No they’re not. They are a team who had a small period of glory. Ajax have pretty consistently been relevant both domestically and in Europe for considerably longer. Not in the least comparable.
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For a club that barely win trophies complainig about a cup is a nonsense.
For a club in our position winning the Europa League would be more beneficial to us than winning the FA cup, gives us a much needed European trophy and direct qualification to the Champions League.
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[quote=“SDGooner, post:7764, topic:125, full:true”]
Ajax wasn’t just a great side 40 years ago. Arguably our GOAT comes from the Ajax school and he isn’t even their best player of all time. Just to put things in perspective.[/quote]
Right they have a great youth team who develop great players who never play for them in their primes because they can’t keep any of them
A domestic cup in the second best league where you play the best of that league trumps a competition where none of the best European teams play. Arsenal before this season haven’t been crap enough to qualify it since 1999/2000, when we went to the final, Henry took loads of long shots that failed and we lost on pens. But the competition was actually better back then.
None of the Europa teams are good enough to qualify for the CL or aren’t good enough to qualify for the second round of the CL. It’s essentially the mid table European Cup.
Since the CL has started creaming off the top 4 of all the best countries and champions of the rest the other European trophies have been tarnished massively. UEFA Cup was a big one when you had the second best teams in the big leagues playing it. So was the Cup Winners Cup, when you got the big teams in it. Europa isn’t close to that level, the CL has ruined it.
If we win the Europa but finish 6th next year will you be happy? It’s a possibility so I’ll throw it out there if you think it’s so prestigious
The point was that they’re historically bigger clubs than City or Chavski and history means nothing to how well rated a team currently is. Otherwise all of the top talent would join Liverpool and we know that’s never happening.
Ajax haven’t been relevant or a decent European side in over 20 years. Leeds have goto the CL semis more recently than they have. Leeds will probably be worth more and better than Ajax in 10-15 years time too I’d imagine.
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Yes. Because it would mean Arsenal finally got their first European trophy since 1993. A European trophy they never won for the record. Wenger finally got his first European trophy EVER. Arsenal get Champions League entrance. Arsenal is not even close to competing for the title, so I don’t care if we will be 4th, 5th or 6th (I think three teams are genuinely better than us and we will max out at 4th). As long as we win the Europa League.
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Well you can be quoted on that then and we can assume you genuinely rate it. I don’t rate it as a prestigious competition and it’s nowhere near the old Cup Winners Cup and old UEFA Cup. But we can draw a line there
I’d be happy to win it but it’s not as hard to win as the old Euro comps, especially for a richer top league side who’s actually trying to win it.
My view on this has sort of altered just recently. Now we’ve reestablished our dominance of the Fa Cup, I would say the target has to be that glaring (recent) omission from our record.
European title above Fa Cup for me, and i’d include the Europa League in that. We can’t go on for much longer with a weaker European record than a bunch of clubs in the Championship.
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We played Galatasaray, Lens and Werder Bremen back then. The UEFA Cup wasn’t better back than.
The Era you are talking about was 1995-96 and before that for the record. In 1996-97 Newcastle United as 2nd placed team went to the Europa League. The entry lists of the Cup’ winners Cup weren’t that impressive either.
You’re right and wrong, the glory days of UEFA was when the second place team were in it ofcourse. But when we dropped into it from the CL only the top 2 or 3 qualified for it from top leagues rather than the top 4. They extended the amount of teams from top leagues and continued to downgrade UEFA/Europa after that. And then the money difference changed too. To the extent most teams from top leagues played reserves instead of first choice teams.
BTW in case you didn’t know Newcastle should of won the league in '96. That Newcastle team is many levels above the 16/17 Ajax team.
Back in 1999-2000 La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga all had 4 teams who had qualified for the Champions League, group stages and qualifying rounds. The Premier League back than just wasn’t high enough on the UEFA-coefficient list to have four entries.
Wenger called. He wants to know where top 4 trophy sits on that list. 
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It’s even our most realistic chance to qualify to the Champions League again.
1st, duh.
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I’ve mentioned this a few times, something to genuinely be concerned about. Kinda why I’d be happy to see Giroud sold if we received a decent offer, our forward line needs to be renewed or we run the risk of a bunch of them hitting the cliff together like City’s fullbacks.
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Don’t see the point in any of this tbh.
Swap Giroud and Alexis next season for 2 younger hot shots and no doubt our forward line suddenly becomes inexperienced and lacking leadership.
The underline to take away, if anything, is all of Giroud, Alexis, Lacazette and Ozil are all on an upward trend showing zero sign of decline.
If the entire squad was 32+ id be worried.
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we will get griezmann next season anyway 
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Agent :laca: needs to work on it.
Randomally came across this old interview of Arsene when he attended the British GP in 2005. Listen to the last question when he gets asked “What could you do with £200 million?” 
So, it looks like Wenger is going to continue the previous seasons’ mistakes of not having targets in and ready to go before the season starts.
Shift out the deadwood now. Bring in the midfielder now. It really isn’t as hard as Arsenal makes it. Trying to save some money on a late window bid or hold out for additional million or two for a Gibbs or Wilshere isn’t worth it.
How much did the lack of urgency cost the club after the opening debacle (yet another one)? Think having another point and the Liverpool cult having two less would have mattered? 
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