PREMIER LEAGUE
How Manchester United’s FA Cup directly affects Arsenal and Chelsea
The Gunners would have preferred to see City lift the Cup. Chelsea and Newcastle, who both finished above United the Premier League are also affected.
Manchester United suffered their worst season in the history of the Premier League but their surprise victory over neighbors City in this weekend’s FA Cup final has set off a very curious domino effect in English football with clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle directly affected for next season. Another clubs who misses out is Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
How does Man United’s FA Cup triumph affect Chelsea and Newcastle?
United finished eighth in last season’s Premier League - their worst position since the competition was rebranded in 1992. But Ten Hag’s team managed to salvage something from the campaign and end with silverware for the second year running. The bonus is that, by winning the FA Cup, United, who were looking at missing on Europe altogether, qualify for next season’s Europa League as champions of the domestic cup.
That has ramifications for Chelsea, who finished above United in sixth but will now compete in the Europa Conference League. It also leaves Newcastle, who also finished above United - in seventh, without a place in European competition next season. They are not the only ones who miss out.
If Pep Guardiola’s City had prevailed at Wembley and completed the double, Arsenal would have taken the vacant place in August’s FA Community Shield as Premier League runners-up. Since they didn’t, the 2024/5 season curtain raiser will instead be another Manchester derby - between league champions City and Cup winners United. Arsenal lose another opportunity to win some silverware.
The 2024 FA Community Shield will be played on Saturday 10 August at Wembley. It will be a new opportunity for United to get one over City. Arsenal meanwhile will be focusing on the start of the 2024-25 Premier League, which kicks off the following weekend (16-19 August). They will find out how they will face on the opening day when the fixtures are announced on 18 June.
What’s next for Arsenal and Ten Hag?
Mikel Arteta’s project has come very close to obtaining the Premier League in the last two years, and they will surely be close again next season. The objective remains the same - to be crowned champions and lift the title for the first time since 2003/4. The Gunners will also be aiming to go as far as possible in the Champions League. Their best performance was reaching the final in 2005 only to lose to Barcelona.
It will also be interesting to observe how Arsenal fare in the transfer window and which reinforcements will land in North London, as well as those who leave as Arteta attempts to confect the best possible squad. Arsenal’s dominance over the ‘Big Six’ was very striking and in 2024-25 they have to go one better in their bid to clinch the league title.
As for Ten Hag, it is still not known whether he will still be at Old Trafford next season. The Dutch coach has another year to run on his contract with the option of an extension which would take him to June 2026 but it is being reported that United are looking at a managerial change with Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank as potential candidates to occupy the bench.