The Europa League group stage has been and gone, and, if nothing else, it’s been a novel experience.
If fans were dreading that the Europa League wouldn’t be anywhere near as stimulating and significant as the Champions League, they were proven right. At times, the competition has lived up to its seedy reputation as a low-quality, low-interest grind for teams of Arsenal’s stature.
Yet, this year’s group stage hasn’t been without incident. While Arsenal comfortably topped their group to reach the knockout stage, there have been some moments of interest.
So as we look ahead to Monday’s round of 32 draw, here are five lessons and highlights from the group stage.
3. Future glances
The lower standard of opposition and a need to rotate the team saw opportunities given to several young Arsenal players.
Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Marcus McGuane, Ben Sheaf and Matt Macey all made their Arsenal debuts in the competition, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles started in every game.
Impressively, none of these players were found wanting when Arsenal relied on them.
How they develop from here will dictate their futures at the club, but the experience will have been unforgettable for them.