LONDON:
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal will not put down tools in the Europa League to help their bid to win a first Premier League title for 19 years.
League leaders Arteta are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with 11 games remaining.
Bowing out of the Europa League could help the Gunners’ hopes of holding on to the lead in the title race as it would allow for more recovery and preparation time.
But Arteta doesn’t share that view as the Arsenal manager tries to restore a winning culture to a club that has floundered for most of the past two decades.
Arsenal host Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday with the tie well balanced after a 2-2 draw in Portugal last week.
“Our priority is the two competitions,” said Arteta.
“The best way to prepare for any competition is to win the first game and get the confidence and the necessary feeling to move on to the next game.”
of Arteta philosophy has so far been proven correct.
Arsenal have won six and drawn one of their seven Premier League game after their Europa League games this season.
Despite arriving back in London early on Friday, the visitors won 3-0 at Fulham on Sunday with the game winning at half-time.
It’s master against apprentice in a Premier League clash as Arteta makes his first managerial debut with City boss Pep Guardiola.
Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant for three years between 2016 and 2019.
The influence of Guardiola is clearly seen in the game of Arsenal under Arteta, but also in the mind that the Spaniard is trying to create.
City lifted the League Cup for four consecutive seasons under Guardiola between 2018 and 2021.
Instead of wanting a less hectic schedule, the City manager believes winning trophies is an “addiction.”
The FA Cup is what Arsenal managed to hit in the last 19 years, winning the competition five times, including in Arteta’s first season in charge.
Arsenal have only won one European Cup in their history – the 1993/94 Cup Winners’ Cup.
Arteta is determined to change that terrible record for the Arsenal club and is not willing to panic despite the risk that his young team could run out of gas in the final months of the season.
If Arsenal are going to reach the final in Budapest on May 31, they will have to progress over the big names in Europe’s second competition.
Manchester United have one foot in the quarter-finals after a 4-1 win over Real Betis at Old Trafford.
Juventus still have work to do when they travel to Freiburg to defend the 1-0 deficit in the first leg.
Six-time winners Sevilla may be fighting a relegation battle in La Liga but are still a threat in the knockout stages of the Europa League and took 2-0 in Istanbul against Fenerbahce.
Jose Mourinho led Roma to their first European title in 61 years by lifting the Europa Conference League last season.
The Italians are also in good shape to reach the last eight after beating Real Sociedad 2-0 at home last week.
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