Why a lack of European football will serve Arsenal well next season

Bukayo Saka

Why a lack of European football will serve Arsenal well next season

Show us an Arsenal fan who was gutted to miss out on the European Conference League and we'll show you a liar.

OK, that might be pushing it a bit, but you'd do well to find an Arsenal fan who would have been buzzing at sneaking a place in Europe's third-tier competition - even if failing to do so meant finishing below a particularly average Tottenham side.

It will make precisely no difference to attracting players and, crucially, it frees up midweeks for Arsenal to have a real go at domestic competitions and a place in the top four.

Having been Champions League stalwarts for most of the previous two decades, the Gunners have not finished higher than fifth since 2015/16 and the longer Arsenal are not dining at Europe's top table, the more the club's reputation is dented.

Fatigue and injuries are likely to have a real impact next season. Following a hectic and condensed 2020/21 campaign, this summer's Euros will only increase the weariness of top players and by Christmas, Arsenal may find themselves grateful for not having the extra burden of regular midweek games.

Avoiding the qualifying rounds for the Champions League and Europa League also means avoiding a painfully early start to the season, which should give Mikel Arteta a full pre-season to mould his squad and put clear systems in place.

Chelsea and Liverpool have both benefited from a lack of European football in recent seasons and there is no reason to believe Arsenal could not do likewise, particularly with a young squad who will stay fresher than their rivals.

There are positives to take, then, but only if this is a one-off. We can dress up not qualifying for Europe as much as we like but ultimately it's not good enough for a club with Arsenal's resources to only be competing on domestic fronts.

The likes of Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe deserve the opportunity to pit themselves against the European elite and another season like this one would rightly have them questioning whether Arsenal really is the best place to develop.

Yet conversely, they are just the sort of players who could really propel a Europe-free Arsenal towards a top four finish. 

All three have been regular injury victims in recent years but a clearer schedule reduces those risks and a full season out of Saka, for instance, could go some way to inspiring a much-needed upturn in fortunes.

As ever, the proof will be in the pudding. If Arsenal use the lack of European football to their advantage, finish in the top four and add to the trophy cabinet then it will be a price worth paying.

Another Premier League season like the one just gone, however, with no fixture congestion to blame, and serious questions will start to be asked.

Photo: Getty Images

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