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Tottenham look very likely to finish ahead of us in the Premier League for the first time since Arsene Wenger took over at the club, but the Frenchman insists that if that does happen it will definitely be a one-off, as reported by Sky Sports.
We haven’t enjoyed our best season by any means, but we still find ourselves in third place – with second spot still technically up for grabs. Tottenham have had arguably their best season in years and years, yet they are just three points ahead of us in second.
While it seems very unlikely that we’ll get second – as we’d probably need to win both our games while Tottenham lose one and at least draw the other – Wenger has stressed the importance of the game against Manchester City this weekend.
“It is still an important game, even if Leicester are champions and we are second best,” Wenger said.
“It is still a very important game because part of the responsibility of being a professional is to prepare the future, and the future of Arsenal Football Club depends on this game.
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“Our target now is to secure a position in the Champions League next year and, if possible, to get in second place or at least secure third place. On Sunday, we can achieve that.
“Tottenham had a very good season. They didn’t manage to finish very strongly recently but overall, they had a very good season and they have a strong team.
“But our target is still, if possible, to get in front of them.”
While second could still be out of reach regardless of how we perform over the next two games, we still need to make sure we at the very least nail down third place. We don’t want to have to compete in the qualifiers next season, so avoiding the fourth spot that we seem to love so much is massive.
Manchester City have stumbled somewhat recently, but who claims third spot could all come down to who wins – or avoids defeat – this weekend.
Wenger has come under some serious fire this season, more so than he has done in a while. Pointing out just how rare it is for Tottenham to finish ahead of him is therefore a bit of a defence mechanism, letting everyone know how successful he’s been.
“If they do that, you can at least say it is a one-off because in 20 years, it has happened once,” Wenger continued.
“But at the moment, it is not done.”
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Finishing second may not even be enough to protect Wenger from the flak he’s been receiving recently, as fans are clearly furious at the fundamental problems at the club. Even if we do finish second we haven’t played well enough to deserve a title push, and that needs to change, regardless of how Tottenham are doing.
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