ESPN’s James Olley has urged Arsenal to focus on the Europa League now, after their demoralising Premier League defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
That loss means it’s going to take a perfect winning run before Arsenal can get back in the mix for the top four in this unpredictable season.
The Gunners won the FA Cup last season with Mikel Arteta less than a year on the job at the Emirates.
Their run to winning the competition showed that the Spanish manager knows how to manage knockout games, regardless of their exits from domestic cup competitions this season.
Olympiacos also eliminated them from the Europa League in the knockout stage last season, but their only chance of making Europe next season might be winning the competition.
Olley says: “There often comes a point when European competition takes on greater significance than domestic pursuits, and Arsenal have surely reached that juncture now.”
The race for the Premier League’s European places this season has become even tougher with the likes of West Ham and Aston Villa working hard to gatecrash the top six.
Arsenal doesn’t have the resources to waste on two fronts and this makes Olley’s advice one that the Gunners should consider taking.
Lets hope that doesn’t end suddenly then.
We had an away win and home tie to come against a lesser team last season and still blew it so this will I’d imagine be a very nervy night!
Have a nervy feeling about this….I can imagine that we will dominate, waste loads of gilt edged chances and get hit by an 89th minute sucker punch from a corner that Leno has needlessly conceded and that Luiz/Holding/Gabriel/Mari have failed to defend properly.
We won’t be back in Europe for some time if that happens. Good luck to West Ham hope you make it.
Sadly can see Man Utd or the dreaded lot down the road doing well in this competition.
We will probably sign a couple more Chelsea cast offs this summer….Jorginho for example.
Gotta agree with Kevin. This is going to be nervy. Gotta be on the front foot & for sure pick the right line up.
ESR,Saka,Laca,Auba Martinelli & Odegaard must be considered. My team would be.
Leno
Soares Holding Gabrielle Tierney
Cebellos Odegaard
Saka ESR Auba
Lacazette
“Their run to winning the competition showed that the Spanish manager knows how to manage knockout games”
Stop kidding, apart from the luck he got to win the FA cup, what other knock out stages did Arteta pass?
1. Eliminated with Olympiacos last years
2.lost to Man City in the FA cup this year
3. Lost the capital one cup as well
4. Not a decent performance in the first leg against Benefica
Arteta is part of the problem hindering arsenal to progress
1. Why on earth did he drop Martineli after his hard work and relentless pressing and bossing the left side in favor of out of form Auba
2. Why not give the hances to Saliba and Balogun
3. Why dropping Lacazette while on form
Etc