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NO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE COULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR ARSENAL

For the first time in 20 years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have finished outside the top four and behind their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. However, what many deem as a failure, could well be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal to become a powerhouse once again.

There’s no doubt that Wenger will go down as Arsenal’s greatest ever coach, but with his future at the Emirates becoming uncertain, fans are split over whether he should stay or leave. The Professeur himself stated he won’t announce his intentions until after the FA Cup final next weekend, where they play Chelsea. Let’s not forget that this is Arsenal’s third FA Cup final in four years, winning two of those.

As always, the season did start off bright for Arsenal. Heading into their game against Watford in January, the Gunners were sitting second – just eight points behind Chelsea in the league table which gave everyone a little hope.

What followed next was their usual pitiful downfall. Just 11 points from a possible 33 followed which included defeats against Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Brom and Crystal Palace; once again, they became the laughing stock as their title challenge disappeared which eventually led to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

There’s no doubt the Europa League could be refreshing for a club like Arsenal – a team that have gone out at the Round of 16 for the past seven seasons. Just how many more Last 16 exits can Arsenal fans take. If Wenger and Co. take the Europa League seriously, they could well go all the way, just as Manchester United have.

 

 

Manchester United and Chelsea a blueprint

There’s an argument that suggests the Europa League doesn’t offer as much competition or excitement as the Champions League, but it does. This season in the Europa League has seen Manchester United reach the final, where they faced European giants, Ajax, whilst there has been plenty of high-profile fixtures across the competition.

Last season we saw Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, whilst next season the Europa League will include the likes of AC Milan, Lyon, Marseille, Villarreal and Arsenal. Without the pull of Champions League, Jose Mourinho and the hierarchy at United manage to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba – something that Arsenal need to take into account when they recruit over the summer.

Although United fans may not agree, they’re slowly doing things on and off the pitch the correct way after they finally rebuild following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2012.

Elsewhere, under Mourinho and Guus Hiddink last season, Chelsea managed to finish a lowly 10th. This season, under Antonio Conte, the club have gone on to clinch the Premier League title with relative ease, whilst they were able to keep hold of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa & Co. without the pull of European football. Arsenal’s hierarchy must keep hold of their best players, and not force a fire sale.

 

The rebuild starts after the FA Cup final

It may seem obvious, but it’s extremely important that Arsenal keep hold of both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. The stats don’t lie when they prove to be two of the world’s top players – without them in the side, Arsenal would be much worse off.

Despite an impressive Euro 2016 with Wales, this season has proved that Aaron Ramsey perhaps isn’t up to standard, whilst they are still in search of that Patrick Vieira mould of player; still lacking a leader.

Arsenal fans are still waiting for that one player who can put the ball in the back of a net on a regular occasion. Whilst they have France international Olivier Giroud, he’s not getting any younger, or better. It’s important that Arsenal go all out for a forward, be it in the mould of Kylian Mbappe, who would cost an excessive amount, or a player such as Romelu Lukaku.

With or without Wenger, there’s plenty of areas that Arsenal need to improve on if they are to once again become a powerhouse in football; although it may not be the Champions League, a long overdue European trophy should be welcomed by any Arsenal fan.

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