Ramsey not giving up on Arsenal double hopes just yet

LONDON COLNEY, England (Reuters) - The prospect of Arsenal winning an FA Cup and Premier League double may be remote but, while it is still mathematically possible, midfielder Aaron Ramsey is not giving up hope.

Ramsey not giving up on Arsenal double hopes just yet

(Reuters)





Ramsey secured a place in the club's history books when he scored the winner in last season's 3-2 FA Cup final triumph over Hull City and told reporters on the eve of Saturday's semi-final against Reading that it had only whetted his appetite for more success.

That is more likely to come by retaining the FA Cup than winning a first league title since 2004 with Chelsea seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, having played one fewer match.

But if Chelsea lose at home to Manchester United on Saturday and to Arsenal, who have won their last eight league matches, at the Emirates next weekend, the outcome might not look quite so clear-cut.

"The double? Yes, that is still a possibility," said the 24-year-old Welsh international.

"We are just trying to win our remaining games. We are on a fantastic winning run and that’s all we want to keep on doing.

"It’s going to be difficult. Chelsea have still got a lot of points so they will have to slip up a few times for us to catch them so it will be difficult -- but it's still possible."

Arsenal have won the double three times, in 1971, 1998 and 2002. On the first two occasions they only clinched the title by a point.

"You cannot rule it out," said Ramsey. "When you have that momentum it is still possible. Even though it will be difficult we have to win our remaining games and see where that leaves us."

Even if they fail Ramsey believes Arsenal's long wait for the title will soon be over.

"I feel we're getting closer," he said. "Even last season we started off really well and maybe just faded away at the end.

"We lost against the bigger teams but this season we have done a bit better against them.

"This season we didn’t start too well, it was a bit interrupted, but the second half of the season we have been really good and consistent in our performances. I feel we are very close."

The winners of the Arsenal v Reading game will play Liverpool or Aston Villa in the final at Wembley on May 30.





(Editing by Ed Osmond)


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world