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da brdice： Arsenal are going to prioritise the Premier League over the Europa League, according to midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Switzerland international said last week that he would rather finish in the top four than win the competition, despite the club reaching the semi-finals, where they will face Valencia over two legs.
Per The Independent, he said: “I think, for me, the Premier League is first and after if you can go to the final and take the Europa League, of course, it is nice as well but for us it is the Premier League first.”
This quote looked naive at the time. It looks downright stupid now.
Arsenal lost 3-2 to Crystal Palace at the Emirates at the weekend and, prior to their encounter with Wolves in midweek, the Gunners sit fifth. They are one point behind Chelsea and four behind Tottenham Hotspur with four games of their season remaining. Manchester United, in sixth, are only two points further back.
Now, it must be said that Arsenal’s away record this season is quite simply woeful. In 16 games on the road, Arsenal have won six, drawn four and lost six.
Their home record, by comparison, would see them third, with their defeat to Palace only their second at the Emirates in 2018-19. It is a shame, then, that Arsenal have just one home game of the season remaining, against Brighton & Hove Albion. Trips to Wolves, Leicester and Burnley loom.
The Europa League, then, has to be the priority.
Valencia are fifth in La Liga and have lost to the likes of Alaves, Sporting Gijon and Rayo Vallecano this season. This is an inherently winnable tie for Emery’s men. It must be said, too, that Arsenal can progress to the final with just a victory at the Emirates; a thumping win in north London and a draw in Spain, or even a small defeat, would see the club through to the showpiece.
If they get there, they will face either Chelsea, an opponent they know well, or Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. Similar to Valencia, Frankfurt are fifth in the German top-flight and progressed to the semi-finals after a first leg defeat to Benfica – they won the second leg 2-0 after a 4-2 first leg loss.
This season, Arsenal and Chelsea have met twice. The Gunners won 2-0 at home and, true to form, lost at Stamford Bridge, 3-2.
The path, then, appears to be clear. And Emery would do well to follow the lead of Jose Mourinho, the former Manchester United manager.
Yes, the Portuguese was bombed out of the club after what many saw as a poisonous reign.
But he won the Europa League at Old Trafford in the 2016-17 season. In that campaign, United finished the season in sixth.
Mourinho clearly knew that the top four was beyond his reach – United finished seven points behind fourth-placed Liverpool – and focused his energies instead on ensuring that the club qualified for the Champions League via something of a backdoor.
He succeeded and the momentum gained from that season saw United improve dramatically the following season as they finished second. Of course, they were a mammoth 19 points behind champions Manchester City but Pep Guardiola’s side collected a record-breaking 100 points. One can chalk that up to experience, then.
Still, the point absolutely stands. United won the Europa League and used that momentum to improve their Premier League standing, while also playing in the Champions League.
With Arsenal facing a difficult run-in filled with tricky away trips, Emery should take a page out of Mourinho’s book.
To do that, he will have to ignore Xhaka – valued at £45 million by Transfermarkt. But, given how ridiculous the Swiss’ words look now, that should not be too difficult.