Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Stoke made it four wins in a row for the Gunners for the first time since October of last year. Their recent form has been well below par but often they have a tendency to finish seasons strongly. Last year, after a dreadful run between January and mid-April, they won nine of their final 10 games, including the FA Cup final against overwhelming favourites (and recently crowned champions) Chelsea.
It’s too late for any sequence of good results to have a significant effect on their final Premier League position — perhaps they could overtake Chelsea and finish fifth — but if Arsene Wenger can build momentum, that will help continue their progress in the Europa League and could prove very useful.
It’s clear the Arsenal manager is beginning to look to Europe as the key driver to what remains of the season. While a win over Stoke in the Premier League was important, Wenger’s team selection was an indicator he had an eye on Thursday night’s encounter with CSKA Moscow at the Emirates.
After playing for France, Laurent Koscielny was rested at the weekend, with his place going to Calum Chambers. The young Englishman did well enough but the France international is going to be an important player if Arsenal are to go the distance in the Europa League and Wenger is taking no chances.
Despite recent revelations from the 32-year-old that yoga has gone a long way to help a chronic Achilles tendon issue which requires daily treatment, his manager is taking no chances over his fitness. Koscielny’s age and physical problems mean he is no longer someone who can play three times a week and that was reflected in the team selection Sunday.
Similarly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was rested and although other key players like Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil played, that was as much about getting them sharp again after the international break as anything else.
If Arsenal continue to make progress, we’re likely to see the team for the Premier League games made up more and more of fringe players. It’s a good way of keeping them fit and sharp if required — last season’s pre-FA Cup final defensive injury crisis is perfect evidence of how a squad can be decimated in less than a week — but it might also be a way to give some young players a run out.
Wenger began the season in Europe with the likes of Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the team. The latter has made the most significant breakthrough, making 23 appearances in all competitions, while the other two have found their chances a bit more limited. It would certainly be an interesting way to finish the campaign if players who began in the Europa League, because it was considered less important than the league, ended playing in the Premier League because of the dramatic shift in priorities.
It might be important for Nelson in particular: he has yet to sign a new deal with the club despite one being on offer for some time. He looks like a player who needs to be convinced his immediate future is best served with the Gunners and although his current contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2019, the longer he goes without putting pen to paper, the greater the likelihood of him leaving.
Nelson is widely considered one of the most talented young players at Arsenal, and to lose him would a real shame. Some Premier League football might show him that Wenger has faith in his talent and convince him to stay.
While it is just the latest in a series of contractual standoffs that the club have been involved in, making some effort to include Nelson now could pay dividends in the future.
Andrew Mangan is one of ESPN FC’s Arsenal bloggers. You can follow him on Twitter: @arseblog.
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