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Arsene Wenger says Arsenal can finish second in the league
Arsene Wenger says finishing second in the Premier League is not out of Arsenal's reach.
Wenger has recently seen his side beaten by Blackburn in the FA Cup and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Race for second - key games
| Man City | Chelsea | Spurs | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Everton (A) 16 March |
Spurs (H) 14 April |
Arsenal (H) 3 March |
Spurs (A) 3 March |
|
Man Utd (A) 8 April |
Liverpool (A) 21 April |
Chelsea (A) 14 April |
Everton (H) 9 March |
|
Spurs (A) 21 April |
Man Utd (A) 4 May |
Man City (H) 21 April |
Man Utd (H) 28 April |
But he believes they can secure the runners-up spot in the league, despite being nine points behind second-placed Manchester City with 11 games left.
"Man City is not out of reach. It could be a tight fight until the end," said the Arsenal boss.
Despite enduring a torrid time last week in cup competition, Arsenal's 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday was their third straight league success, following victories against Sunderland and Stoke.
Yet they remain fifth in the table, behind City, Chelsea and Tottenham ahead of the north London derby at White Hart Lane on 3 March.
Tottenham start Monday's game at West Ham in fourth, one point ahead of Arsenal but knowing victory at Upton Park will lift them two points above third-placed Chelsea.
Manchester United, who Arsenal still have to play at Emirates Stadium on 28 April, are 21 points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table.
Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez suggested before his team's 2-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday that a top-two finish could be out of reach if the Blues lost at Etihad Stadium.
"We have to go there with confidence and if we are close we can fight for being in the top two," said Benitez before the weekend.
"And if not we have to fight for being in the top four."
Arsenal's league finishes since they won the title in 2003-04
2012-13 5th 47 pts (after 27 games)
2011-12: 3rd 70 pts
2010-11: 4th 68 pts
2009-10: 3rd 75 pts
2008-09: 4th 72 pts
2007-08: 3rd 83 pts
2006-07: 4th 68 pts
2005-06: 4th 67 pts
2004-05: 2nd 83 pts
Yet Wenger believes his team can not only overtake Tottenham and Chelsea but also overhaul City and qualify automatically for a place in next season's Champions League group stage.
"I'm not sure it will only be a fight with Tottenham," he added when asked about the battle for fourth. "I'm not sure the other places are not reachable.
"Chelsea are just ahead and even Manchester City is not out of reach. It could be a tight fight until the end."
Arsenal have not finished outside the Premier League's top four since Wenger took charge in September 1996.
The last time they ended the season in the top two was in 2004-05 when they were runners-up to Chelsea.
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Comment number 873.
loyal steve27th February 2013 - 18:22
2ND your havin' a giraffe !!!!!
Link to this (Comment number 873)
Comment number 872.
Coney27th February 2013 - 13:50
Waiting for McNulty to point out that Everton have been trophless for 18 years. Oh no - that isn't in the standard list of stock phrases. But Wenger has to receive this treament from the BBC all the time.
Link to this (Comment number 872)
Comment number 871.
Dom Nozahic27th February 2013 - 0:30
here are my views on Arsenal (sorry about self-promotion, just a young writer getting my work out there; like the equivalent of youtube spam, but on here :))
http://dnozahic.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/dogmatism-must-give-way-to-compromise/
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Comment number 870.
stevindiesel- Lennon is a GIANT____amongst midgets26th February 2013 - 20:46
John 869 - perhaps a part of the problem (I won't use the word "crisis"....yet) is that the new stadium, however large, plush, and sophisticated it is, is not fit for purpose.
Surely the primary aim of a ground is to give maximum support to the home team and intimidate the away team? This seems to have been lost from Highbury to Emirates and a key factor in the design of new Spurs stadium.
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Comment number 869.
AVBs Negative Spiral26th February 2013 - 20:11
#859, if being in 5th place, 2 points off the top 4 means that Arsenal are in crisis, then I guess it is a crisis that a few more clubs would like to have. Particularly if you throw in the clubs financial position, the fact that we have one of the best grounds in the country.
When Liverpool and Spurs have built new stadia, it will show how difficult it is to compete on the pitch at the same time
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