How Seriously Should Arsenal Take the Europa League?

It's been a strange sensation for Arsenal this week. The UEFA Champions League has kicked off in considerable style, and for the first time in two decades, the Gunners do not feature in Europe's elite competition.

Instead, they have been relegated to the UEFA Europa League—a competition in which they are about to begin their continental campaign with a tie against Cologne.

The question is, just how seriously should Arsenal take this new venture? For many teams, the Europa League has proved an unwelcome distraction. However, it is a chance to win silverware and does offer the winner entry into the Champions League.

For this piece, we spoke to a number of Arsenal fans and key influencers to get their opinions on whether Arsenal should make the Europa League a priority this season.

The Fans' Point of View

In order to gain some perspective on how the supporters are split on this issue, we conducted a Twitter poll with the simple question: "Should Arsenal take the Europa League seriously?"

Thirteen thousand Gunners fans responded, with three-quarters voting "yes." We're going to look at some of the pros and cons proposed by our respondents.

The Pros

A trophy is a trophy: Arsenal's history is not littered with European success, with the club having won only the Fairs Cup in 1970 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. It would be a big achievement to land the first European trophy of manager Arsene Wenger's reign and give the fans something to celebrate in what could otherwise be a daring campaign.

It's the best way back into the Champions League: A glance at the Premier League table suggests Arsenal will have their work cut out to make the top four, so winning the Europa League could represent their best chance of reclaiming their seat at Europe's top table. Arsenal need to be in the Champions League next season, especially as they may have to lure new stars to replace the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

It's something new: In recent seasons, Arsenal fans have grown a little tired of the manner in which they have been eliminated from the Champions League. A new competition offers something of a clean slate and could bring some fresh enthusiasm from the stands.

The Cons

It's exhausting: Competing in the Europa League means playing on Thursdays and Sundays, and it's inevitable that could have a knock-on effect on Arsenal's Premier League performance.

It's not a prestigious competition: The Europa League is to the Champions League what the Carabao Cup is to the FA Cup. Win it, and opposition fans will merely mock your celebrations. It's for the best of the rest rather than the best of the best.

The Influencers' Views

To complete our survey, we spoke to a couple of Arsenal influencers. Elliot Smith and Clive Palmer appear regularly on the Arsenal Vision podcast and hold contrasting views on how Arsenal should approach the Europa League.

Elliot Smith (@YankeeGunner)

"In a season where the league already feels lost, the Europa league offers the rare opportunity for a season that doesn't feel like Groundhog Day. It's not the competition we want, but it's the competition we deserve and need only look to United to see the value of taking it seriously.

"Three recent FA cup wins serve as another reminder of the value of taking a secondary competition seriously. It's probably harder to jump over two very good teams in the PL to qualify for the CL next season than going for it in the Europa league. If we don't take it seriously, the season could feel entirely over by January."

Clive Palmer (@ClivePAFC)

"Arsenal have been muddled in decision-making all summer, but one decision dictates our season priorities—keeping Alexis no matter how that happened tells me there is one target this season, and that is Arsenal's position back in the top four.

"Financially, we can accept losing the £60 million we let slip through our fingers only if we can get back to the top table of English football.

"It's all about position. Arsenal must regain position—there are so many potential offshoots, such as a potential new kit deal. It would also grant us the ability to rebuild a squad in a way we choose and not one given to us by a fading league position.

"I know people will look at what Manchester United did last season, but that was after a £250 million squad investment, and they limped over the line and had to basically throw the league late on to ensure they won the Europa league.

"Arsenal have had a summer wherein we have rightfully shed some squad players and now have a chance via the Europa League to rebuild players like Jack Wilshere, Calum Chambers, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Mathieu Debuchy.

"In addition, you can give pathways to first-team participation to young players like Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Josh Da Silva, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock.

"In a year's time, we may have a raft of talent we can decide on how we use in an ageing squad and a position back in the Champions League if we target the Premier League. I propose we rest every player that will start against Chelsea and focus not on Thursdays but Sundays.

B/R's View

Arsenal cannot afford to be snobby about the Europa League. After all, they have not been serious contenders for the Champions League for some time.

It's true that the group stage creates unwelcome fixture congestion, but Arsenal should be able to negotiate that while rotating their squad to ensure they remain fresh for Premier League games.

If and when they reach the knockout stages, they need to place some serious emphasis on this competition. Arsenal have proved they can win domestic cups, but Wenger has never lifted a continental trophy. Winning the Europa League would help raise the club's profile and provide that invaluable guarantee of Champions League football. For that reason, Arsenal must treat it with respect.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base.