Gael Clichy has warned his Arsenal
team-mates not to assume that Champions League qualification is
assured just yet.
The task would have been completed on Saturday had Jermaine Jenas
not struck a 94th-minute equaliser for Tottenham at White Hart
Lane. As it stands Arsenal only require a point in their last three
games to enter Europes top competition for the 10th consecutive
season. However they may even not need that if fifth-place Everton
and Bolton, in sixth, fail to beat Manchester United and Chelsea
respectively on Saturday.
It would seem a formality but Clichy is taking no chances. The
21-year-old defender wants his side to focus for the remainder of
the season no matter what the situation.
We were looking forward to getting the three points on Saturday so
we could have been through to next seasons Champions League, he
told Arsenal.com. But now everyone needs to be focussed for the
next game against Fulham so we can qualify. We need to do that for
ourselves and for our fans.
Most of the time when you think you have done it that is when the
worst can happen. So we have to be concentrated. When you play for
a big club like Arsenal you have to play until the end. Even if we
qualify before the Chelsea and Portsmouth games then we have to
keep going in them for us and for the fans.