Arsenal: Bullish Arsene Wenger Fuels Manchester City Fire

Arsene Wenger has stated that he expects his Arsenal side to progress to the FA Cup final. Such a bullish attitude only fuels the Manchester City fire.

Entering the season, had you offered Arsenal fans a third FA Cup trophy in four years and a top-four position in the Premier League, although some would consider that a disappointment, most would be more than happy to accept, myself included.

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While they still have a long way to go and a whole lot of work to do to reach such a scenario at the end of the season, Arsene Wenger and his players do have a chance to reclaim an element of respectability from a season that has, for the most part, been littered with despair, judgement and division.

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To begin their late-season rescue, Arsenal must beat Manchester City on Sunday afternoon in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. It is a competition that Wenger and the club have had great success in throughout his tenure and before that time. But City are a more than dangerous opponent, boosted by the recent return of the linchpin of their formerly faltering back four, Vincent Kompany.

Nonetheless, Wenger remains bullish regarding his side’s chances against their Premier League rivals. Speaking at his pre-match press conference before Sunday’s crucial tie, Wenger detailed how he expect his team to make the final, highlighting the experience that he has at this stage in the competition:

"“What I expect is to get to the final. I have played 11 semi-finals in the FA Cup. It’s a great experience, it’s something special. We are focused, highly motivated, maybe not at the maximum of confidence because we’ve had some disappointing results. But this is a good opportunity to show how much we are ready for the fight and how much we want to get to the final. Maybe it’s our only opportunity of a trophy this season.”"

Such ambitious comments, though, may not be too positive for Arsenal’s outlook. Such confidence against a tough opponent, after a run of just four wins since mid-February, only fuels City’s fire. Wenger, for some reason I find difficult to fathom, is providing Pep Guardiola with prime ammunition to use as motivation for his players.

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This is a game that may well go a long way to determining the reception of the impending announcement regarding Wenger’s staying with the club. There has been a divisive and uncertain atmosphere that has engulfed the Emirates in recent months. Providing your opponents with such ripe motivation ahead one of the most influential games of your recent career seems rather foolish, especially for a man of Wenger’s intelligence.