Are you putting words in my mouth? As I've already pointed out, it wasn't me that said you didn't deserve it
Well again to your Q, if we earn the top 4, then yes, we sure as heck deserve to be in it, especially considering how close the competition is for top 4, and also with the fact we had a tough play off to win to fully qualify. Plus this year we had one of the toughest groups, and didn't embarrass ourselves either, we got knocked out by the best team in the world, with a red card being a major factor in the tie. We haven't won it, but we haven't disgraced ourselves either, beating Napoli, Dortmund, again showing we deserve to be in the competition facing Europe's best.
Ok so if the league is (as you say) the only indicator that matters....we're two points ahead with a game in hand and a goal difference that reads +25 above yours. This time last year we were 8 points behind you and that was before you went on a decent run to finish the season. The reason I don't think you deserve it (and it's just a personal opinion) is due to lack of ambition not performance over a season. The league doesn't lie so I accept your point that you get fourth you deserve fourth etc but it's more than that, it's about the way Wenger and the board have made top four the be all and end all of your season. You're wrong to say other fans would be quite happy with that, we would be for a few seasons of course but not for ten or eleven in a row when there seems no desire to actually win things as well. I have no dislike of Arsenal at all in fact in terms of teams to watch you are always one of the most enjoyable football wise but in terms of next seasons Champions League I'd like to see a couple more English representatives who actually appreciate the opportunity they are given. As a Red it's not easy for me to say I'd rather that was Everton than yourselves but there you go....I've said it
I actually agree about earning a top four spot means you've earnt your place in Europe. I don't think Arsenal have as much ambition for success as they should though.
Probably not Do you think that I'd shed tears if they got knocked out early? In all seriousness though I'm not sure you lot would at the moment either if you had to play a quali game. Out of the two teams right now Everton are looking a lot more effective than yourselves so it's a close call. I accept your injury list (especially Walcott and Ramsey) has hampered your season considerably but even so I'd dare to suggest your lack of ambition (as a club not as a fanbase) has hampered you much more. Signing Ozil for big bucks was all well and good but did it address the issues any of the fans knew you had in the summer? Every man and his dog knew you needed a striker or two and yet you have now gone another two windows without signing even one. Is that because Wenger has gone mad or because the board just won't spend? You will know better than me about that but I suspect Wenger has got into the habit of spending little and getting top four regardless (kudos to him for it too but that simply can't last forever).
Yes but through laughter Giroud was burnt out last season because he was their only striker, they didn't learn.
In 2012 our situation was much worst, and we played Udinese in the qualification, and still made it. We will have to wait for the summer now to correct the wrongs, sign a new striker, and a new DMF, and we're good to go.
If we win the cup this year, then that's no annual implosion. Plus we didn't annually implode in the last 2 seasons in the league, our form actually picked up. The Q is, will you return to your annual mid-table obscurity after 1 good season, just like after 2009, . In fact for all our 'annual implosion' this season, we can end the season more successful than you with the prestigious Fa Cup, . You give me 4th and the Fa Cup, I'd much rather have that over 3rd and nothing else.
Fixed Well done for beating the giants who are Udinese last season (a team languishing in 17th this season btw) but would you seriously say you were worse off then than now? Your confidence looks shot to pieces at the moment and I'm not sure a change in playing staff is all that's needed, from a distance Wenger looks mentally scarred especially by the return of Maureen. I'm not really suggesting you wouldn't qualify (I didn't word my last post as well as I could have) just that as we stand right now I'd say Everton look as good a bet as yourselves. They might not have the skill and experience you have in the first team but they certainly have plenty of character and a barrow full of belief.
I said we beat Udinese in 2012, not last season. And yes, we were MUCH WORSE OFF then, we barely had a squad, by the time qualifiers came, we will have all of Ramsey-Wilshere-Walcott-Ozil all fit, plus some new players. Right after we qualified we lost 8-2 to United, that's how bad our position was, we were 17th place in September, so we were much worse off. Btw, as for how bad you think we currently are, if you win your game today, you're only 5 points above us, in what has been a very very good season for you, so we can't be as **** as you're trying to make us out to be, and we're still in with a very good shout of winning the Fa Cup. You see this is what I was talking about, there's no balance when it comes to criticising Arsenal, yes we haven't been good recently, but we aren't a very bad team who will now all of a sudden struggle for everything, and we sure as hell are nowhere near as bad as we were in the beginning of the 11-12 season. We're missing a hell of a lot of key players right now, and that does play a factor as well. A fully fit Arsenal squad is miles better than Everton, you gotta be kidding if you think Everton are anywhere near us when we have the likes of Ramsey-Ozil-Wilshere-Walcott all fit. I'd love to see your team cope without Sturridge, Suarez, Gerrard, and Coutinho all out at the same time. Or at least 2 of the 4 out for a period of 3 months for the same time. Just take Suarez and Gerrard out of your team for 3 months just like we've been missing Walcott and Ramsey, and you guys would be nowhere near where you are right now...So again, BALANCE. Underestimate us at your own peril.
You've already had (and remain in) your annual implosion! However, I'd rather get fourth and the FA Cup then finish second or third in the league. Its a bit like when we won the League Cup and finished eighth and Spurs arguing they had a better season because they finished fifth; one had a trophy and both only had Europa League football as a result.
Not really, if we win the cup, then that's not the annual implosion, can't see how it's an implosion when you win the best domestic cup competition in the world, that's the best way to end the season for us. This is not the mickey mouse cup we're talking about, the Fa Cup is a very worthy trophy to win, especially considering the opposition we faced this season, we beat Spurs, you, and Everton, so we've beaten 3 out of the top 6 sides in England, and have the potential to beat last year's winner, so that would make the cup win feel even more worth it, at least we've beaten worthy teams to put our name onto the trophy.
