• Alan Pardew sets sights on third-placed finish for Newcastle
• Arsène Wenger cools Jack Wilshere's Team GB hopes
Arsène Wenger is preparing his condolences for Newcastle United. The Arsenal manager knows that Alan Pardew's side, who are fourth in the table, could well be denied access to the Champions League. As matters stand, Newcastle's place could go instead to Chelsea, who would exercise the right to defend the title if they defeat Bayern Munich in this season's final.
For the moment Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League. The situation could change but Arsenal, in third, seem confident of holding that position to secure automatic qualification. "If we finish third, you want Chelsea to win the Champions League because it's great for the Premier League that an English club wins [it]," Wenger said.
"If you are in the fourth position it would be masochistic to wish that you were out of the Champions League. You cannot ask the impossible. That is why maybe the rule is a little bit malicious. I think everyone in England wants an English team to win the Champions League but the team who is fourth will certainly wish they had a chance to play in the Champions League. But let's not forget that the team that is fourth can [also] be Chelsea. You don't know yet."
In the 2005-06 season Liverpool mounted a defence of the trophy won in Istanbul and were accompanied into the tournament, or at least its qualifiers, by four English sides: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton. The rules were later revised and Wenger remembers discussing the issue at that time.
Pardew is at least candid about his feelings. "We don't want Chelsea to win [the Champions League] because we want that spot, along with Tottenham and Arsenal," he said. "It would be very harsh if we finished fourth and then missed out on the Champions League."
That said, Pardew says Newcastle are not settling for fourth and have their eyes firmly on third spot. "We know we have got a difficult run – on paper, you could say more difficult than the other contenders – but the teams have still got to beat us and we are in pretty good form," he said. "But we have got a possibility of finishing third, so that's what we are going to try to do."
Wenger, of course, has third in mind too, but Stoke, Arsenal's opponents on Saturday, have beaten them once in each of the last three seasons, whether in Premier League or FA Cup. "Every big team who go to Stoke know they get a game," he said. "From our side anyway we are in a position where we have our future in our own hands but only if we win the three games."
Wenger also takes the longer view of Arsenal affairs. Jack Wilshere, who has not played this season after complications following an ankle injury, is a candidate for the GB team at the July Olympics in the mind of the coach Stuart Pearce. Wenger is dubious. The 20-year-old midfielder, after all, will not be at Euro 2012 in June.
"Imagine you are [20] years old and you play in the national team," Wenger said. "You prepare and suddenly, nothing at all. You get the first knock, the second knock, you think: 'OK, at least I will be ready for the Euros.' Then you have to convince him: 'Look my friend, it will not work for the Euros.' You knock him down again. Then, you set him another target. If he doesn't make it, he will lose a complete appetite for rehab because its difficult.
"If you say: 'You can go to the Olympics,' and he doesn't make it, what do you give him after that? Let's take our time. The most important thing for him is to focus on day to day work and see if he can get better. When we start [pre-season training] on 9 July, can he join in? Then we will have won the battle, but that is not guaranteed." Read More
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