Next season the mighty Arsenal will be playing in the 2nd tier of European football, the Europa League. The Emirates will not be welcoming the best of Europe this year, instead, lesser known sides from all corners of the continent will enjoy the trip of a lifetime to North London.
For Arsenal, they must embrace the competition and accept their diminished status in Europe now. Circumstance will not only force Arsène Wenger to take the tournament seriously, it’ll force him to prioritise the competition.
Here are 5 reasons why Arsenal should prioritise the Europa League.
#5 A chance to prove themselves
Right now, everybody is pointing their fingers at Arsène Wenger’s team and having a laugh. Last year, they failed to finish in the top 4 and failed to tie down their two best players to new contracts. On top of that, there are several other players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere whose futures are not clear either. Nobody respects Arsenal on the pitch anymore, neither do they respect how the club runs from an operational standpoint. Everything is haywire, but this could be the season where they turn that all around.
For the first time in a long time, the Gunners have got two key signings done and dusted before the last month of the transfer window. The purchases of Sead Kolašinac and Alexandre Lacazette represent the hope of change, hope that Arsène Wenger has changed his ways in the transfer market, leading to big money signings. Smashing their club transfer record gives Arsenal the platform to show the world what they can truly do.
The Europa League is where the 2nd tier of big clubs play, the teams that aren’t elite but are fighting for such a status. With new signings and their backs up against the wall, the Europa League offers the Gunners the perfect chance to prove themselves not only to the rest of Europe but also to their own fans.
#4 Only chance of silverware
Next year there’ll be five teams fighting for the Premier League and on top of that, all those clubs will need to win the FA Cup too. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City cannot afford to go another season trophyless with the amount of money they’ve spent recently.
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Liverpool have been patient with Jürgen Klopp but he too must deliver silverware next season, as with Mauricio Pochettino. This leaves Arsenal bottom of the silverware pile, as they don’t take the EFL Cup serious. That leaves only one other tournament to fight for, the Europa League. A tournament that wasn’t on their agenda last season.
#3 It’s a good learning experience
Arsenal have been living a good life in recent seasons, they’ve been playing in the lavish parts of Europe, like Monaco, Milan and Barcelona. First class flights into wealthy areas whilst playing the best teams in Europe have bred an air of complacency around the Emirates, now the harsh reality of the UEL will settle in.
These Arsenal players are not used to travelling away to Rostov on a Thursday night and then having to play away at Burnley on a Saturday evening. That’s jet lag multiplied with the pressure of competing in the Premier League, something the Gunners have never experienced.
The Premier League has never been this competitive and technically advanced as it is now. So jet lag from tumultuous mid-week flights will only further test the quality of Arsenal’s resolve.
#2 It’s a chance to gain European pedigree
Let’s face it, when you think of Arsenal and European football, you liken them to the whipping boys of Europe. They’re the team that everybody wants to play, but nobody wants to take serious. They’ve become a laughing stock in the Champions League and are not regarded as a big club in the competition. One Champions League final since its inception is nothing to boast about, neither is it something to be respected for.
The Europa League presents Arsenal with the opportunity to earn some respect from their European counterparts. Jose’s Man United team were mocked and jeered throughout the majority of their European campaign last year but once the final whistle went in Stockholm, they were praised. They may not be THE champions of Europe, but they are holders of a European competition, something Arsenal have never experienced. That’s pedigree.
#1 Only hope of UCL qualification?
For the first time in the Arsène Wenger era, Arsenal finished the end of a season outside the top four. Reality must set in amongst the Gunners fanbase, next year’s Europa League competition may be Arsenal’s only hope of qualifying for the Champions League in 2018.
In a transfer window where Manchester United are addressing every weak point in their squad and Everton are spending like a big club, Arsenal are on the verge of falling even further behind their counterparts.
It’s guaranteed that Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool will all push on, so Arsenal will have to do more than last season plus more to have any chance of finishing in the top four. Factor in the improvements of Manchester United and Everton, and Arsenal will have to win the UEL to have any chance of playing Barcelona and co. ever again.
