Why Arsenal should take the Europa League seriously

Arsenal's failure to finish in the top four of the Premier League last season will see them compete in the Europa League in the coming season, a competition that in England is not held in the highest regard. Whilst it is seen by many as an unnecessary distraction, should Arsenal see this as a real opportunity for a successful 2017/18 campaign?

Manager Arsene Wenger is desperate to turn his Arsenal team into Premier League winners again this season, with a top four finish an absolute minimum for Gunners' fans. However, this season is showing signs that it could be the most tightly contested edition of the competition ever. Six or seven teams believe that they have a genuine chance to win the trophy next May, with big money being spent and big names arriving. 

Whilst the trophy is what Arsenal want, that top four finish would see them once again qualify for the Champions League. That route into the competition is by no means guaranteed and losing out on that spot at the end of the season again would see them spend another campaign in the Europa League, at least. 

Wenger has said this week that he will see the Europa League as an opportunity to rotate his squad and therefore potentially play a very young, inexperienced side. Whilst it is always good to see youth players making the step up to senior football, this is a tactic we have often seen in this competition by English sides, with the result appearing unimportant to managers at times. 

The demands of a long, intense season are certainly going to take their toll on players throughout the course of the year, but tiredness and fatigue are often deemed as an excuse by managers when players underperform after a midweek game. When teams are on a winning run, having played just as many games, fatigue doesn't even enter the equation, with the players looking more than happy to play every minute. 

Whilst the Europa League is not on the same level as the Champions League, football players and fans will never get tired of winning silverware. Despite the lack of enthusiasm it receives early on in the season, by the end of the tournament, every fan is willing their team on to go all the way and lift the cup in the final, just ask Manchester United. 

Arsenal have not won a European competition since 1994 (European Cup Winners' Cup), something that all fans of the club would love to change. Whilst the Champions League would be preferable, it is hard to believe that any Arsenal fan would turn their nose up at the prospect of a European trophy on the mantelpiece. 

The Premier League is one of the most popular competitions in the world and that, understandably, always come as a main priority to elite managers. Arsene Wenger would not be the first manager of an English club to disregard the Europa League and he certainly wouldn't be the last, but perhaps he should see this as a real opportunity to prove to his doubters that the club were right to keep him in the dugout.