Arsene Wenger says it's "very sad" to miss out on the Champions League for the first time in his Arsenal career, and admitted that the uncertainty around his future was partly responsible for the failed Premier League campaign.
Wenger said the psychological environment for his players was "absolutely horrendous" in recent months, but defended owner Stan Kroenke after large sections of the Emirates on Sunday called on the majority owner to "get out of our club."
Arsenal finished fifth despite beating Everton 3-1 on the final day of the league season, the first time they have finished outside the top four since Wenger took charge of the club in 1996. The Gunners were a point behind fourth-place Liverpool, who beat Middlesbrough 3-0.
Wenger, who has yet to announce whether he's staying at the club after facing increased calls from fans to step down, acknowledged that his personal situation was part of the reason for coming up short.
"It's very sad [to not be in the Champions League]. Because for 20 years we were in it," Wenger told a press conference. "It's very strange because with 75 points we are one point short. And of course you can look everywhere for where we dropped this point.
"Overall I believe that we played since January in a very difficult environment for different reasons. Some obviously that you have known about, and that is very difficult for a group of players to cope with that. And some other reasons that I will talk about another day.
"But the psychological environment for that group of players was absolutely horrendous and I'm very proud of what they have done, the way they responded and finished the season."
Arsenal fans staged protests outside the Emirates before several home games in the last couple of months of the season, while airplanes with a "Wenger out" banner flew over the stadium for two away games. Nearly 20,000 fans also stayed away from Tuesday's home game against Sunderland to show their displeasure with the team's results.
"It has been difficult yes. Certainly my personal situation has contributed to that," Wenger said. "You have been at the games, and you cannot say that the environment for the group of players was especially positive."
Wenger refused to elaborate on why his own future wasn't sorted out sooner, saying "I will give you an answer one day, but not today
Wenger said the psychological environment for his players was "absolutely horrendous" in recent months, but defended owner Stan Kroenke after large sections of the Emirates on Sunday called on the majority owner to "get out of our club."
Arsenal finished fifth despite beating Everton 3-1 on the final day of the league season, the first time they have finished outside the top four since Wenger took charge of the club in 1996. The Gunners were a point behind fourth-place Liverpool, who beat Middlesbrough 3-0.
Wenger, who has yet to announce whether he's staying at the club after facing increased calls from fans to step down, acknowledged that his personal situation was part of the reason for coming up short.
"It's very sad [to not be in the Champions League]. Because for 20 years we were in it," Wenger told a press conference. "It's very strange because with 75 points we are one point short. And of course you can look everywhere for where we dropped this point.
"Overall I believe that we played since January in a very difficult environment for different reasons. Some obviously that you have known about, and that is very difficult for a group of players to cope with that. And some other reasons that I will talk about another day.
"But the psychological environment for that group of players was absolutely horrendous and I'm very proud of what they have done, the way they responded and finished the season."
Arsenal fans staged protests outside the Emirates before several home games in the last couple of months of the season, while airplanes with a "Wenger out" banner flew over the stadium for two away games. Nearly 20,000 fans also stayed away from Tuesday's home game against Sunderland to show their displeasure with the team's results.
"It has been difficult yes. Certainly my personal situation has contributed to that," Wenger said. "You have been at the games, and you cannot say that the environment for the group of players was especially positive."
Wenger refused to elaborate on why his own future wasn't sorted out sooner, saying "I will give you an answer one day, but not today
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