5 Reasons Arsenal Should Aim For Premier League Glory Rather Than The Champions League

4. Success Starts At Home

One statistic that stands out by a mile for English clubs when attempting to embark on European success is the fact that they have won something in the previous two seasons before European glory. Every English club without fail has experienced recent success before lifting the European title. In all three of Manchester United's victories in Europe they have won the league title the season before. Chelsea left it two years before lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time, and both Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa won the league title a year before their first European crown. Liverpool have won the trophy five times, and four of those successes have come after winning the league the year before, and it was only their 2005 European triumph that bucked this trend. Even then, the Reds won the League Cup two years before beating AC Milan in Istanbul. There is then a definite trend for English clubs in Europe, and Arsenal should be looking to sort out their domestic affairs before they begin a real European charge. The belief a recent success can give a team can be looked at as a base for more glory, and it is only by ending their trophy drought that they will start looking like contenders for Europe. The Gunners have taken part in 16 successive Champions League competitions since the 1998/99 season, which is all very well, but you get the feeling they are there merely to make up the numbers. A league title is a must for the Arsenal players, many of whom are yet to experience winning a trophy of any sort. Success breeds success, and you just can't help but think that the Gunners need to challenge for the league title before they move up a level in trying for European glory.