“It is a piece of sh*t,” said a disdainful Gabi when asked about the prospect of Atletico Madrid dropping into the Europa League.
After Thursday night’s insipid, underwhelming 0-0 draw against Red Star Belgrade, Arsenal fans would be forgiven for sharing similar sentiments to that of the Spanish midfielder.
For those still unconvinced by the benefits of the competition, a game like that will hardly have endeared them to European football’s secondary stage. It was uninspiring and tepid, lacking fluidity and lethargic both on the pitch and in the stands.
But, looking beyond what was in reality a formality of a match, there are plenty of reasons for Arsenal to be acceptant, if not thankful, for their inclusion in the Europa League.
There is an assumption that the Thursday evening games are a distraction, a needless, unglamorous disruption from the competitions that actually matter. Viewed like that, it will inevitably become a burden.
For a club like Arsenal, though, it need not be. Arsene Wenger has the squad at his disposal to comfortably navigate the early stages, with little to no damaging effect on their domestic campaign.
And that is what he has done. The Frenchman has handed invaluable and formative game time to some of the club’s more promising young players; the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 👏
Joe Willock 👏
Eddie Nketiah 👏
The future is bright for Arsenal 🔴
They have impressed - particularly Maitland-Niles and Nelson as wing-backs – and looked comfortable against accomplished opposition. Admittedly, the group is not as strong as others, evident by Arsenal’s qualification with two games to spare, but it is testament to the quality and depth of their squad.
The Europa League, for all its detractors and naysayers, has allowed a talented group of youngsters an unusually consistent level of exposure in the first team, something that wouldn’t have been possible had Arsenal again reached the Champions League.
Of course, the Gunners would prefer to be amongst Europe’s elite, but the fact they are not should not be viewed entirely with pessimism. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity.
Wenger now has two games to experiment freely, to include more youthful talent and continue to ease Jack Wilshere back into first team football. The 25-year-old has shown promising signs in the Europa League, one of the beneficiaries of what is, in the eyes of many, a competition of unwanted midweek mundanity.
It is without doubt that the Europa League lacks the necessary glamour and intrigue to inspire widespread enthusiasm. And it may yet prove more of a hindrance than a help should Arsenal reach the latter stages while battling for a top four place in the Premier League.
But there are positives to be taken from what has been an unquestionably successful group stage. Most of the players that featured against Red Star are unlikely to feature against Manchester City on Sunday, and that has been the case throughout so far.
It has enabled Wenger to give regular football to teenagers and fringe players, all of whom have been good enough to secure their side’s comfortable progression into the last-32.
A quiet Emirates Stadium may have been left unsatisfied on Thursday night, but there is perhaps a future benefit to what might have appeared a relatively vapid group stage.
