities lie...

With that type of attitude it's no wonder why we basically threw away the Carling Cup and FA Cup, I would have been satisfied with either this season. This team needs a taste of success, at the moment any trophy will do.

I'm sure some of our players will be pleased to hear that we're happy sitting in third place and not even give ourselves a chance to win a Carling or FA Cup.

 

[Swish]

You know, it's bloody hard to defend his beliefs when he comes out with stuff like this. Hence the facepalm image, he reall is not making it any easier for him and his increasingly strained relationship with the fans.

The transfer story about how he is just as much annoyed as everyone else also doesn't help. He had 30 days to get a deal done and yet again, he's left it too late to try and get a bargain. Certainly didn't help that he spent 20 of those 30 days thinking he'd get Bendtner back and everything would be fine again.

Looking at the news, Bendtner is unsurprisingly, injured again. Stevie Wonder saw this coming.

 

[tam1886]

The talk of winning the league cup being easier than consistently qualifying for the CL is what annoys me. He hasn't done it. He can't compare the two. If it was that easy to win the cup, we'd have won it already. There is prioritising competitions then there is this mad talk. Absolute nonsense.

 

[Pepe LeFrits]

Is there anything to actually disagree with?

He's not saying that achieving 3rd is something to celebrate. It's just not quite the end of the world that some make it out to be.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

It's such a stupid remark to make at a time like this. He's right, but it's not what people want to hear right now.

For what it's worth I'd rather finish 3rd or 4th than 5th and winning the FA Cup though. Champions League qualification is just that vital to the club's economy (not to mention: its standing in Europe). The FA Cup is what it is, unfortunately. I've always liked the cup but the competition in Europe during the last decade in particular has devaluated it.

 

[Swish]

I'll excuse him the League Cup (I'm presuming you're refering to the Carling Cup here Tam?) because he has always traditionally used it as a blooding tournament for the youths and I don't begrudge him for that. But the FA Cup is an entirely different kettle of fish, he HAS to go for that one.

I understand the position he was in this year not being an easier one, but to say this just a couple of weeks after the exit from the cup which has pissed a lot of people off as it has shown no benefit of resting players, to say this now is just absurd.

 

[Swish]

As Klaus said Pepe, it's really the timing of this comment. I reckon he made it to try and ease the pain of those who are annoyed about the exit of the cup, but it's not what anyone wants to hear right now. If that is the case, it's giving weight to the constant arguments that Wenger is becoming detached from the fans and too busy becoming involved in his own self importance, which O'Neill made a comment about.

It's just piss poor timing and completely the wrong thing to be saying right now.

 

[kamikaze80]

the self-face palm was a good touch, swish.

 

[Pepe LeFrits]

Well I suspect part of Arsène's idealism is that he expects fans to be able to take things in a detached fashion, ie recognise that his comments are honest and sensible and discount the timing. He's often said stuff that is logical but doesn't factor in the emotional aspect - his requests to have Cashley left alone at games for example.

 

[Emma Lusa]

The CL is a necessity for us in financial terms if nothing else, but finishing 3rd and winning a trophy are not mutually exclusive.
AW says he doesn't need to spend the 30m he claims he has because we have a strong enough squad? If that's the case why have we 'thrown away' the League Cup and the FA Cup, correct me if I am wrong but isn't it true that off the two teams above us in the PL one is competing in the LC Final and one is favorite for the FA Cup?
AW you can't have it both ways, either we have a good enough squad and you should be attempting to win the LC / FA Cup or we don't have and you should be buying players.
I for one took your 'this is our season' comments seriously at the start of this season and will be disappointed if we end up playing for nothing more than third place.

 

[DOUBLE-YOU]

This stance by Wenger is not new. For as long as i can remember he has always fielded an "alternative" team in FA Cup and Carling cup games. I remember in 2003 jeffers and wiltord started many games up front. Berkamp, Kanu, Henry Ljungberg or Pires would all be on the bench...

...admittedly the squad was stronger then!!!

 

[Swish]

He made another comment about how spending money to solve problems is too often used in the league and he doesn't believe thats how things should be done.

Honestly, his recent comments are starting to scare me.

 

[True Gooner]

It really does not have to be an either or situation.

For what it's worth I'd rather finish fourth with one of the cups than second or third without a trophy.

As a football club Arsenal are expected to compete on three fronts at the very least, and while I could sympathise with the team selection vs Stoke, these comments are annoying and are absolutely the wrong thing to say at the time.

 

[Del Boy]

I was about to post something similar TG. For me finishing 4th and winning the FA Cup is alot better than finishing 2nd and winning nothing.
Especially with the current crop of players, most of whom have won nothing at all.

 

[dyeruz]

Shut up Shut up Shut up!! Geez he's believing all this professor ****, just shut up and lie and say at least you are trying to win the league and at that even second is not good enough...you're setting up your precious young things for failure

 

[Del Boy]

I was about to post something similar TG. For me finishing 4th and winning the FA Cup is alot better than finishing 2nd and winning nothing.
Especially with the current crop of players, most of whom have won nothing at all.