Arsenal have spent the last two seasons away from the Champions League Granit Xhaka warns his teammates they can’t afford the same this year.
The Gunners blew a big chance to finish in the top four and now they need to beat Chelsea to get back into the Champions League.
“We have to be in the Champions League,” said the Switzerland midfielder. “We didn’t play there for two years and we have to be there next season.
“All the players, the fans, the club – we want to play against the best teams, and the best teams are in the Champions League.
“We speak about the season, what was good, what was bad, what can happen if we win the Europa League.
“We had a good season but lost our way a little bit in the last five games. But if you’re in the Europa League final and can take a trophy, get into the Champions League... we’ll take that.
“I don’t speak about the past. I have to speak about the final, we can’t change nothing in the Premier League, it’s over.
“What we can change is winning the Europa League and being back in the Champions League.”
Xhaka believes that Unai Emery can go from a ‘great’ season to it being perfect.
He said: “If you come to a club and come after a coach who was at this club for 22 years, you’re new here, you have to change little things, big things, it’s not so easy.
“If you see his first season, it was great, in my opinion, and if you can win a trophy and go back to the Champions League then it’s the perfect season.”
