Arsene Wenger believes consistency at home is crucial for securing top four
By Jaideep Vaidya.
As the race for top four is all but over, the Gunners manager tells the press it’ll boil down to securing the points at the Emirates which won’t be easy.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that his team’s home form would be decisive in their quest for a Champions League spot as the league enters the home stretch.
Arsenal have six home games left in the season, including vital clashes against top-four contenders Liverpool and table-toppers Chelsea.
The third-placed Gunners go into Saturday afternoon’s match against West Ham United on the back of four successive league wins. Their last defeat in the league was against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in February.
After a morale-boosting win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Wenger said that the mood within the camp has been “good”, but “focused” as well.
“Every single game is decisive now,” said Wenger on Friday, addressing a press conference at the club’s training ground. “We are already looking forward to the next game. When you look at the table, every point is important for us. We know that our home form will be decisive as well in the end.”
The 65-year-old said that he relishes the season run-in every year and wants the same of his players.
“I like [the run-in] because every game is important and you feel that it is a period when you need composure, focus and mental strength. It isn’t easy to find because the tension can be too big. It is always interesting to watch how your players respond to that.”
Arsenal have never finished outside the top-four since Wenger took charge in 1996. However, the Frenchman said that the race for Champions League qualification gets tougher every year:
“You get more teams who compete for [Champions League football]. In the future years, it will be even harder.”
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce on Thursday reignited the debate over having a winter break in the Premier League, saying that English clubs have a disadvantage in Europe due to the lack of one. However, Wenger refused to be drawn into the debate:
“It’s too early to draw conclusions about the Champions League efficiency of the Premiership, but for sure it is a very demanding championship physically.
“Can that have an impact? Maybe, but on the other hand you can say as well that it gets us used to playing at a top level and [that] can be an advantage.”
Arsenal go into Saturday’s fixture boasting a superior record over West Ham, having won their last nine encounters. However, Wenger believes some of those wins were down to luck:
“At the Emirates, we are consistent against everybody, but away from home we have been successful against West Ham recently. It is very difficult to know why [but] in two or three occasions we have been lucky as well.”
Allardyce’s men have not won in the league since their victory over Hull City in the middle of January.
Speaking of his squad’s injury concerns, Wenger confirmed that midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was substituted in the second half against Manchester United after pulling his hamstring, would miss England’s matches against Lithuania and Italy at the end of the month.
“It was a classic hamstring [injury],” said Wenger. “He will be out for three-four weeks, maximum. He certainly will not be available for England as well.
“It is very frustrating for him, but he played more games than ever this season. In the last two months I feel he was a bit in and out. It is a shame that in the final sprint he is not there. He has shown again on Monday night what an important player he can be for Arsenal and for England. He’s keen to play for England and I think it is a big blow for him.”
Wenger also said that Jack Wilshere is taking longer than expected to recover from an ankle injury sustained in November and that he too would not be available for England.
“It has taken a bit longer but I really don’t know why,” Wenger said. “We have to respect the progression of his training and it is very difficult to give you a date today. I am hopeful it is a matter of weeks.”
In more positive injury updates, Wenger said that Mathieu Flamini was available for selection and Gabriel Paulista would be back by Sunday. As for captain Mikel Arteta, Wenger said that the Spaniard resumed full training on Friday and should be back playing in three weeks.
The Gunners face a do-or-die fixture in the Champions League at Monaco on Tuesday, in which they would have to score at least three goals to progress. However, Wenger said that the match would have no impact on his team selection for Saturday.
“I agree that it is a very important game for us in the Champions League, but tomorrow’s as well is of the same importance basically. We just have to focus on tomorrow.
“Does it impact my selection? No. What can affect my team selection is the players who have played a number of games recently. I always rotate game-by-game but never more than two or three [players]. I haven’t decided [on rotation for Saturday’s game] but I will be faithful to what I did until now.
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