MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 23:56:00| >> :120:5672:5672:

Arsenal boss Unai Emery favours titles over top-four finish

Unai Emery favours titles over top four
© Reuters
Arsenal boss Unai Emery admits that he would prefer to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League, rather than finishing fourth in the Premier League.

Unai Emery has suggested that winning silverware of some sort takes priority over a top-four finish in the Premier League during his first season at Arsenal.

The Gunners kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 4-2 win over Vorskla Poltava and host Brentford in round three of the EFL Cup next week.

Previous manager Arsene Wenger would often prioritise finishing in a Champions League spot, which he failed to achieve in his final two seasons in charge, but Emery favours a different approach as each competition is of equal importance at this stage.

Asked if he would prefer to quality for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League or by winning the Europa League, the Spaniard told reporters: "One choice? For me, the Europa League is very important.

"It is one title and I think for us, every title is the best way, the best performance, the best future. The Premier League is very important because I think it is the first competition of importance for us, because that gives us the big credibility on this season.

"Thirty-eight matches give us and gives opponents the clarity to show who is the best for the top four. It is clear that we have a very, very competitive team to do that - I am confident in my team."

Emery won three Europa League titles during his time at Sevilla and also lifted seven domestic trophies in two years at Paris Saint-Germain.

ID:336462: cacheID:336462:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2399:
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mesut Ozil celebrates scoring Arsenal's fourth goal against Vorskla Poltava in their Europa League tie on September 20, 2018
Read Next:
How Arsenal could line up against Everton
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!