Arsene Wenger believes that a lack of Champions League football during the upcoming season could help Arsenal’s title challenge.
Wenger believes that not having Champions League football next season for the first time in almost two decades could help Arsenal in their battle for the title seeing as they can focus all their energy on the Premiership.
“I would have loved to play in the Champions League, but we have to deal with the reality that we are not in it,” said Wenger, reports Arsenal.com.
“For us it is a good opportunity to focus completely on the Premier League, but anyway I would say that the Premier League has in my opinion taken over from the Champions League interest-wise.
“It happened sometimes that we rested players in the group stage of the Champions League to prepare for the next Premier League game because every Premier League game is so difficult.”
Arsenal have always taken the Champions League seriously, not that you would know it given their results in recent years. However, this time Wenger is reportedly going to field a young team in the Europa League, giving first team players a chance to rest without a high-intensity midweek game, which is often accompanied by crushing disappointing.
It also means less traveling for key players if Wenger decides not to include them in the Europa League squad.
Instead, the youngsters get even more of a chance to shine on the big stage. Rather than just the League Cup and select FA Cup matches, the likes of Reiss Nelson and Jeff Reine-Adelaide will get to feature in an actual European tournament at senior level, without too much pressure being heaped on their young shoulders.
Ideally, this will give Arsenal’s first team, as Wenger says, more time and energy to focus on the Premier League.
It will allow us to have a proper chance at getting back into the top four, looking like a proper team again and hopefully winning our first title in 13 years.