Thierry Henry says he believes Arsenal were celebrating at St. James Park, because they pipped Tottenham Hotspurs to a top-four finish and not because they qualified for the Champions League.
The Gunners defeated Newcastle 1-0 and although Gareth Bale struck in the final minute to give Spurs victory over Sunderland, it was the Henry’s former team that qualified for Europe’s elite competition.
However, the Red Bulls striker made it clear that they should be winning trophies and Champions League should be the minimum requirement.
“For me as a fan or if I was a player at Arsenal, finishing in the top four would have been normal,” Henry told Sky Sports.
“We saved our season and that was it because you always want to win and I know people go on about the pictures and all of this celebration.
“But I can tell you I think it was more the fact that for any Arsenal player, when you really feel the shirt and really play for the club, putting Tottenham out of the top four, and I really do hope that’s what they were celebrating about.
“Because that is the only thing you can celebrate about. If you are an Arsenal man through-and-through that is like winning something for me. And I also said it when we did it to them in 2006 that it wasn’t the fact we qualified for the Champions League, it is because we kicked them out of it and we went in.”
Wenger has secured Champions League qualification for 16 consecutive years and Henry says it would be strange the day he decides to leave the Emirates.
“For me it’s very difficult for me to see Arsenal play, one day, without Arsene on the bench,” he admitted. “Whatever, after, people can say ‘oh yeah they won, they didn’t win’ but for me there I will see Arsenal play without Arsene on the bench, its going to be weird.
“So I’d just love to have him there all the time. We all know that’s not going to happen, one day he’s going to have to go. But it will be hard as he’s not thinking of leaving one day. It will happen eventually, we all know it, but I don’t see it.”
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