After the Everton loss, can Arsenal save their season? – originally posted on Sportslens.com
The end of the season is fast approaching in a whirlwind year of football. And after Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno blundered on Friday night, the Gunners suffered their 13th defeat of the season. Given the league position, all hopes for this season are now pinned on Europa League success.
The battle from fourth to eighth in the EPL table between Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton sees the quintet separated by six points, and with Arsenal a further six points behind with five games to go, it seems the only option for European football is to win the Europa League.
Arsenal now turn their attention to their midweek fixture against Villarreal at the El Madrigal. They will come up against former manager Unai Emery and his Villarreal team who sit in seventh in La Liga table at the time of writing, one spot outside of the European places.
The last time Arsenal faced Villareal in a semi-final they beat them 1-0 over two legs thanks to a Kolo Toure goal to help them progress to the 2005-2006 Champions League final which they lost 2-1 to Barcelona.
And manager Mikel Arteta will no doubt be hoping they overcome their Spanish opponents once again, with a different result in the final of another European competition.
But with Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Kieran Tierney still sidelined and the poor Everton result going into the game, Arteta will surely be praying his key men come back in time to push for the win over two legs.
Arteta has received a lot of support from Arsenal fans despite a worse start to his Arsenal managerial career than his Thursday night opponent Emery, and while that support is expected to last till next season, Arsenal fans will still expect their team to show up against Villareal and beat them over two legs.
And a Europa League final against either Roma or Manchester United? Anything can happen in a 90-minute game.