Tag Archives: Europa League

Europa League good for Arsenal’s future?

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Sometimes to take a step forward you need to take a step back. And in a weird quirk, Arsenal failing to qualify for the Champions League could be turned into a positive for the future.

With Petr Cech unlikely to leave this summer, qualifying for the Europa League could create a situation where we could now purchase a top young keeper – such as Jordan Pickford – and have enough games for both to keep them satisfied.

Someone like Pickford is clearly a talented young keeper, but there is a big difference between making 10 saves in a game and conceding 3 goals, and being man of the match for keeping the score down, and doing nothing all game, and having to make a 90th minute save to keep the team ahead.

With the Europa League, we could sign Jordan Pickford and play him as understudy to Petr Cech. He would learn off the goalkeeping legend on the training ground, and he would get plenty of game time over the next year in the cups.

You would play Pickford in all 3 cup competitions – a potential of 14 Europa League games, 6 in the FA Cup and 6 more in the League Cup. That would be 26 in total if we make every final.

Now realistically, we will not make every final, but you would still expect there to be enough games in all 3 competitions to have Pickford play a dozen or more games.

By the time the 2017/18 season is over, Pickford would have grown as a keeper, be settled at the club, and have been fully analysed by the club staff to establish he has the mental strength to play for Arsenal. Qualifying for the Europa League will give him the game time needed to develop.

Game time will also be very important next year for the likes of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding.

Chambers looked good whilst on loan at Middlesbrough, playing in his preferred position of centre back. If Arsenal continue with 3 at the back, long term Chambers would be an excellent option for the right if that 3, but he needs to keep playing games.

Last season he stagnated due to lack of game time. Europa League (and the League Cup) would give him nearly 10 up until Christmas. It will keep him sharp and continue his develop. It would also allow him to build up a relationship with Rob Holding inside him.

Rob Holding has been given a lot of praise since breaking through due at the back end of the season, and he deserves that hype. But he is still young, he is still raw, and he still has mistakes in him. He was caught twice by Diego Costa in the FA Cup Final, one of which led to Chelsea’s equaliser.

He needs to be given time to develop, and whilst he has been excellent, he is probably not ready to start week in, week out in a title chasing side. But the flip side is he needs games to continue his development.

3 months ago I would have written a blog about how Rob Holding could do with going on loan next season. Like Chambers, he desperately needed games and with Arsenal playing 2 at the back, there were too many ahead of him. A move to 3 at the back, coupled with his own performances, means he has now had some more game time, and is too valuable to the squad to send on loan for 38 games.

The happy medium will be for him to start in the middle of a back 3 in the Europa League and League Cup, whilst being the first change if Laurent Koscileny or Shkodran Mustafi pick up an injury in the Premier League.

There will some now criticising this blog saying that Rob Holding should start every game next season. Let’s lay off him and give him the chance to develop. Mustafi Koscileny Monreal is our strongest defence, but Holding is knocking on the door. And the Europa League could help him knock that door down.

Other youngsters will also benefit from being in the Europa League.

Alex Iwobi has dropped out of contention in the Arsenal starting XI this season. In my opinion, he was played too much when clearly out of form in the first half of the season. He is barely 21 and should be handed a staring role behind the striker in the Europa League.

The extra games, and confidence, he would get from playing in the lesser competition will keep him sharp and ready if the top boys are out injured. He could be the star of the Europa League.

Alongside Iwobi, the Europa League will give a big chance to the likes of Reine-Adelaide, Chris Willock and forgotten man Gedion Zelalem to show they are good enough for the long term at Arsenal. It would also be good to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles got more of a run out.

Finally, the early rounds of the Europa League at least would be good for any potential young striker in the squad. Whether it be a chance for Chuba Akpom finally, or if Arsenal make a move for Henry Onyekuru, 10-or so games in the Europa League and League Cup will do wonders. Remember it is the competition Harry Kane used as his break through a few years ago.

Arsenal should take the Europa League seriously. But especially in the first half of the season, and potentially up until the quarter-finals, Arsenal could play a seriously rotated squad, meaning the regular starting XI get mid weeks off, and some of our most talented youngsters get game time.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and if the Europa League means we end up with Jordan Pickford, and see Chambers and Holding turn into the England internationals they are destined to be, than taking a step back into the competition could be great for Arsenal’s future.

Keenos

Finishing 5th, Europa League, Silly Koscielny & Arsene Wenger

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Finishing 5th

For a second there yesterday there was a slight glimmer of hope. Liverpool drawing 0-0, Arsenal up to 4th. We could snatch 4th place on the last day could we?

And within seconds the answer came emphatically. No.

A high scoring last day of the season saw ever side in the top 6 win, and win big, and Arsenal ended up 5th.

In reality, there is no difference between 2nd and 5th, neither win a trophy. Unless you are one of these who counts the top 4 as a trophy.

No Champions League means a new adventure in the Europa League.

Europa League

I think the only people annoyed at Europa League Football are those that do not go to games. Last night after it was confirmed that we would not be in the Champions League for the first time in 20-odd years, talk turned to next season.

Dreams of Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, Oslo and Ibiza. A September trip to Cyprus. December in Denmark. The world is suddenly our oyster.

Yes, I am angry we finished as low as 5th, but every cloud has a silver lining and the away trips we might potentially end up with in the Europa League fill me with excitement. No more same old boring predictable Champions League.

And we all moan we always get knocked out in the Champions League knock outs, well the Europa League is a trophy we can win, as Manchester United are showing making the final.

Take it seriously and we could all be in Lyon this time next year.

Silly Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny is an idiot.

Getting sent off in a pointless game, causing him to be suspended for the FA Cup Final is one of the most stupid things I have seen in my decades of watching football.

Another day his challenge would have merited a yellow card, but yesterday he saw red, and there is no reason to complain.

Why did he make that challenge?

Throughout his Arsenal career, he has done that kind of challenge time and again. A mistimed, late lunge. He has given away countless penalties and free kicks with tackles he had no need to make. He is a liability.

Will he learn from yesterdays error? Probably not. His punishment is to miss the final. Arsenal’s punishment could be even worse.

Arsene Wenger

Wenger has blamed the hostile atmosphere at the emirates Stadium as the reason we struggled in the 2nd half of the season. He is basically blaming the fans for the mid-season collapse.

Of course, it ignores the fact that we only lost twice at home all season – to Liverpool on the opening day and to Watford at the end of January. It was our away form that destroyed our season.

The draw against Bournemouth, defeats to WBA, Crystal Palace and Liverpool. That is where we lost it. And it was all Wenger’s fault.

Lack of clarity on his future destabilised the club, and created the hostile atmosphere. Sitting their smugly after every press conference smiling saying he knew his future but refusing to share his intentions with the world has been an absolute disgrace.

If Wenger needs to find someone to blame for us finishing 5th, he needs to look at himself. It is all on his shoulders. It is time to go.

Keenos

Arsenal in the Europa League – FOR and AGAINST

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So after last nights victory against Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal have secured themselves a place in the knock out stages of the Europa League. The competition has split fans as to their opinion on it. Some see it as a chance to win a European trophy, others have such a dislike for it that they would rather we lost last night to ensure we did not qualify.

I have attempted to come up with a fear and reasonable argument FOR and AGAINST the competition. Let us know your opinion by voting at the end.

AGAINST

The Europa League is a horrible competition. Playing Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday to far flung places across Europe will not do our Premier League chances any good.

History has shown that sides playing in the Europa League struggle on their Sunday game. If you are playing in Eastern Europe on the Thursday, you will no get back until the early hours of Friday morning. It basically writes off any training on Friday. If you are then playing away on the Sunday, the players will get together on the Saturday. A lot of travelling, living in hotels, not much time for rest and recuperation.

Looking at the fixtures list, we would have Europa League games before the FA Cup 5th round, before Manchester United Away. The FA Cup QF & Everton Away. And Manchester City Away.  Playing Thursday than Sunday before these fixtures will be a nightmare

The fact is, playing in the Europa League will damage our changes of winning the league.

From a personal point of view it is a nightmare as well. We already have too much meddling in our fixtures list. Early Saturday kick offs, late Sunday kick offs. It is a headache for the loyal travelling fan. The Europa League will only create further problems. The above fixtures will all be moved. As will Norwich at home. Less drinking, more train issues, and more Monday morning hangovers. It is not fun.

If we end up falling into the Europa League, we need to play the kids, and ensure we get knocked out at the earliest opportunity.

FOR

Imagine wanting Arsenal to lose? How crazy is that.

Yes, we would all prefer to stay in and win the Champions League, but in 17 years of trying, we only have 1 final to show for our efforts. In 2000, we ended up in the UEFA Cup (as it was then) and made the final. We should have won.

The Europa League is a more winnable competition. Chelsea a few years back dropped down into it and won it. Did their fans moan and complain that they had won another European trophy? No. The fact is, Arsenal do not have a great European pedigree – 2 cups to date – so who are we to turn our nose up at an opportunity to win a 3rd?

There is no difference between playing on a Thursday & Sunday compared to a Wednesday & Saturday. This should not be an issue. Especially for a club with a squad our size.

And the Europa League does not restart until the end of February. By then our league title chances could be over and we could be out of the FA Cup. Winning the Europa League could be our only chance of a trophy.

As for it damaging our chances of qualifying for next years Champions League,  I would rather win a trophy than qualify for a European Tournament, and winning the Europa League gets you a place in the Champions League

The extra travelling is also a myth. Last year, Tottenham played Fiorentina in the knock out stages. The year before a trip to Ukraine and Portugal. When Fulham made the final, they played in Ukraine once, Italy and Germany (twice). In the Champions League knock outs, Arsenal could end up playing in Russia, Ukraine. There is no real difference.

And from a personal point of view, the Europa League would throw up a few trips that we as travelling fans have not done. We are all bored of going to Barcelona & Munich. As the groups stand, we could also end up with getting Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea. Add in that trip to Russia. There are no games that really excite.

Over in the Europa League, we could get trips to Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Prague & Belgrade. As a travelling fan they excite. Somewhere different. A city you have never been. A city you will never go to unless it is for football. There are clearly some cracking trips to be had.

If we get into the Europa League, we should go out to win it. And a final in Basel? Yes please.

Keenos