The Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere started the season as a second string player and was only playing in League Cup and Europa League games, until he proved his form and fitness and won back a place in the Gunners first XI. The England midfielder, who has also earned his first call up to the national side in two years, believes that the club had always made the Europa League a major target.
Wilshere said: “We knew the Europa League was an opportunity for us to get into the Champions League. We understood that from the start and now it’s getting into the real business end, it’s exciting.
“All players want to be involved in Europe. Okay, it’s not the Champions League, but in the Europa you still get big European nights that give you something different to the Premier League.
“We travel away together and everyone enjoys it. There are some good teams in it and it’s a difficult competition to win — but we are confident in ourselves.”
I certainly believe this trophy is a major target for Arsenal now, but at the beginning of the season it was way down on Wenger’s list, in fact the Boss even admitted that he didn’t believe the winners should get automatic entry in the Elite competition. The Boss said before the season started: He said: “You cannot go into the season and think that [is going to be your route into the Champions League],” he said.
“I was always not in favour of that, because I think at some stage it can influence the championship, because if a team is in April in a position where they have more chance to win the Europa League they can let some games go in the championship, and not completely focus on that.”
Well now the wenger has fund himself in that position and now has no choice but to make the EL his Number One target to save Arsenal’s season, but if I was Jack I wouldn’t be getting too overconfident.
Darren N
The Europa League is a poisoned chalice. It may seem like a good thing now, but with it comes yet another detrimental contract extension for the nuisance of a dinosaur that selfishly refuses to give a chance to anyone else to manage the team. Am sorry, but I cannot support the team on this journey.
I think at this stage you have to look at he facts. Fans petitioned last year and wenger got a contract. This year it has not gone well and we have started voting with out feet. I think arsenal the board and wenger are aware we want him out and a update is needed. They sent in josh kreonke and we have other new members of the back room staff. I think there is change happening and we need to support the club where we can. Lets wait until may before we start fussing again. Right now dont let our hate for wenger be a reason that we cant get players or have to pay silky wages to attract nore average guys. We need a europa win and it will gove wenger something positive to bow out on.
A Europa win will give something Wenger to bow out in? You don’t know Wenger, may be. We won back to back FA cups, thought that was when Wenger was gonna leave on a high, we all witnessed what happened.. every cup win is another chance of Wenger holding his head high and accuse his critics. I do want us to win this cup, but your idea of Wenger leaving on a high after winning it? Is deluding ourselves
Then don’t why read the article at all
People are talking like its already been won.
Madrid are the favorites and like one poster stated if we win it you can see Wenger being given yet another contract extension.
Do half empty stadiums not tell him anything or has he even noticed?
For a split second i thought the Title read
“Arsenal are confident of exiting Europa League opportunity?”
I was like WTF?
Anyway I wish the lads all the best.
Atletico Madrid in my opinion are the favourites but if we can win the next round anything is possible.
seems like everyones going personal….
so much negativity…..
if supporting a club is that difficult…some of the fans should just support city…they spend big and will change manager very frequently
Wenger should just be removed and you’ll see all the positive comments in here. Not all of us love the old man the way you do. So you keep fantacising him and we’ll keep screaming Wenger Out
John I am sick and tired of you telling people, who disagree with you to support another club. Many of us have just as much invested in supporting what’s best for Arsenal and that may involve criticizing maintenance of the status quo.
Folowing Arsenal through thick and thin, highs and lows, doesn’t mean you can’t be critical of the regime in power to push for change for what you consider the better.
West Ham fans are going through a tough time now, due to the perceived lies of the board promising investment and success once the move to Stratford was made. Imagine their reaction if you told them to go and support Man City.
Isn’t that negative lol
This is the only thing left for us to go for. I hope we do go for it… I just can’t help but think that Atletico might be just a bit too much for us….. but having said that Arsenal have proved me wrong before in the past, so you never know! COYG
Let’s face facts here.To say the season hasn’t gone as expected (and required) is an understatement of titanic proportions.However we still have the opportunity to win a trophy and all the while we are in the Europa Cup our season is still alive.
Of course on paper Athletico Madrid are favourites but this is football and anything can happen.
We should see off CSKA and if we do avoid AM then yes the excitement will be on for what is then a major European Trophy.And who says we can’t beat AM(that’s providing of course they get there themselves)?We were massive underdogs in the FA Cup final against Chelski and what happened?We turned up.Weakened team against runaway league Champions and we played them off the park.Who says we are not capable of repeating this?We are a better team than last season (on paper anyway if not by results) and AM are not of the quality of those SW London Chavs so of course we can win this cup and it’s ridiculous to suggest we can’t.
Good positive and realistic comment, Phil. COYG and support in every competition we are in!
no trophy unless we can beat Atletico. And lets not forget this team is widely inconsistent and can lose to CSKA badly out of nowhere.
the only problem is… how are we gonna beat ATM when we face them?