Arsenal Vs Valencia: In its own right, Europa League worth winning

Arsenal are two games away from winning the Europa League. With or without a Champions League place handed to the winner, it is a competition worth winning, as Unai Emery was at pains to point out this week.

The Champions League is the greatest club competition in the world. The drama, as wonderfully illustrated this week, the quality of the players and teams, the narratives that run throughout the competitions. It is a wonderful tournament with some wonderful football matches.

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Because the Champions League is such a sensational event, the Europa League, its little sister, often gets a bad look. It doesn’t have the same fanfare, the teams are not quite as high quality, and the general perspective of the competition is certainly not a positive one.

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But outside of England, the Europa League is seen as a major trophy, and not just because it has now been made a route into the following season’s Champions League. Even before that qualification process was introduced, continental clubs saw the Europa League in a far greater light than those from England.

And that is how Unai Emery sees the Europa League, as he went to great pains to say in his pre-match press conference this week:

"” We want to play the Europa League because it is a title first and secondly because of the Champions League [place]. I first competed for this title here at Valencia when it was still the Uefa Cup and was a lesser title than I think it is now. It has grown. It’s an important title for all those teams not in the Champions League, one they all want to win <…> At Sevilla, that was what motivated us, what got the fans going: that feeling of playing a final. For Sevilla, that was bigger than a Champions League place. I feel pleased to have achieved the objective at both – a Champions league place at Valencia and titles with Sevilla. I want to bring all of that to Arsenal. This competition has huge importance – as a title.”"

Emery’s point is clear: the Europa League, with or without the prospect of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, is worth winning. It is a competition that is worth pursuing. And I would completely agree.

It may not be a league title. It may not be a Champions League trophy. But given that there are six very good teams in England and only a maximum of five of them can win a trophy, and that assumes that no European team wins a European trophy, spurning the chance makes no sense. Even if Arsenal had a top-four finish within their reach, I would certainly not be advocating any rotation on Thursday night.

I have never seen Arsenal win a European title. For all of Arsene Wenger’s brilliance, he was never very successful in Europe, making just one Champions League final in 2006. I would be overjoyed to see the club win a European trophy, even if it isn’t the Champions League. It is an achievement that should not be scoffed at.

The Europa League is worth winning. Arsenal just need to now win it, and that is far from guaranteed.