There is a theory that having no miweek European games whatsoever could be a helping hand for a Premier League title challenge, but Arsenal are highly unlikely to find out, at least not in the next year anyway. It would take a collapse in the order of the England cricket team for the Gunners to finish so low that we do not even get into the Europa League.
But Arsenal simply must continue our fantastic run of qualifying for the Champions League. It is not just that the UCL is a lot more glamorous and more lucrative than it’s less impressive relative either, although that is a big factor and can make the difference between being able to sign the players you really want in the sumer transfer window.
What seems to be the case and what this weekend’s Premier League games have given Arsenal a stark reminder of, is that playing in Europe on a Thursday can seriously damage your Premier League health. It is not completely logical because clubs in the Champions League often have the same gap between games when they play on Wednesday.
For some reason it seems the clubs in the Europa League suffer more in the following EPL games. Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool all struggled today, although the jammy scousers are somehow currently winning thanks to some big decisions and a rare wonder goal.
Everton have won just two of theirseven games after Europe, against QPR and Burnley. THe spuds lost home games against West Brom, Newcastle and Stoke and so nearly West Ham today. So maybe us Arsenal fans should be so flippant about the ‘Wenger trophy’ and realise just how important it really is.