Wenger gunning for Europa glory as Arsenal slump again
ARSENE Wenger has conceded winning the Europa League has become important to Arsenal after defeat at Brighton left their top-four hopes in tatters.
The Gunners lost 2-1 at the Amex Stadium for their fourth successive defeat in all competitions, a run which saw them lose the Carabao Cup final and leaves them 13 points behind neighbours Tottenham in the Premier League.
Spurs occupy fourth spot but Wenger has been insistent in recent weeks that he wants to seal a Champions League return through league position rather than winning the Europa League as Manchester United did last year.
That now looks unlikely as firsthalf goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray were enough to beat an uninspiring Arsenal and give Chris Hughton’s Seagulls an even better chance of securing top-flight survival.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a consolation goal before the break but the siege of the Brighton goal never came, as Arsenal headed home still with only three away Premier League wins to their name this season.
After explaining Aaron Ramsey’s omission from the matchday squad to rest the midfielder with a last-16 tie at AC Milan on Thursday, Wenger said it showed that the Europa League is starting to take priority.
“Yes, because we have to be realistic,” he said.
“We need two teams to collapse. I can’t see that at the moment, because two teams to drop so many points is very difficult to imagine.
“But we have to give our best for as long as we can. Of course the Europa League becomes important.”
With Europa League fixtures and a run to the Carabao Cup final, Wenger also pointed a finger at a packed fixture list as a reason for his side’s latest mediocre outing on the road – with the majority of away fans calling for Wenger to leave the club during one spell in the first half.
“We had difficulty to get going and we suffered a lot physically in the first half,” he said.
“After that, mentally as well I believe that the lack of confidence, linked with the physical aspect, made us lose some balls where they took advantage of it.
“Overall, on top of that, we made some defensive mistakes, where they took advantage of it as well.
“In the second half, it was all us. But we lacked a bit of sharpness and freshness physically, to make the difference.
“At the moment, we play too many games and are charged negatively on top of that because we lose them. So it’s difficult.”