History is against Arsenal and they would be wise to focus on Thursday nights in their search for success

It is 41 years since an English club won the league title and a version of the Europa League in the same season.

This is why things will be tangled for Arsenal from the start because whether they like it or not, it is the mid-week cup competition which offers them their best chance of winning something in the 2017-18 season.

Liverpool last pulled off that "double" in 1976 - having done the same in 1973. Whatever plans Arsene Wenger has now that he signed his new two-year contract, his team is no Liverpool of the Shankly and Paisley era.

What is sure, though, now that the fixture computer has handed them an opening day date against Leicester City is that Arsenal have to start well.

The protests and disquiet among the supporters which marked last season will soon re-surface otherwise. Anti-Wenger demos would begin again. The club simply cannot afford any more unrest.

Wenger's side face only two of the teams considered among the elite, Liverpool and Chelsea, during the opening two months. As much as the schedule can help, that is encouraging in terms of a potential good start. If they begin well, it could also help attract late transfer targets.

But they must get used to the new Thursday-Sunday Europa League routine. And if they don't take that competition seriously, well, no club is more prone to the seeping doubt of inconsistency which regular setbacks in Europe might create.

Alternatively, a good spell in Europe could make winning a habit the following weekend. Already, things look complex for Wenger. Dare we say it, but some Gunners fans even fancy winning the Europa League? They should have a real go.