Arsenal have ‘no excuse not to finish in the top four next season’ as Mikel Arteta is told how he can learn from Champions League-winning Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel

Naturally we’re all a bit sad when the season comes to an end. Arsenal fans will feel differently, however.

The last eight months have been memorable for all the wrong reasons as the Gunners finished the campaign without a trophy and are without European football next season for the first time in 26 years.

A strong end to the league campaign saw Arsenal finish just six points off a Champions League spot but next season will be their fifth in succession without being in Europe’s premier club competition and any hope of getting back in feels as far away as ever.

They couldn’t even make it into the inaugural Europa Conference League – rivals Tottenham pipping them to seventh place– although many Gooners won’t be too cut up about not being in a competition which has a somewhat degrading feel to it.

No Europe is a huge disappointment to talkSPORT’s Perry Groves but he believes it can produce new opportunities for his former side.

“From Mikel Arteta’s point of view, having that week to prepare for matches and not having to play on a Thursday, he’s now not got any excuses for Arsenal not to be in the top four,” Groves told talkSPORT.com.

“When Leicester won the title they had no European games, Chelsea under Antonio Conte were exactly the same.”

With this extra free time, Arteta has a chance to implement his ideas onto the players. Groves believes some still haven’t fully got to grips with the manager’s methods.

“Arteta wants to play out from the back but Bernd Leno has got to be quicker,” Groves said.

“At goal kicks the centre-halves split and at the moment Leno is taking too long to get the ball moving and into play.

“We’ve also got to be brave enough to play the ball quickly so then we can ping it into the midfielders and they can collect it on the turn.”

There’s also plenty of work that can be done at the Emirates Stadium between now and when the first ball is kicked in the 2021/22 Premier League season.

This transfer window may not see the usual mega fees on players being spent but Groves expects plenty of movement at Arsenal.

He’s picked out eight players who could be sent packing with many coming from sales that can generate funds to make the signings they need.

Groves wants Arteta to build a team full of young and hungry players and believes a right-back, a centre-back, an attacking midfielder and a holding midfielder need to come in.

The Gunners have been linked with Norwich right-back Max Aarons and Groves would love to see him join Arsenal. Failing that, they should go after Tariq Lamptey, who has performed very well at Brighton since joining from Chelsea.

At centre-back, Groves says Arsenal should go after Lamptey’s Seagulls teammate Ben White, who is in contention to play for England at Euro 2020.

There are options across Europe too, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba or Sevilla man Jules Kounde.

Groves has also called for Arsenal to pursue rumoured target Yves Bissouma, the Brighton midfielder who’s reportedly attracted Liverpool’s interest too.

Meanwhile, he’d like to see either Norwich’s Emi Buendia or Lyon star Houssem Aouar walk through the door with both players heavily linked with Arsenal.

It’s not just about getting these shiny new toys though, Arteta must do more to get the best out of their current players who haven’t been at their best – namely Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, says Groves.

Arsenal’s star striker, who signed a long-term contract last summer, scored just ten league goals in 2020/21. Low numbers by his standards as his previous two full seasons saw him net 22 times in the league.

He’s had a couple of injuries and illnesses – even catching malaria while on international duty but there have been question marks surrounding his commitment too.

Aubameyang was dropped from the starting XI at home to Tottenham after reporting late on the morning of the match.

But Groves believes Arteta should be getting more out of his captain, and the Spaniard could learn from Thomas Tuchel too, who’s currently celebrating winning the Champions League with Chelsea.

“One of the things Arteta has got to do is get the best out of Aubameyang,” Groves added.

“If you look at Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, his man-management skills are excellent. He brought Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger, who were ostracised by Frank Lampard, back in the side.

“The younger players should buy into Arteta’s methods but you’ve got to have the senior players on side. Dropping your star man and making an example of him can be counter-productive because Aubameyang is the main man in the dressing room.

“When he’s playing you can see the frustration because Arteta wants everybody basically back behind the ball and working for the team.

“He’s defending 15 yards outside the 18-yard box and he’ll be thinking he’ll be too far away from goal when Arsenal win the ball back.

“When I played under George Graham, if you were a second forward you were expected to close down their back four and if they got past you, you were expected to track them but then when I got to the halfway line area I was allowed to basically have a rest. As long as you’re working to close them down in their final third and in their half then fine.

“I want to see Aubameyang working but I don’t want to see him running 50/60 yards back. He’ll knacker himself and also when we get the ball he’ll be too far out from goal.”

Chelsea becoming European champions for a second time will have been the final straw for many Arsenal fans in what’s been one of the worst seasons the north London side has had in recent memory.

If there wasn’t enough of an incentive to get back into the Champions League already, the risk of losing the biggest club in London tag will surely spring Arteta and co into action.

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