Arsène Wenger was full of praise for the form shown by Arsenal’s Europa League squad this season, ahead of their final group stage match against BATE Borisov.

So far, the Europa League has only seen limited appearances from players who regularly start in the Premier League, while those on the fringes of that starting eleven have heavily featured on Thursday nights –  Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, who have yet to make their first league start of the season.

It would’ve been easy to lose focus or motivation, but Arsenal have finished top of the group with a game to spare, and Wenger took the opportunity to praise that achievement:

It’s hard to think of a single player who has publicly complained about their situation this season. None of them have denied that they’d like to be playing every week in the league if possible, but they haven’t made a big deal out of it.

They’ve just stuck to their tasks and got the results needed to progress in Europe. As a result, the Premier League players haven’t had to come in and help out, and the two squads staying mostly separate has significantly reduced the number of injuries Wenger’s to deal with.

As long as the Premier League and Europa League squad continue picking up results, it’s the perfect scenario for Arsenal this season. Hopefully the players can keep up the positive attitude in the coming months.