Published: 9 May, 2014
By RICHARD OSLEY

CLUB captain Thomas Vermaelen has told how securing a fourth place finish in the Premier League was the ‘minimum expectation’ for Arsenal this season.

His comments feed into the feeling that the season as a whole will now be judged mainly on whether Arsenal win the FA Cup final next week. Failure to secure the trophy against Hull City and a campaign which once promised so much could still be written off as a dud.

Vermaelen, who has struggled to force his way into the first team this season and has been linked with a potential departure from the Emirates Stadium this summer, said fourth “was not enough for us”.

He added: “It is the minimum expectation that we place upon ourselves. Unfortunately, we’ve had to adjust our targets this season. Everybody wanted to go for the league, especially with us being on top for such a long time playing well and getting good results. But results and injuries went above us at a crucial time and we slipped out of the reckoning.”

He was commenting as the Arsenal players completed their schedule of home fixtures for the season. He added the so-called St Totteringham’s Day celebrations, where Arsenal fans mark the day that Spurs can no longer finish abover the Gunners, should not cloud greater ambitions.

Vermaelen, who is due to play for Belgium in next month's World Cup, said: “We understand that it’s a big thing for the supporters and for the club, but we need to look at ourselves as well. I don’t think the fans would be happy if we were eighth and they finished ninth. It’s definitely a good thing but the main thing for us  is to secure Champions League football again. We need to win the FA Cup, which would be great as everyone has been waiting for silverware for a long time, so it would be a step in the right direction."