Arsenal not being in Europe next season can be a blessing in disguise. That is the view of Gunners defender Rob Holding who insists being in the top-four race must be the target for Mikel Arteta’s side following back-to-back eighth-placed Premier League finishes.
Rob Holding said: “We’ve got to be aiming to get back in the Champions League. With no Europe this season we’ve got no distractions or fixture congestion and can really focus on our Premier League games. I think Liverpool did the same a few years ago, and Chelsea similarly when they won the league in Antonio Conte’s first year. So it can be a blessing in disguise in some aspects. We’ve just got to think of it that way and hit the ground running.”
However, whilst Chelsea have shown Arsenal how to end their five-year wait for a return to the Champions League, Holding insists his side don’t have to be like the reigning European Champions.
Rob Holding added: “I see Chelsea as a competitive rival for us. I don’t see them as a team we aspire to be like, and I don’t think they see us that way either. There’s a mutual respect between us and a recent history with FA Cup finals and playing each other in big games. I don’t think that, because they won the Champions League, we need to be more like Chelsea. Our results and league position need to improve, of course, but when we play each other it’s competitive.”
