Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes the UEFA Cup place given to the Worthington Cup winners should be decided on final league position. Wenger’s second-string side were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Blackburn in the Worthington Cup quarter final last night and afterwards Wenger said the Worthington winners should not qualify for Europe.
“I would give one more place to the championship because it’s more difficult to play in the championship. As long as there is a European place at stake we want to play in the competition. But if you ask me what my priority would be, I think it is much more difficult to finish fifth or sixth in the league. For me it is very important to see some players at this level and the fact there is a European place in this competition is the only other advantage I can see,” said Wenger.
Blackburn beat Arsenal with relative ease with a hat-trick from Matt Jansen and a goal from veteran striker Mark Hughes. Manager Graeme Souness praised his side’s performance, particularly the displays of hat-trick hero Jansen and Turkish midfielder Tugay. “It’s always nice to get into a semi-final and we played very well. A big deal will be made about Arsenal only playing a second-string side but it’s still full of good players. I was pleased for Matt because all this time he has never allowed his head to drop and has worked hard for the team. All the headlines will be for his hat-trick, but I think we should also recognise that Tugay is a very special player. He’s a delight to watch,” said Souness.
Filed by Tom Grealis
