Most Arsenal fans are really not sure how Arsene Wenger is going to approach the Europa League group games that Arsenal have to cope with after finishing just outside the top four of the Premier League last season and not being in the Champions League for the first time in a very long time.
One of the reasons for our confusion, in my opinion, is that the manager himself is not really sure how to approach it either. He declared quite emphatically before the start of the season that he would be focusing on the Premier League, thereby getting us ready for a much weakened Arsenal team being picked for the European games.
But he has been saying different things as well, suggesting at the weekend that he would be selecting a strong side with not too many changes for the visit of the Bundesliga club Cologne this week and that tells me that Wenger is in two minds.
I think that the game this week could actually determine how we approach the other five. Wenger will look at how much it takes out of his players, how likely we are to get out of the group and how seriously we need to take it to do so and a number of other factors.
Simply by playing a strong side this week, which he can probably do without any worries this early in the season, could put Arsenal in a strong position that will allow him to be more carefree with team selection in the later clashes.
What do you guys think should be our approach to the Europa League?
Bob.