Arsenal: Valencia results better look just like Napoli

Arsenal still have a way into the Champions League, with Valencia next on the list. This better look just like it looked against Napoli.

Say whatever you like about how important it is to get into the Champions League via the top four, but it’s always nice to have that spare ace in your back pocket and Arsenal have it in Unai Emery and his tremendous success in the Europa League.

Despite the early, rough results against the likes of Rennes and BATE Borisov, Unai Emery whipped this club into shape against Napoli in the exact way that he wasn’t able to whip this club into shape against the Premier League opposition around the same time.

I can’t even blame fans for thinking that we were screwed when we drew Napoli. They are arguably the toughest draw and given the status of this Arsenal club, there are always going to be doubts about tough matches.

But what they did against Napoli was truly remarkable. While a 2-0 win at home didn’t pull the blinders over fans who knew that home matches were our cup of tea, the stoic 1-0 away result was absolutely convincing.

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It was arguably our best performance all year, as the defense was a mammoth of a force, holding out a Neapolitan attack for ninety minutes without blemish.

It inspired hope in this fan base that maybe the Europa League was something different. That maybe the Gunners knew how to break out of their pathetic Premier League holes when they were instead tossed into the Europa League.

But we have to remember that Napoli followed two unnecessarily nervy ties against BATE Borisov and Rennes, and with that in mind, this tie against Valencia takes on a new look. Because the results absolutely must look like they did against Napoli if we’re to actually believe that the Europa League is different than the Premier League at all.

Yet again, we start at home against Valencia, and yet again, the need to build a lead is pretty damn important. But it’s that away leg that I’m looking at. I don’t care what happens against Brighton because, honestly, I don’t see the top four as a priority any more. I want to see the Gunners actually look determined enough that I trust them to beat Chelsea.

Treat Valencia like we treated Napoli and I’ll believe. Don’t leave any room for doubt or this is going to be a hellish couple of weeks.