Manager Arsene Wenger has been giving his thoughts ahead of the final game of the 2016/17 season as we close the year out against Everton on Sunday.
Sitting a point behind Liverpool in fifth place in the table, anything but victory for Arsenal and a favour from Liverpool will see us miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 21 years.
There are some permutations where a Liverpool win wouldn’t rule us out of fourth place but we are then looking to Manchester City’s final day result and goal difference swings and it’s late Friday night as I type this and I don’t want to confuse myself.
Speaking to the Official Site as he met with the media for his pre game press conference and potentially his last press conference in the Arsenal hotseat, Wenger explained that he wasn’t planning on looking at results elsewhere.
‘No, we have anyway to win our game. We do not need to look at any other game. It doesn`t matter, the chances. We have to do our job. As you said we are professional, we love to win and we are on a good run. That`s all we can do, win our game. After that, how many chances? It doesn`t matter too much.’
Asked about whether Middlesbrough might do us a favour at Anfield.
‘Yes, what you want is that they have a go and they fight. I think, traditionally in England, you have that. Hopefully that will be the case. Everybody will be under scrutiny so you just want the teams like Everton to fight against us, Middlesbrough will fight against Liverpool, Watford will fight against City. That`s what you want. If you want to be the best league in the world, you should not even question that.’
With Watford facing Manchester City but their head coach Walter Mazzarri already knowing he’ll be out of a job come the summer, Wenger went on to say.
‘I am surprised. I don`t think it will have an influence on the last game of the season but I`m always sad when managers get sacked. I think he has done a good job to maintain Watford at a good level. Will it have a positive or negative impact, I don`t know. I don`t know more than you about that. I don`t know. You need to know the situation inside the club to judge that. Even if we live just next door, I don`t really know.’
For questions on his future, he was asked if it was his last game at the Emirates.
‘Of the season, yes.’
Ever?
‘I cannot tell you that. Look, I think what is the most important for us is to win the football game we play on Sunday. After that, what happens to me is less important. I`m here to serve the club and the best way to do that is to win the next game.’
Asked about the board meeting, he confirmed it would be after the FA Cup and yes a final decision on his future would then be announced if not actually made in the meeting.
As for Everton more specifically, he went on to say about how we take victory.
‘By keeping the quality of our game very high, by putting the tempo on at home, our offensive pressure on them, by maintaining our run. I think we`ve just come out of four games in 10 days. We won all the four and some of them were very difficult, so just to keep going until the last minute of the season.’
Of course Romelu Lukaku is a stand out player for them.
‘If you look at his record, it`s quite impressive. I believe that every big club who plays against him is conscious that at any moment he can score a goal against you through his power, his determination. I haven`t analysed it enough, the big games of Everton, to see if it`s true or not.’
Wenger also addressed the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, insisting both players wanted to be at the club.
‘Yes, of course. Maybe one day I will be able to speak about that, but I don`t question, at the moment, their focus and their determination because every game they turn up and give strong performances.’
Asked if not making the top four would make it more difficult to keep them.
‘No, because they are part of the results as well. Like I am. Overall, I think first of all they are under contract and secondly they behave like they want to be in the Champions League and like they want to be at the club. They don`t behave like players who are disinterested in the future of the club.’
