Arsenal could face Villarreal again in UEFA Conference League
Arteta sees progress
Mikel Arteta spoke before Arsenal’s final game of the season against Brighton in which they could still secure a place in Europe next season however it would be in the third tier UEFA Conference League.
The Spaniard assessed the season and despite their overall lacklustre campaign, still spoke of progress being made regarding points and European progression.
“Well if you are saying it’s a step back because we haven’t won a title, then it has to be related. In the league we have two more points than last season, but it’s nowhere near where we want to be,” he said.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the UEFA Europa League Semi-final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Villareal CF at Emirates Stadium on May 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
“The fact that we don’t have a title so close to grab because we’re not in the Europa League final makes it difficult to see more positives but we were knocked out in the last-16 of the Europa League last season and a lot of things have been done that were very necessary in this season that are not related to results.
“But at the end of the day, we are here to win.”
Inconsequential wins in a failure of a season. Arteta will hope a strong transfer window, both regarding incomings and outgoings, can propel The Gunners to a strong season next year.
Arsenal could face Villarreal in Conference League
Arsenal fans will quickly want to forget the awful two-legged tie against Unai Emery and Villarreal in the Europa League semi-final.
Arsenal went out 2-1 on aggregate after an away defeat and a goalless draw in London.
It was an embarrassing moment considering the fact that Arsenal had sacked Emery and replaced him with Arteta less than two year prior.
The Gunners were incredibly poor across the two legs and deserved to be knocked out.
However, the pair could yet face off once again should final day results fall their way.
In the Premier League should Arsenal beat Brighton and both Spurs and Everton drop points to Leicester City and Manchester City respectively, a probable outcome, then the Gunners would finish 7th and in the qualifying spot for the UEFA Conference League.
Should either Everton or Spurs win however and the opportunity would be missed.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli (right) celebrates with Mohamed Elneny after scoring their side’s second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 19, 2021. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/PA Images via Getty Images)
In La Liga, Villarreal currently sit in their 7th spot. The position which also qualifies the side for the Conference League. No teams below them can catch them however Real Betis one place above in 6th due to head-to-head status and Real Sociedad 1 point above in 5th, both Europa League qualifying spots.
Real Betis are away to Celta Vigo (8th) who have nothing to play for and Real Sociedad travel to Osasuna who also have nothing to play for. Meanwhile, Villarreal must play Real Madrid in the capital who must win to have a chance of lifting the title should Atletico drop points.
The likelihoods of all results point to both Arsenal and Villarreal once again falling into the tournament.
However, Villarreal do face Manchester United in the Europa League final, should they win, they will qualify for next season’s Champions League instead.
WARSAW, POLAND – MAY 27: Unai Emery, coach of Sevilla kisses the trophy after the UEFA Europa League Final match between FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and FC Sevilla on May 27, 2015 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 37 | 46 | 83 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 37 | 28 | 71 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 37 | 23 | 67 |
| 4 | Liverpool FC | 37 | 24 | 66 |
| 5 | Leicester City FC | 37 | 20 | 66 |
| 6 | West Ham United FC | 37 | 12 | 62 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 37 | 21 | 59 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 37 | 4 | 59 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 37 | 14 | 58 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 37 | 6 | 56 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 37 | 8 | 52 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 37 | -15 | 45 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 37 | -23 | 44 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 37 | -18 | 43 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 37 | -18 | 42 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 37 | -4 | 41 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 37 | -21 | 39 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 37 | -24 | 28 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 37 | -39 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 37 | -44 | 20 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 22 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 17 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 17 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 16 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 16 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 14 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 12 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 12 |
| Wood, Chris | Burnley FC | 12 |
| Iheanacho, Kelechi | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 11 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United FC | 10 |
| Cavani, Edinson | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 11 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 9 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Andersen, Joachim | Fulham FC | 1 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| McGoldrick, David | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 8 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 8 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 8 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 8 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 7 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Eze, Eberechi | Crystal Palace FC | 7 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
