Arsene Wenger is set to face Jose Mourinho on Sunday for the last time as Arsenal manager, but he faces a big dilemma as to whether to try and beat his biggest rival, or keep his eye on the main prize, i.e. the Europa League second leg on Thursday.
Man United will want the points to ensure they end up in second place behind Man City, but Arsenal only have a small cushion of four points on Burnley who have been creeping up on the Gunners in the last few weeks, but surely Wenger’s main aim must be to try and get the Gunners back into the Champions League next season, and the only way to reach that goal is to win the Europa League and get in via the back door.
The Boss said today that he will try and beat Man United but will be wary of tiring his top players ahead of the semi final so it looks like he will be rotating his squad and hope his youngsters come good. Last week Wenger rested players and they still came out with a great 4-1 win over the Hammers, but the game at Old Trafford is a different kettle of fish.
When asked what his plans were for the United match, Le Prof said: “I use it to win the game and as well prepare for the next Europa League game,” Wenger said on Friday. “I felt last night like we were sharp, focused. We rested some players in our last game against West Ham but overall I thought we were ready and focused and in good shape.”
Last week Wenger really only gave Ozil and Kolasinac the day off and used Maitland-Niles to rplace Elneny when he went off injured, so maybe his idea of rotation is not so radical. I wonder if he may be a little more adventurous this week. Maybe play Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock to mix things up a bit?
Should Wenger rest lots of top players or really try to beat Man United?
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