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.