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Camden New Journal - by STEVE BARNETT
Published: 15 May 2008

Arsene Wenger

Wenger in Euro 2008 warning

Arsenal boss fears punishing schedule could prove too much for young guns

ARSENE Wenger has spoken of the dangers facing his team as Arsenal prepare for their third successive foray into the Champions League qualifiers.
The Arsenal manager will have very little time to ready his troops for a two-legged tie in August after finishing third behind Manchester United and Chelsea in the title race. In the past two years Arsenal have successfully overcome both Dinamo Zagreb and Sparta Prague, but Wenger expects a much tougher assignment this summer.
According to the Arsenal website, Wenger told shareholders: “Next season it is a dangerous qualifier because it is a European Championship year. You need to give some rest to the players and the time to prepare for the qualifier is very short.
“The qualifier becomes more difficult every year because the Eastern European countries have more money to buy good players so the competition becomes harder.
“I don’t believe it had a negative impact this season. It can do because you lose a Premier League game at the start of the season when you play your qualifier. But this season we were right up front in the league.”
Meanwhile, Wenger also revealed that he feels his side is stronger than it was at the start of their campaign. Despite missing out on silverware for a third successive season, the Frenchman is focusing on the fact that the Gunners finished one place higher in the Premier League, amassing 15 more points along the way.
He added: “We have not dropped our level. We made 68 points last year and 83 this season, which is a good achievement. What is important now is to progress again next season.”

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