Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have one final shot at redemption

Arsenal were building momentum; a head of steam that flirted with the possibility of securing the most unrealistic of routes into European football via the Premier League. Leaving Burnley with a solitary point extinguished that flame.

Top four was never in question after the disastrous run of one win in ten matches at the beginning of the campaign. It effectively ended the season there, leaving other avenues into European competition as their only viable options.

Then it changed. A new formation with different personnel altered the course to breathe new life into European charge, one that would allow for another crack of the Europa League whip.

Even if not dead and buried, the likelihood of Arsenal managing to do so was faint at best. They’d have needed to drop almost no points and rely on those above them suffering collapses reminiscent of their own capitulations pre-Christmas. A tall order.

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Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have one final shot at redemption against Olympiacos in the Europa League

Coming away from Turf Moor with similar failings prompting another disappointing result in the competition, it isn’t a case of putting all their eggs in the Europa League basket anymore as they’ve nowhere else to put them anyway.

The 1-1 result will be scrutinised in the days building up to the next fixture even if it doesn’t overly reduce the importance of navigating their way past Olympiacos in the last 16. That remains the target for 2020/21 and it’s win that competition or bust for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Securing European silverware and a route back into the Champions League would be transformative. For finance, pulling power, short, medium and long-term goals, all the sourness and misery this season has produced would be resigned to the history books as glory would overtake gloom.

Two huge fixtures await and if the reoccurring traits of spurning chances in periods of domination and making individual errors are eased – if not eradicated – then Arsenal are in as good of a position as they can be to win the tie and progress.

Creating chances was the previous issue. Now it’s converting them. Nothing is perfect, so of the two it’s an easy choice. There should be no change in approach for Thursday, if Arsenal reach the levels they’ve been growing into then victory is theirs.

Burnley doesn’t change anything. It’s all on the Europa League.