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Dissecting Arsenal’s Road To Champions League Glory
By Josh Sippie
Nobody expected Arsenal to make it out of the Champions League group stage. Even less people are expecting them to make a splash in the knockout stages. Here’s why they will.
It’s like clockwork. Any time Arsenal make significant headway in a competition, we have to look at how they can win it. It’s happening in a much more conceivable Premier League, now it is going to happen in the heavy-weight Champions League.
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Arsenal scraped through into the Round of 16 with injuries galore and no consistency to speak of. But by the end of the round, they were looking like one of the strongest teams in Europe. Arsenal handed Bayern Munich a rare loss at the Emirates for their first points in the competition. Not only that, but they kept a clean sheet. Not just any team can pull off that feat.
Following that, Arsenal handily beat Dinamo Zagreb, which was to be expected. Then, needing a healthy win, Arsenal went into Olympiakos and defeated them by the same score that Bayern Munich accomplished the same feat – 3-0.
Arsenal FC
I’m not saying that Arsenal is Bayern Munich’s equal. Not consistently. But I do agree with the sentiment that has been been said by Arjen Robben and now by Theo Walcott – no one can beat Arsenal on their day (via the Irish Examiner). Arsenal have beaten just about every heavyweight in Europe at some point in recent history. They have proven they can do it. The only problem that Arsenal has is doing it with the consistency that those heavyweights do.
The draw for the next round will happen on Monday, December 14th. Arsenal will have to face either Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Wolfsburg or Zenit St. Petersburg. I don’t think I need to say who Arsenal would prefer to face. But know this: There are few substitutes for momentum in sports. The team that has the most momentum is the team that usually steam rolls all the way to glory. It’s not as easy in football, because that momentum shifts very frequently. But a confident Arsenal is a fearful bunch.
As Arsene Wenger pointed out in his post match press conference, Arsenal will be dangerous underdogs in the competition (via SkySports). They have learned as recently as last season how not to underestimate a good draw. They have learned over the course of the past two years how to pull out a result when they most need it. They have even learned how to adjust mid-match to changing tactics. All of this has been learned by the team that Arsenal currently has.
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And in the process of learning all of this, Mesut Ozil has regained his elite midfielder status. Aaron Ramsey is back in central midfield. Olivier Giroud is scoring more than any other Frenchman in the world. And Petr Cech has a better saves-per-goal ratio than anyone in the world.
Is it likely that Arsenal can ride momentum to a Champions League final? Not at all. But never discount what a confident Arsenal can do. Bayern Munich did and they were beaten. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone. Was it likely that Arsenal could find momentum and make it to the knockout stages? Not at all. I leave you with a poll: