Arsenal must now give it their all in the Premier League

Out of the Champions League and still without qualification for next season's edition wrapped up, Arsenal now have to give it their all in the Premier League.

A poor run of form on the domestic front has seen the Gunners' seemingly secure spot within the top-five diminish slightly and they have thus been thrown into the dramatic battle for the Champions League spots in the closing weeks of the campaign.

It would take a number of improbable results for Mikel Arteta's side to miss out on a spot in Europe's elite competition for next season and while the odds are heavily stacked in their favour, they must now give it their all to avoid what would be a disastrous end to the campaign.

Arsenal must now give it their all in the Premier League

Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League and hold a six-point advantage over Nottingham Forest in sixth. On the cover, the Gunners look like they have basically secured a Champions League spot, but with two tough games to come in their final three, they can never say never when it comes to dropping out of the top-five.

Opta Analyst heavily favours the Gunners to qualify with over a 99.9% chance of finishing in fifth or above. However, in their run-in they travel to champions Liverpool before hosting Newcastle and in their current form, there is potential for them to struggle in both games.

Arteta's side could fail to win those matches and still qualify with a win away to relegated Southampton on the final day so it does seem as if they are well equipped to be among Europe's elite next season. There is another thing to worry about however.

Manchester City have slowly crept up behind the Gunners in recent weeks and now find themselves just three points off second. Newcastle and Chelsea also sit just four points below Arsenal.

City are the ones for the north Londoners to worry about given they had such a hefty advantage over them for much of the season and now face the realistic prospect of being leapfrogged for second place.

A concession of league position to Pep Guardiola's side would likely subject Arsenal to plenty of mockery. Their attitude following their 5-1 win over the Cityzens at the Emirates Stadium was justified given the post-match actions in the 2-2 draw in Manchester earlier in the season, but that may not bode so well if they end up finishing below them.

The Gunners have attracted plenty of criticism for their inability to hold onto league leading advantages over the past two seasons, but if they are to eventually lose out on second place despite looking so certain to finish there for a lengthy time, more questions will arise.

Of course, Arsenal's priority is to secure a Champions League finish, regardless of league position, but they must keep in mind the approaching challengers. While the Gunners are practically a shoo-in for qualification, to be barged out the way by teams they were far ahead of for so long would bring about plenty of ridicule and that is surely something Mikel Arteta wouldn't want for the club.

Arsenal must now give it their all in the Premier League to not only secure Champions League football, but also ensure they finish above their fellow challengers.

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