Champions League qualification is the minimum requirement, not finishing top-four.
If Arsenal finishes below top-four and fails in the Europa League then surely Unai Emery will depart the Emirates. However, if they finish outside the top-four and win the Europa League should Emery then be fired?
Well, that would depend on what your absolute minimum requirement would be. For me, it is qualifying for the Champions League no matter what. Do that and I simply could not join in the chorus calling for Emery to depart.
Qualifying for the Champions League brings so many benefits that I feel it would be unfair if there were still calls for Emery to go. He would have achieved what we all want, to be back at the top table.
Obviously, if Arsenal finished tenth or something like that then the pressure would remain on Emery. However, with a European trophy in the cabinet and Champions League football to look forward to then sacking the manager would not look good.
Some will ask what is the point of qualification if the team has regressed and will get hammered in Europe. I understand that sentiment, it is definitely a tricky balance.
But if you tell the manager that the very minimum is to qualify for the Champions League and he does that and is then fired what message does that send to the next manager, what is the point of having minimum requirements if, in the end, it is not actually a minimum requirement.
If the minimum requirement is top-four regardless of what happens in the Europa League then fair enough, off you go but I doubt that is the case.
As I have already said, it is tricky and it does depend on one’s own minimum requirement.