ARSENAL CAN IMPROVE their Premier League chances by going out of the Champions League, but where is the fun in that?
European football against Portuguese opposition derailed last season’s title tilt, the death knell really sounding when William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu were injured in the Europa League knockout loss to Sporting. More relevant than any supposed psychological frailties was the presence of Rob Holding for the run-in.
But whereas that was the Europa League, this is the Champions League, which remains the sport’s blue-chip prize despite its best efforts to eat itself.
And make no mistake about it: Arsenal are serious contenders. If you’re good enough to push City for the league for a second-straight season, then you’re good enough to win the Champions League.
A European run this season can also do some justice to the club’s stature, as Arsenal’s record in continental competition does not befit their status. The only European competitions they have won have been junked, namely the Cup Winners Cup (1994) and the Fairs Cup (1970.)
In terms of surviving competitions, all Arsenal have to show for themselves is the defeat in the 2006 Champions League final and a couple of Europa League final losses in 2000 and 2019.
There’s no doubting Mikel Arteta’s commitment to improving that European record.
“This stadium is going to have the energy that you have never seen in your life, because we haven’t done it for 14 years”, he told the club website. “Bring your noise, bring your energy, your passion into that stadium and something beautiful is going to happen.”
His finely-calibrated side are good enough to beat anyone left in this season’s Champions League, but first they must overcome their 1-0 first-leg loss in Porto.
That was a stray off-day amid Arsenal’s sensational run of form since the turn of the year. They were perhaps unfortunate to be beaten by a stunning long-rang strike, but they left themselves vulnerable to it, having totalled a round zero shots on target. They were also lucky not to be behind by that point already, given Galeno’s spectacular close-range miss early in the game.
But this is hardly a reason for Arsenal to panic, especially now the away goals rule has gone the way of the Fairs and Cup Winners Cups.
They need goals, but Arteta’s tactical tweaks since the turn of the year have turned on the taps in that respect. Kai Havertz has come into his own, and relegated Gabriel Jesus to the fringes of a second title-chasing squad.
The re-emergence of Jorginho has been vital too, for a couple of different reasons. Prior to the arrival of Declan Rice, Jorginho’s metronomic passing from midfield was performed by Oleksandr Zinchenko, inverting from left-back. This, while pretty successful, left Arsenal vulnerable defensively down that wing.
But with Jorginho there, it has allowed Arteta mimic Guardiola in playing a playing a big, strapping central defender at left-back, namely Jakub Kiwior.
And with Jorginho in midfield, Rice has been liberated forward and allowed to fulfil the fantasies of copying one of his childhood heroes, Frank Lampard.
Rice has always looked good in advanced positions: he played as a left-sided eight for West Ham against Man United last season and was outstanding. Arteta is now allowing him do the same for Arsenal, and it’s yielding goals. While Arsenal do not have an Erling Haaland, they do spread their goals around some more, making them more difficult to defend against.
Another tweak, in which Martin Odegaard occasionally drops slightly deeper to get on the ball, is also allowing Bukayo Saka to get the ball closer to the goal, rather than out by the touchline, as was the case earlier in the season. His 12 touches in the box against Brentford on Saturday was his third-highest total of the season.
Arteta has also built a remarkably solid side, and this parsimony might lift them beyond City and Liverpool at home. They haven’t conceded on the counter-attack since September, and haven’t allowed an opponent take more than five shots on target in a single game this season.
They should have too much for Porto tonight, and Arsenal might have too much for anyone they face in Europe through to the end of the season. That’s reason enough to go all out on two fronts.
