Mikel Arteta will not sacrifice the Europa League to help Arsenal win a first top-flight title since 2004, even though he says a renewed Thursday-to-Sunday schedule will alter how he manages his squad.
Arsenal hold a realistic hope of challenging in Europe even if their last-16 assignment, revealed on Friday to be Sporting, should present a challenge. But they are inching closer to a remarkable domestic triumph and Arteta, who has been reluctant to tweak his team overly for league games and fielded relatively strong lineups for the Europa League group stage during the autumn, was asked whether he would be compelled to prioritise.
