Arsenal should not be prioritising one of the Premier League or Champions League while there are plenty of points to be won over the festive period, club legend Ray Parlour has insisted.
Third place in the Premier League standings is underwhelming by Arsenal's recent standards under Mikel Arteta, but the Gunners hold the same ranking in the 36-team Champions League table, only trailing perfect Liverpool and Barcelona by five and two points respectively.
The Gunners eased past Ligue 1 giants Monaco on matchday six, where a 3-0 win put them on the brink of sealing a top-eight finish and a direct route into the last 16 without the need for a two-legged playoff next year.
Arsenal are still waiting for that elusive first Champions League crown, but when asked by Sports Mole whether the Gunners could justify prioritising European glory over top-flight stardom, Parlour stressed that the club cannot look that far into the future.
"First and foremost, it's important to finish in the top eight of the Champions League this season which Arsenal are well on course for. Then you can review priorities after that," Parlour said.
Parlour names "most important priority" for Arteta's Arsenal
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Arteta's men will be expected to take six points from six in their last two UCL fixtures against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona next month, as the club aim to better last year's run to the quarter-finals, where they were seen off by Bayern Munich.
The Gunners are still competing for glory on both fronts this season, but they have slightly under-performed on the domestic scene, winning just three of their last nine matches in England's top flight.
Arsenal's indifferent form has seen them fall six points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, and they will be nine points behind Arne Slot's side if the Reds win their game in hand.
Instead of Arsenal capitalising on Manchester City's unforeseen capitulation, Chelsea are currently Liverpool's closest challengers for the crown and are guaranteed to sit above the Gunners in the table on Christmas Day.
Arteta's men responded to recent top-flight draws against Everton and Fulham by beating Crystal Palace 3-2 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, though, and Parlour has affirmed that picking up as many points as possible over the next few weeks must take precedence over anything else.
"For now the most important priority for Arsenal is to go on a good run over the festive period," Parlour added. "Plenty of points on the table and Arsenal can get a good run of form going and the table can look different."
What does Arsenal's festive schedule look like?
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After battling past Palace in the EFL Cup quarter-finals - earning themselves a date with Newcastle United in the semi-finals - Arsenal will quickly reunite with the Eagles in Saturday's Premier League London derby at Selhurst Park.
That all-capital affair is one of 11 matches that Arsenal will play between now and the end of January, a sequence that includes their aforementioned final two UCL league phase games and first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final with Newcastle on an as yet unspecified date.
The Gunners' final fixture of 2024 sees them host Ipswich Town on December 27, before kicking off 2025 away to Brentford on New Year's Day, three days before a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Arsenal then begin their quest for FA Cup title number 15 at home to Manchester United on January 12, before meeting Tottenham Hotspur (January 15), Aston Villa (January 18) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (January 25).
Parlour also delivered his verdict on whether Arsenal should have kept one of Emile Smith Rowe or Fabio Vieira in the summer, as well as sending a defiant message to Arteta doubters.
Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting.
Ben Knapton
