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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.
There was a moment that summed up the difference between Arsenal and Manchester United in the second half of the game. A United shot was deflected off an Arsenal defender and it was slowly rolling over towards the corner flag. The Arsenal defenders started relaxing, assuming it would go out for a corner or a throw in. The ball hit the flag and stayed in. Only Robin van Persie, the only United player in the area, was alert enough to go and take control; the five or six Arsenal players just stood there.
In every Arsenal game, you can add up these small moments and explain why Arsenal are so poor over the course of a season. Arsenal, for all their artistry, lack respect for these little things and it shows.
Arsenal don’t look like a team who are desperate to get Champions League football. And why should they be? They prioritize Champions League qualification over winning trophies, including the UCL. This is evident from the numerous comments made by Wenger over the years. Nearly every year they are knocked out in the early knockout round (or the first time they come up against serious opposition) and Gazidis and co pocket the bonuses. As for the theory of Arsenal using the Champions League to buy good players, consider who they bought last year. Podolski, a player who reportedly had the choice between Arsenal and playing in the German Second Division. The fact that he signed before Arsenal had booked their CL spot shows that that Europe had nothing to do with his signing.
The other signings were Santi Cazorla and Oliver Giroud, both playing for clubs that themselves had qualified for the UCL. For all their moaning about other teams spending money, Arsenal fans cannot deny that these two players moved to Arsenal just to improve their wages! After all, their chances of winning silverware have reduced since making the moves.
My point is that Arsenal don’t deserve the Champions League spot. Missing out could have financial consequences, but at least it might shake things up and get Arsenal out of the rut. On the other hand, we will have someone like, dare I say, Tottenham, who are at least willing to have a serious crack at the elite European competition, which is proved by their signing of Van der Vaart and refusal to rest players in the Champions league when their Premier League form dropped in 2010-11, the last time they took part in the UCL. Also, if English teams keep getting knocked out in the first round like the Gunners, it could reduce the coefficient and allow only the Top 3 from the Premier League to qualify!
There are rumours of Wenger spending 70 million pounds during the summer, but we have all heard that before. The transfer window will open and nothing will happen, except selling of course. There will be the usual caveats of this 70 million including the wages and what not. There will be excuses of players (though we have 150,000 per week lying around for the likes of Diaby, Bendtner and Chamakh).
A lot of the fans are tired of the excuses, and England needs better representation among the European Elite. If nothing else, they need a football team playing for them, not a PLC.
