Why Arsenal Must Put the Premier League First from Now On

The Champions League has always held a special allure for Arsene Wenger. It is the one major competition in which his Midas touch has never quite worked.

Despite his many years as Arsenal manager, he’s yet to lift Europe’s most prized trophy. He came agonisingly close in 2006, when he was denied by Barcelona’s comeback. As his managerial career creeps toward a close, he’ll be increasingly desperate to leave his mark on Europe by claiming the title of Champions League winner.

However, that’s unlikely to be this season.

As things stand, Arsenal are on the brink of an early exit from this year’s competition. Having lost their opening two games, against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos, they face an uphill struggle to even make it through to the knockout phase. Their next task is particularly daunting: a double-header against Bayern Munich, the one team in the group whose qualification chances are not in dispute. They are walking it.

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However, despite their struggles in Europe, Arsenal’s season is not in peril. Their last game before the international break was a 3-0 win over Manchester United, which reignited their challenge for the Premier League title. While European glory may look beyond them, domestic triumph is a very real possibility. The Gunners are sat in second place, three points behind league leaders Manchester City. The opportunity is there for the taking.

Wenger seems to know as much. Speaking to the club's official website on Thursday, he revealed his belief that Arsenal can mount a serious challenge:

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At the moment we are in the fight and that’s what you want. I believe we have the potential to do it and that’s what we want to show now in the coming games.

I’ve been here for 19 years and we had some turning points in the history. When I arrived we had the financial potential to fight for the titles. After, when we moved into the new stadium, there was a period where we did not have the opportunity to fight for the title but we had to work very hard to stay at the top. In the last two, maybe two-and-a-half years, we are back in the fight because we have the financial potential again to get the best players.

"

Arsenal must use those players to focus on the possibility of Premier League success. In other seasons, Wenger may have toyed with the idea of holding back some of his stars for the Bayern game on Tuesday. Not so this time around: The Watford match on Saturday is every bit as important as hosting the German champions.

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The Gunners have not won the Premier League since 2004—over a decade ago. When you look at the elation that greeted their FA Cup wins of 2014 and 2015, it’s difficult to imagine the outpouring of joy that would occur if Arsenal got their hands back on English football’s ultimate prize. Wenger seemingly believes a Champions League win would provide him with immortality, but a Premier League win would also offer him a measure of redemption.

Arsenal and Wenger must be pragmatic and allocate their resources accordingly. If Arsenal do somehow squeeze through their Champions League group, that has to be regarded as a bonus. That ambition can’t be allowed to detract from the very real possibility of being a strong runner in the Premier League title race. If Arsenal can conquer England again, perhaps then they can look to Europe.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.