It’s far too early to decide whether or not we should focus on the Champions League.
Arsenal will be heading into Wednesday’s Champions League clash against AS Monaco off the back of a pretty disappointing result at the weekend. Against Fulham, the Gunners dropped further points in the title race, which handed an advantage to Chelsea and Liverpool in the process.
We cut the gap to six points at the summit of the table, but that is not considering the leader’s game in hand which will be rescheduled next year. This means that Liverpool still holds a significant edge over us in a title race that is shaping up to be one of the finest in recent history.
Due to the huge advantage possessed by the Reds at the summit, there has been calls from the Arsenal faithful that we should salvage our season by abandoning our league pursuit, focusing our efforts instead to the cup competitions and most especially the Champions League. Among the motivations for us to exclusively focus on UCL glory is the fact that it has remained elusive throughout our 138th year history.
Regardless of that, I and I believe a majority of the fanbase would say it’s far too early to put our eggs in one basket. There is a reason why it has eluded us, PSG and until very recently, Manchester City. It is one of the most difficult competitions in world football, it’s so competitive and the fact that it now has both a league and knockout phase will make it even more difficult to surmount. Along with its difficulty, another reason is plainly because it’s too early!
We’re currently fifteen games into the season, we’re less than half way into it and yet this campaign has proven it can serve up the most unexpected twists. Setting our sights solely on the UCL might see us not being in the right position to profit when these sort of things happen.
Furthermore if we were in, let’s say, the quarter-finals of the UCL while being this far off the title, it would be logical to focus on the competition we’ll be most likely to win, in that regard being the Champions League.
Currently we are not likely to win the title but we are far more likely to win the Champions League despite our huge points gap to Liverpool. Using the logic of focusing on the most likely, then winning the UCL should take it. This debate has been going on even before the start of the current campaign, we’re nearly half way into the season so let me get your thoughts on this gooners, has your perspectives changed?
BENJAMIN KENNETH
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Prioritise?
Assumption then is we cannot compete in both despite spending 800 million on the team..?
We’re Arsenal mate we don’t prioritise. We go for everything. Granted injuries are having their way with us this season but its just something we have to deal with
Look guys..it’s early days, so keep the faith and a little bit of luck( long overdue)ask agin in February guys..
With our lack of success in recent seasons, were hardly in a position to prioritize what trophy we go for.
We need to go all out in all competitions, otherwise what’s the point of entering said competitions.
Big sides go for the lot. Do you consider Arsenal to be big, if so there’s the answer.
Try and win every game.. that will lead us towards success,
stop meddling around with players and stop trying to be
clever.. is my advise to MA .
The two are not mutually exclusive. Many teams have won before, so why can’t Arsenal?
Because mentally we are not strong enough
Arsenal are not the best team in Europe, that much is clear
There not the best team in London currently either.
It’s true Liverpool have an advantage in the EPL but it’s still early days, a lot of twists can still occur.
In my opinion, as long as Arsenal are in touching distance with the league leaders, don’t rule us out yet! Being potentially 9 point adrift Liverpool at this stage of the season is still salvageable.
Watching YT vidoes of preivious seasons and boy do Arsenla miss Tomyiesio and White
Yes we do
I’ve virtually given up on Tomi.
White has been a very good player and his in and out spells before his operation- followed by the operation itself- with months out to follow has forced Arteta to make difficult decisions. Not decisions that have been widely accepted
Sue,
With White being out, it makes what Arteta did in moving Timber to left back all the more baffling.
Especially when he had other options.
Derek
I honestly can’t answer for Arteta. Tierney is similar to ESR who Arteta used very sparingly. I’m not a mind reader but the only common ground is their fitness – or lack of it. Others have put forward the theory that both were being fattened up for selling and that is a distinct possibility. I was disappointed for ESR whose injury record is nowhere near as bad
I know you believe KT should have played and in one post you put forward the fact an injury can occur at any time and to anybody. This is true. His injury troubles have marred his signing from the off, as he arrived at Arsenal with one. 543 days shared between Arsenal and Real Sociedad or 83 matches. It’s grim reading and that may well be on our manager’s mind. From the beginning of October 23 to his availability on 25/11 Tierney had 3 hamstring issues and an adductor injury equating to 259 days – according to Transfermarkt.
Do you think he was worth the risk on Sunday?
For anyone watching Arsenal over the last couple of seasons there was nothing baffling about Timber playing at LB or Partey at RB.
A LB with injury problems who hasn’t played for a long time and also wasn’t comfortable in the system before is suggested as preferable to Timber who has played the LB role quite well recently. This seems a rather odd argument to make but there are several people buying into this in order to have a go at Arteta.
Partey is not ideal at RB but has played the role well before and can invert effectively.
Our MF setup still ensured that we dominated the game itself. Much more possession and higher field tilt. Very few chances for Fulham, just the one that they took.
The bigger problems were to do with creativity and effectiveness in attack. Even then we had chances to win the game and much higher expected goals than Fulham.
Yes I do Sue, otherwise what’s the point of Arteta having him on the bench.
For me he’s just messing with Tierney’s mind. He must sit on the bench knowing that the odds of him getting any game time is practically zero.
Arteta seems to be treating him in the same way he treated Smith Row. Very bad management as far as I’m concerned.
Have to go for everything although I don’t share some opinions that we are a very good team, which just hasn’t had the breaks. This current phase is the result of poor recruiting and a manager who is not good enough. At this stage let’s be real we fans are simply running on wishful thinking when it comes to the title race. Liverpool will drop points, but so will we and I’m certain they see Chelsea as the greater threat. And there you have it. Two managers in their first year at their clubs, carrying the momentum while Arteta four years on is still learning. My best hope is that with the defensive structure we have, Arsenal can slug it out in a one off decider, similar to Arteta only trophy in four years.
At the moment both completion/trophy should be a priority including FA. To chose one above the other is to give up on one or two. Winners to think that way it’s a mediocre mind set. You give yourself a chance to the end.
The last lap of these completions can switch to any teams side and who says it can’t be Arsenal?
And isn’t that wishful thinking. Clearly, I’d love to be wrong, but what makes you believe that we are good enough to win a League title?
For me – the Carabao Cup, the bare minimum. With Mikel we are not winning anything major with his arrogance or his way of thinking. TP as RB, Trossad a starter, Timber as LB, Kai as CF, bench of Jorginho, Sterling, Merino, GabrielJ. does not inspire confidence. I would safely keep my money in my wallet till he walks out of the door. Enzo is doing a fantastic job with the misfits he inherited. Scoring 4 against the Spurs, 3 against Villa, with that combination of players, respect that. Mikel disbanded a team of Ozil, Auba, Lacazette, etc. Arsenal fans can only hope
With Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette in the squad, we still didn’t win the PL or the Carabo Cup!!
But he won the FA cup with them which he has not won /cannot win with his players.
Pointless conversation at this stage of the season, or at any point to be honest.
If the likes of Utd and City started thinking like this they’d have never had won trebles.
We can’t even win EPL all this years, let’s not talk about Europa League. So keep dream about UCL. Unless you believe in 90% will be on our side. We been putting eggs on all the basket what we got in return last 10 years?Focus on EPL I will say.
CORRECTION: 90% LUCK on our side.
You do not prioritise one over the other, you try to win every game with a suitable team picked to do just that.
Hey GB, I seem to be the only one to have noticed that the Fulham line-up looks like Arteta was definitely saving some of his players to be fresher for the Champions League on Wednesday. Punters on her are always yelling at Arteta for not rotating enough but when he does…
. . . but when he does not play their favourites . . .
They cry.
Both
Rotating is one thing, but when that means playing Partey at right back, and Timber at left back, when there was no need to.
2 points dropped. And if were talking about rotating, surely that should have made it a much easier decision to play Tierney at left back, because lets face it he has been well and truly rested hasn’t he.
Both regular starters in those positions were injured. how does that add up , in your mind, to “no need to”?
He had to change something around for sure. He chose that setup and the side didn’t lose against a very good Fulham side.
Playing someone because they’re “rested” by not playing for months, a lot of it due to injury, is rather twisted logic. The club bought versatile players and their versatility was used when it was needed.
Tierney is in the same boat this season as Cedric was last season – on his way out, but difficult to shift. I expect he’ll sit on the bench as an emergency back-up, as Cedric did.
Not a good question.
Arsenal are in the mix for both competitions, why give up on either?
In the PL, there’s one club ahead of the rest. If they have a bad patch then there’s all to play for. It’s very different if there’s 2 or more clubs ahead, expecting more than one to falter is asking too much. But right now, if Liverpool have a wobble, there’s at least 3 clubs who could take advantage (Arsenal, City, Chelsea).