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Arsenal's priority this season was there for all to see against Brentford
For most, Arsenal has been out of the title race for the best part of a month, with Liverpool having a 10+ point lead at the summit.
While not mathematically out of it, the general consensus was that the Gunners would once again be runners up, and if you needed any confirmation as to where the club sees itself in the title race, look no further than the 1-1 draw against Brentford.
After the 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter finals, Mikel Arteta swung the changes and announced to the world that the Gunners' priority was no longer domestically, but in Europe.
Arsenal make season priority clear
Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard, and Mikel Merino all moved to the bench, clearly with an eye on the second leg in Madrid to give the Gunners' stars rest ahead of what is the biggest game in the club's history.
With their colors nailed to the Champions League mast, Arsenal gave starts to Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, and Ethan Nwaneri against Brentford.
But while we can clearly see the "why" in Arsenal's team rotation, Arteta was playing a straight bat post-game.
"We still have six games to play in the Premier League, which are going to be really important, for sure," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "But, for now, it's all about Wednesday."
So Arteta won't admit it, and nor should he, but for most, it is clear to see where the priority is for the club and after putting so much work into the first leg against Madrid, to be 3-0 up, the more rest the club can get its stars, the better.
Yes, the league has been "gone" for weeks, but now we have seen the first true moment where Arsenal has conceded it is over. If not, the stars mentioned above, would have started in an attempt to close the gap on Liverpool.
But now, it has become clear - all of Arsenal's eggs are in the Champions League basket, and rightly so with the Gunners in a great position to advance to the semi finals if they can put forth another solid showing midweek.
Granted, it won't be easy as Real will come out breathing fire, but having rested stars to come back will make quelling that much easier.