Arsenal Vs Watford: Rest and rotation not needed… yet

Arsenal have shifted their attentions away from the Premier League and towards the Europa League. Even so, as they host Watford on Sunday afternoon, rest and rotation are not yet needed.

As the toils have grown in the Premier League, so have Arsenal’s priorities shifted. The title, while a faint hope of the fans and apparent potential realisation of the owners and board, was over almost before it began, such was the relentless pace of Manchester City, particularly early in the year. But even the Gunners’ top-four hopes have drastically subsided in recent months.#

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They currently sit 13 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth. That, with less than 10 games remaining, seems like an unassailable gap to overcome, even with the comfortable run-in that the North London outfit enjoy.

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The hole that they find themselves in has moved many to suggest that perhaps Arsene Wenger should begin to adopt the same approach that Jose Mourinho did in the closing stages of last season, rotating the resources of his squad a little, gearing them towards the Europa League and not the Premier League, which is the usual priority of the top clubs when the season begins.

It is thinking that I agree with. Not only is the Europa League a European trophy, something that Wenger is yet to lift during his 22-year tenure, but it also offers a direct route into next season’s Champions League, which was arguably the most important achievement entering the year. Certainly, the recruitment and retention aims of this club in the summer will be highly predicated on their qualification for the Champions League.

But that does not mean that Wenger must enact a rest and rotation policy just yet. There is still a good deal of time to run in this season, and the climax of the Europa League has not quite come into full force.

Arsenal host Watford on Sunday with AC Milan then coming to the Emirates just four days later to complete their last-16 tie. Some would perhaps argue that Wenger should look to rest the likes of Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, those that are either integral to the success of the team or are known injury risks. But I do not think it is necessary just yet.

Arsenal play Milan on March 15th. They do not have another game in the month after that point. Leicester City, their scheduled Premier League opponents, play in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, before a two-week international break that stretches into April — the next game is against Stoke City in the league on April 1st. The fixture schedule is not a taxing one.

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As a result, the rest that Wenger would be striving for is not really necessary. It will come without making changes. It would be far more beneficial for Wenger to continue ploughing his resources into bolstering the confidence of the squad with wins. That means playing his strongest team.