Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed that he is worried about how the Europa League will have an impact on Mikel Arteta’s side this season.
The Gunners have started the campaign in tremendous fashion. We’ve won five out of our first six games, and if we can carry that form until the end of the season, we will surely be back in the top four. Henry’s happy with the start, but he’s really concerned now.
Why Thierry Henry is worried about Arsenal this season
Arsenal begin their Europa League campaign against FC Zurich of Switzerland this evening. Arteta will be hoping to go all the way in the competition, but Henry is worried about our squad depth.
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The legendary Frenchman believes our starting eleven is really good, but he’s not quite sure if our second-choice players can come in and do a similar job.
He said on CBS Sports: “‘I can see a team there, a togetherness, and I like that. Look, the team is different but you’ve got the likes of Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka… The thing with Jesus is he knows how to win, he has won. He’s bringing that into the team and you can see it.
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“I believe in them. I haven’t believed like this for a very long time, believed that we could do something. But I worry about the Europa League because of the depth of the team. I think the starting XI is good enough but this is a long season so it might be a bit much for them.
“I’m worried… I’m worried about that (Europa League). As a coach, you think about how you’re going to cope with this season and then there’s a World Cup as well. Do you do another pre-season after that? What do you do with the players who don’t go? How will the players come back physically and mentally?
“It’s going to be a tough one for sure.”
The Insider’s View:
Henry’s concerns are justified.
Arsenal’s first eleven is undoubtedly excellent. If those players start every game, we’ll surely be one of the favourites to go all the way in the competition and win it. However, whether our fringe players can step up remains to be seen.
The likes of Matt Turner, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos are all set to play a part in the Europa League this season, and as good as they are, they’re a fair way off Arteta’s first-choice players.
It will be interesting to see how we fare tonight. We’re sure Henry, like all of us, will be watching.
