LONDON • Ainsley Maitland-Niles believes Arsenal's Europa League run will aid their Premier League top-four push at home to Crystal Palace today.
Unai Emery's men will play his former club Valencia for a place in the May 29 final in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the manager aiming for his fourth title that would earn his team a Champions League spot.
That would be an uplifting finish to his first season with the club but, if they fall short in Europe, his players still have another route to the Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Currently in fourth place above Chelsea on goal difference, Arsenal have no margin for error in the league, but Maitland-Niles feels the team have matured as a result of their Europa League campaign.
The wing-back said: "It's a tough league in England. We're learning different methods in Europe because sometimes, we need to be more like the foreign teams and just grind out results.
"We're gelling together very well. The manager is working with a back four, a back five, so we all know positionally what to do, not to dive in the box and not to give silly fouls away around the box.
"You can score as many goals as you want but, if you don't defend properly, then the game could go either way."
17
Arsenal have progressed every time they won the first leg of a major European tie by two or more goals. They did it again, the 17th time, when they beat Napoli 2-0 and 1-0 in their Europa League quarter-final.
Since first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin's season-ending injury in January, Maitland-Niles has made the position his own, with the 21-year-old crediting Emery for "giving him a lot of confidence".
The England Under-21 international added: "That's what you need, for the manager to pat you on the back when you don't do well.
"And when you do well, to pat you on the back even harder. He's done that throughout the whole season for me."
Arsenal also received a boost after Aaron Ramsey told Emery he is confident of playing again before the end of the season.
The midfielder, who will leave on a free transfer to Juventus in the summer, suffered a hamstring injury during the 1-0 Europa League quarter-final, second-leg win at Napoli on Thursday.
Ramsey had told Emery "maybe in two or three weeks, I can play some matches".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE GUARDIAN
ARSENAL V CRYSTAL PALACE
Singtel TV Ch103 & StarHub Ch228, 10.50pm
Guardiola expecting twists and turns in title race Both Liverpool and Manchester City won on Wednesday, but Pep Guardiola expects both sides will drop points in the Premier League title race.
Guardiola expects more twist in Premier League title race
Latest Singapore News. Football: Liverpool's miracle comeback trumps Spurs', say fans in Singapore - The Straits Times; SPH Chinese Media Group presents crosstalk production It Could Have Been____! Malaysia criticised for failures on rights reforms; Singapore 'playing for time' in water dispute with Malaysia: Daim Zainuddin - AsiaOne
What was the Miracle of Istanbul? Liverpool's 2005 Champions
Japan coach disappointed but pleased with progress at Asian Cup but former coach Stephen Constantine says the team's spirited showing in the Asian Cup football tournament has earned them
Everton ease past Burnley to keep Europa League dream alive 2 Min Read May 3, Reuters - Everton bolstered their chances of qualifying for next season's Europa League with a 2-0 win over Burnley
Everton ease past Burnley to keep Europa League dream alive
Almoez Ali brushed off a row about his eligibility to scoop an Asian Cup winner's medal and smash a 23-year-old scoring record on Friday, confirming that Qatar have a potential star in the making
Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before 2022 World Cup
Manchester United's Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba headed first-half goals to claim a 2-0 win that dumped FA Cup holders Chelsea out of the competition and secured a place in the quarter-finals in an intense tie at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
United dump holders Chelsea out of Cup to pile pressure on Sarri
Australian female footballers to earn same base pay as men the base annual pay for players in the W-League was hiked 33 percent to Aus$16,344 (US$11,393). Australia is not the only nation
Mohamed Salah Calls For Gender Equality, Urges People to Treat Women Better Mohamed Salah was named one of the US magazine's 100 most influential figures of the year, alongside Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Naomi Osaka.
'Mo' Salah Asks Muslim World To Treat Women Better - The New
Fulham boosted their Premier League survival hopes after Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a stoppage time winner to give them a 1-0 win over bottom team Huddersfield Town at Craven Cottage on Saturday. The result lifted Fulham one place up to 18th on 14 points from 20 games, two more than Burnley who are at home to West Ham United in one of Sunday
Last-gasp Mitrovic earns Fulham 1-0 win over Huddersfield
Southampton 1-3 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp's side return to top of Premier League after tough test at St Mary's as Liverpool reclaimed top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind to beat
Liverpool back above Man City at the top of the league
Gareth Bale finally found the net for Real Madrid, ending his goal drought and leading his team to an easy victory over Huesca on the road at Estadio El Alcoraz. Real Madrid's Santiago Solari insists the tough playing conditions were down to his side's poor performance in
Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari won't 'give up' as Dani
Former Barcelona star Paulinho edged two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande into the AFC Champions League last 16 Wednesday, while title-holders Kashima Antlers had to come from a goal behind to
Supersub Smyth stars as Northern Ireland stun South Korea
0 comments:
Post a Comment