WOJCIECH SZCZESNY admits that if Arsenal finish below Tottenham it will be a nightmare season.And though he said it with a smile, the Gunners keeper insisted that ending up above deadly rivals Spurs is a MUST — simply because he hates them!
The Poland star said: "I deeply believed that this team could fight for the title and trophies.
"We have to finish the season fighting for other objectives.
"Currently we are in fourth place and that is the minimum for us because this club has to be in the Champions League every year.
"After the Tottenham game we reduced the gap to them a little bit.
"It is obvious that it is my ambition to finish the season in front of them... because I hate them.
"We have to find a different kind of motivation now. At the beginning of the season all teams fight for the title. Now we are not in this fight.
"We have to finish this season as well as we can."
Szczesny insists thrashing their North London rivals 5-2 last Sunday meant that fans moved to forgive boss Arsene Wenger and his players for a disappointing season.
But finishing above their bitter rivals still seems a monumental task as they are seven points behind third-placed Spurs.
Wenger's future has been in question after a seventh season looks set to finish without silverware — barring a miracle against AC Milan in the Champions League.
Szczesny said: "Our fans can forgive a lot of things. After the Spurs match they forgave Arsene Wenger.
"Trust me. When you win against Tottenham it's all OK and the fans love us.
"I think there is no better coach to manage us than Arsene Wenger. We have to trust in his philosophy.
"On the other hand we know that fans are recently disappointed. Results aren't as good as they should be."
Szczesny, 21, was honest enough to admit his form this season has been patchy.
Some brilliant displays have been overshadowed by high-profile clangers like his mistake that led to Milan's opener in the 4-0 defeat in the San Siro.
The Pole conceded it has been a steep learning curve but that Arsenal supporters will soon see a much more consistent Szczesny.
The Arsenal ace added: "I'm not happy with my form because I concede too many goals. The only thing that makes me happy are our last two league results.
"When I was in good form we were losing a lot of games in the Premier League so I prefer to be in worse form and Arsenal to win.
"I have to admit that I'm not in top form at the moment.
"But I think that for a young goalkeeper it is normal to have ups and downs. It means that soon things should be better."
Arsenal visit top-four rivals Liverpool at Anfield today in another crunch clash.
And Szczesny revealed that he grew up a Reds fan because fellow Pole Jerzy Dudek was his idol.
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