SAFE EUROPEAN HOME

The Arsenal are back on the european stage; that's now guaranteed for the 2022/23 season. Which competition we will be in is the question and the next few games will decide that.

The minimum expectation must have been Europa League qualification as we sat down to watch Brentford v Arsenal back on 13th August. That fixture and the following two were, quite frankly, disastrous and at that time I think the focus was on actually scoring a goal and getting some points on the table.

As the season has progressed we've seen a slow ascent into the upper echelons of the league that were exemplified by a great start to 2022 and now following a topsy turvy set of fixtures the Arsenal are now nestled in fourth place daring to dream of a return to Europe's elite contest.

How the club would fare in that elite tournament is hard to assess, particularly as a summer spend is required, but you have to be in it to win it.

If we "only" qualify for the Europa League it will be our fault as fourth is in our hands, but getting back into Europe in general should be seen as a positive step on the road to getting back to where we want to be