Arsenal vs Valencia: Even at this stage of the Europa League, Gunners are continuing to search for meaning

Maybe the prospect of a European final, Arsenal’s first since 2006, will bring definition to the side's clouded identity under Unai Emery

This was the biggest game of the Unai Emery era and Arsenal’s best result in Europe for at least 10 years. They now have one foot in a European final, for the first time in 13 years. If they win it, it will be their first European trophy in 25 years, as well as their passage back into the Champions League. For all of those reasons it would cap off a first year of progress of Unai Emery, and a turnaround after years of European underachievement.

So why didn’t it always feel like that?

Because despite all of those reasons, this did not have much more competitive tension than any of the other low-wattage home games here this season. Outside the ground there was no real buzz, inside the game felt routine. If this was a European semi-final, why did it feel more like the Emirates Cup?

Maybe this was a simple matter of contrast between the two Champions League semi-finals earlier in the week. Because there was none of the mastery of Ajax, the spirit of Spurs, the ferocious bravery of Liverpool or the high-speed precision of Barcelona. Watching this game after those two was like stepping from bright sunlight into dusk.

But this is about more than just that. Everyone knows that the Europa League is the secondary competition. Arsenal played in it last season, remember. They reached this stage before going out to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. And that first leg here against Atletico, a draining edgy 1-1 draw, had the unmistakeable mood of importance and tension that defines a European semi-final. Precisely the same mood that was lacking tonight.

Of course it helped that this Atletico Madrid are one of the greatest teams and greatest stories of this generation, and this Valencia are not. Marcelino has stabilised Valencia during his two years in charge there and dragged them up to the top of the table. But they are sixth in this year’s La Liga for a reason: they are not exactly brimming with quality, and even after taking an early set-piece lead they let Arsenal straight back into the game. Maybe if this had been against a better side it might have meant more.

But there may be an even deeper cause than that. Last season’s Europa League had the feel of an epic quest: one old man’s mission to make the most of his dwindling time, to produce one great final work, enough to complete his legacy and allow him to say goodbye in peace. Of course it did not turn out like that but those Europa League knockout games were imbued with meaning for precisely that reason.

In the post-Arsene Wenger era, though, Arsenal are still looking for their meaning. There has not been much in this first season under Unai Emery to prove that the team is on the right path. Of course they have played well at times - it would be difficult not to with these attacking players - but good performances have always been offset by poor ones. They came into this game after consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester City, conceding three goals each time: thumping proof of how fragile this team still is, and how brittle the Emery gains are.

Because unlike the Arsenal side that lost here to Atletico last year, this Arsenal team is still looking for its identity, and looking for its story. Even the thread of this Europa League run has been one of a team of experienced Premier League players, set up by a specialist in this competition, methodically working their way through a long list of inferior opponents.

Maybe the prospect of a European final, Arsenal’s first since 2006, will change that. Maybe Baku is where this team will find itself again. Especially if they play Chelsea with a Champions League place on the line. Sometimes these connections do not gestate but instead appear in a flash. But until they do, even nights as big as this one will not feel as significant as they should.