For the first time in 20 years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have finished outside the top four and behind their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. However, what many deem as a failure, could well be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal to become a powerhouse once again.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that Wenger will go down as Arsenal\u2019s greatest ever coach<\/strong>, but with his future at the Emirates becoming uncertain, fans are split over whether he should stay or leave. The Professeur himself stated he won\u2019t announce his intentions until after the FA Cup final next weekend, where they play Chelsea. Let\u2019s not forget that this is Arsenal\u2019s third FA Cup final in four years, winning two of those.<\/p>\n As always, the season did start off bright for Arsenal. Heading into their game against Watford in January, the Gunners were sitting second – just eight points behind Chelsea in the league table which gave everyone a little hope.<\/p>\n What followed next was their usual pitiful downfall. Just 11 points from a possible 33 followed which included defeats against Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Brom and Crystal Palace; once again, they became the laughing stock as their title challenge disappeared<\/strong> which eventually led to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt the Europa League could be refreshing for a club like Arsenal \u2013 a team that have gone out at the Round of 16 for the past seven seasons. Just how many more Last 16 exits can Arsenal fans take. If Wenger and Co. take the Europa League seriously, they could well go all the way, just as Manchester United have.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s an argument that suggests the Europa League doesn\u2019t offer as much competition or excitement as the Champions League, but it does. This season in the Europa League<\/strong> has seen Manchester United reach the final, where they faced European giants, Ajax, whilst there has been plenty of high-profile fixtures across the competition.<\/p>\n Last season we saw Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, whilst next season the Europa League will include the likes of AC Milan, Lyon, Marseille, Villarreal and Arsenal. Without the pull of Champions League, Jose Mourinho and the hierarchy at United manage to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba \u2013 something that Arsenal need to take into account when they recruit over the summer.<\/p>\n Although United fans may not agree, they\u2019re slowly doing things on and off the pitch the correct way after they finally rebuild following Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s departure in 2012.<\/p>\nManchester United and Chelsea a blueprint<\/strong><\/h2>\n