Granit Xhaka thinks Arsenal have wasted their chances to finish in the top four, and they need to forget about it and focus on the Europa League for now.

Arsenal suffered their third consecutive defeat at the weekend, losing 3-0 to Leicester City after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off in the first half.

Though the circumstances of the loss were perhaps a little more understandable than the previous two, that doesn’t change the fact Unai Emery’s team have now wasted three chances to gain ground in the top-four race. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all picked up at least one point in that time.

Xhaka thinks Arsenal have to put thoughts of finishing in the top four out of their minds for the time being.

“It is not the right moment to think about the top four. We had three big chances, starting against Crystal Palace, Wednesday against Wolverhampton and on Sunday in Leicester. If you don’t take three points in these games, we have not to speak about the top four at the moment,” he said.

“We lost our game and lost our big chance to come back to the Champions League.”

Fortunately, Arsenal still have another available route to Europe’s top-tier competition. The Gunners contest the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, knowing that winning the competition means automatic qualification into the Champions League regardless of their domestic finish.

“If you are in the semi-final, you are two games from the final,” Xhaka continued. “I know anything can happen but if you are three games from the title, you have to think positively.”

That’s not to say qualification through the Europa League will be easy. Arsenal have never beaten Valencia in knockout competition, and they’ll likely have to beat Chelsea in the final even if they do manage that feat this time around.

Unai Emery’s side will just have to take things one step at a time, starting with a positive result against Valencia at the Emirates Stadium in a few days’ time.