Arsene Wenger maintains it is not all "doom and gloom" at Arsenal - and that his team's shortcomings will not necessarily be solved just by spending big money.
The Gunners crashed out of Europe in midweek and will now finish fourth in the Premier League after their 21-match unbeaten run was unceremoniously ended with a 4-1 home thrashing by Chelsea, and so will have to go through qualifying to reach next season's Champions League group stages.
Arsenal major shareholder Alisher Usmanov has claimed the club must "step up" their transfer dealings this summer if they want to compete.
Wenger, though, insists the Gunners - whose last trophy was the 2005 FA Cup - are heading in the right direction.
"We have to take some distance, because it was not a 4-1 game," said the Frenchman.
"Our chances to finish third are over, but this result will not have any other influence other than that.
"We had a small opportunity to come third - but three months ago everybody said we would finished 10th, so I would have signed at that point to finish fourth.
"I don't feel we have to be too disappointed with that, but what is very disappointing for us is in the games that mattered in the last three or four weeks we couldn't win. That is where we have to analyse."
Wenger, however, remains adamant his side are not far off being genuine title challengers once again.
"At the moment I do not know what funds will be available. I will be told by the club, but I don't think the squad needs major investment," he said.
"I believe we need to continue to improve. I am not as doom-and-gloom as everybody wants to make it after a defeat.
"Of course we play in a strong league against top quality opponents and some teams who have come up are chasing us from the back.
"We need to improve in the areas that are right - that does not mean quantity, not even quantity of money.
"It is just the right type of players."
Wenger added: "We conceded four at Liverpool, three against Manchester United and four to Chelsea. We have to improve the way we defend.
"However, you wouldn't like to come out when you lose 4-1 and say 'listen, we are going to buy four defenders'.
"It is more a case of balancing the team defensively than the quality of our defenders."
As against United last Tuesday night, Arsenal started very well, and should have taken an early lead with Theo Walcott - who has just signed a new deal - and Abou Diaby wasting the best of several chances as the visitors were carved open time and again.
However, Chelsea kept their composure before killing the game off with two clinical strikes before half-time from Brazilian defender Alex and former Gunner Nicolas Anelka.
An own goal from Kolo Toure put them three ahead straight after the restart, with Arsenal substitute Nicklas Bendtner pulling a goal back before Florent Malouda scored Chelsea's fourth three minutes from the end.
"You can be very positive or very negative," said Wenger.
"We lost the game 4-1 which is a major disappointment, but I feel going forward we had a very interesting game and created plenty of chances - we should have been 2-0 up before they had a shot on goal.
"On the first free-kick we made a mistake and they scored.
"We missed seven or eight clear-cut chances and on every single mistake we made, we were punished."
Your Comments
bbyc
"I think AW should be appreciated for the efforts he has put into the team. There is not much difference between us and the big four and if you consider the the amount of money they have spent compared to what AW has spent to get his team up where they are at the moment, then you will appreciate this man AW. We have had injuries to key player at key moments too. Having to miss Gallas, Clichy at crucial time was also key, we missed Fabregas, walcott, eduardo and rosicky at crucial time too. Non of the other big four teams missed as much players as we need at key moments. bobby"
Topline
"well we have a spanking new stadium. 2 count them 2 billionare majority shareholders. A top world class manager who loves the club and gas already said he dosent know what funds will be avalible? Gazidis, is the man to sort this mess out not fizzman or Hill-wood. Usmanov has said we need to spend...."your a billionare pump some money into the club then" and Kronke...why are they fighting over shares for a club that is under performing? why bother with Arsenal? what do they know we dont? Wenger knows he needs to strengthen, only will he have the cash to do it?"
dijame
"''ohno i play football at a good level too and work at a championship club with the players so i'd like to think i know what im talking about lol
what people say about hime is unjustified. i dont know if you've every been to a match but next time you go just spend 3-4 mins actually watching him not the where the play is, look at his movement, look at the amount of balls he wins in the air and the position he takes up in the box. his eye for finishing will come he's only 21..just becuase he doesnt do 20 step overs like ronaldo, or rattle one off the post like teves doesnt not make him crap. you need to try and get rid of your old ideas of him and take a fresh look.
"
Tabloid365
"you want to know who'll be puching you for 4th next year? Man City, if you think the middle easterners will be happy to keep ticking over with no real action again next year you're wrong. I think we'll see big spending from them in the summer. probably top spenders with hughes a gonner already if you ask me. i actually think spurz will outspend you again and be a lot closer but I don't expect them to truly challenge.
for all its worth I don't believe Wenger, he's not that stupid to be able to see what a quality experienced player (Arshavin) can add to your squad.
p.s. jonny bingo - not caring"
ohno
"dijame "he holds up the ball" i play football at a not bad standard - People give bendtner becuase it is justified if he was for sale would anyone in the top six try and buy him? i think you know the answer "
GoonerStaff
"Personally the more beatings we take between now and the end of the season the better!! He might open his eyes and get the Blankety Blank Cheque Book & Pen out. 2 Centre Halves, a brute of a ball winning central midfielder and a lump of a bully up front rather than a money greedy mercenary with about as much passion as draft excluder!!"
johnnybongo
"Tabloid365
i'm wide awake and my strong arabica espresso smells just lovely thanks.
my point is that the difference between the two sides was not as great as the 1-4 scoreline suggests, that if walcott hadn't fluffed his first chance i recon he and the rest of them probably have converted most of the others and that 3 of chelseas goals had a bit of luck about them : no foul, OG, off-side. if arsenal do struggle to hold 4th spot next year, but continue to run the club within it's financial means whilst developing skillful young footballers and playing exciting attacking football i'll be happy. i'll be an impossibly smug bastard if the bottom falls out of the football business and chelsea, liverpool and man u's creditors suddenly ask for all their money back.
i think there's more chance of that happenning than aliens landing on pitches or your aunt undergoing metoidioplasty.
you spelled my name wrong mate"
dijame
""ok all this bendtner bashing is getting ridiculous, and I suspect that it was started by a few who cant even play football, with the masses jumping on the band wagon without too much more thought.
bongoman1..have you ever actually watched bendtner play... actually watched him properley not just on the tv when he's on the ball, but off the ball too? He's big and strong, he holds up the ball, his off the ball movement is very good as he gets in to scoring positions numerous times per game and when the ball is pumped up to him he always challenges and usually wins it...the boy puts a shift in. ok his goal return isnt that of a top striker but hes only 21. It'll come. sometimes knowing what to do in a scoring situation comes with age.
part of the league position is down wengers poor tactics.
Yesterday was a prime exapmle. Despite the good start the team was set out negatively.
Wenger needs to be more aware of the strengths of his players and the opposition i think. van persie is not a lone striker type of player who plays on the last defender, he comes deep and links play, so why ask him to do that. Playing him up-top alone against alex and terry AT HOME was never goin to work..EVER. Surely the thing to do was put a bigger man up with him (bendtner) to challenge them in the air, but nope 5ft 5ins nasri was the main supporting player.
Asking diaby to play wide left time after time when he is a central midfeilder. play people in their positions wenger...its simple!! if thats not possible at least balance the team. vela..left footed.. play him wide left. That would have tested bosingwa more becuase vela would get at him inside or round the outside not like diably just trying to get on his right foot, narrowing the whole team.
im starting to think wenger can't take us any further.
"
Cesc_Bomb
"Tabloid365: I think our team needs improving and we have the summer to do it but I don't agree with muppets suggesting that we will struggle to finish 4th next season. Which team exactly, is the one that is going to give us such a tough time? Aston Villa? Everton? Spurz?! Arsenal may have fallen short of the big hitters but the gap between us and the rest is just as big. It's going to take one hell of an improvement from one of those sides and us to get worse before we struggle to finish 4th."
Tabloid365
"jonny bongo. on another day chelsea could have scored 28. on a quite a different day aliens could have landed on the pitch and turned the chelsea team into stone.
if my aunt jane had a c*** she'd be my uncle. wake up and smell the coffee gooners, you'll be struggling for 4th next year"
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