Arsenal are heavy favourites to FINALLY win Champions League group

goal.com

It's been a long time coming but Arsenal finally look like they have a squad ready made to challenge on all fronts - can they go one better than 2015-06?

Arsenal and the Champions League have never really been a match made in heaven. The 2005-06 final in Paris was set-up as a near-perfect scenario for Arsene Wenger’s side. A showpiece finale in his homeland with compatriot Thierry Henry upfront and in defence a makeshift back four which had just made a European record of 10 consecutive clean sheets.

Everyone knows what happened next.

Jens Lehmann’s infamous sending off, which ironically may be considered a bookable offence in today’s game, and Sol Campbell’s bullet header from an Henry free-kick emphasised the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Wenger’s men. Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti went on to break Arsenal hearts in the second half as the Gunners missed out on their greatest opportunity to win Europe’s elite competition.

Since then, Arsenal’s European performances have been underwhelming to say the least. Other than a couple of quarter-final appearances and one semi-final defeat to Manchester United where Kieran Gibbs slipped in the open stages of the game, Arsenal have failed to progress from the last-16 for six consecutive seasons. Was it poor tactics, inferior players or simply bad luck on the day? There is certainly cause for argument that the exits are down to a whole raft of reasons but regardless of the club’s history in the competition there is no doubt that this season remains arguably their best chance to finish top of their group.

Paris Saint-Germain have been labelled as ‘weaker’ than last season with even their most ardent supporters claiming that the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has affected their attacking play. They still boast one of the most exciting attacks in Europe and their defenders are world renowned, yet questions remain over whether they can handle the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez over two games.

Swiss champions Basel have knocked out Chelsea and Liverpool in the Europe League in previous seasons. They're a well organised unit and good on the counter attack, boasting Seydou Doumbia upfront and Granit Xhaka's older brother Taulant in midfield, Arsenal will have to be wary of the European underdogs. Similarly, Ludogorets are somewhat of an unknown quantity in Group A but come with a reputation of being able to surprise and play under pressure. Brazilian midfielder Marcelinho is considered their star player and the Bulgarian giants are likely to deploy a packed midfield against the likes of Arsenal and PSG in a bid to counter the attacking threat of each respective team.

“We’d love to win it, as it has never been done at this club,” said Wenger in September 2013. “It’s something I miss; I’ll try very hard to fill my CV with it.” There are countless decisions, events and moments in games which Wenger can look back on in regret where the Champions League is concerned. Robin van Persie’s sending off after shooting when the referee had blown for offside was one, while Nicklas Bendtner’s miss against Barcelona in the same game was another.

It has been a tremendously difficult competition for Arsenal to breach and made all the more difficult with the powerhouses of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid seemingly unable to be wrangled off the trophy. Atletico Madrid have come close in recent seasons but even Diego Simeone’s side haven’t got their hands on the famous silver ‘ears’.

Wenger will be quietly happy with Arsenal’s Champions League group this season knowing full well that each of his opponents pose individual threats across the pitch. However, the draw which really matters comes after the group stage and it is the round-of-16 where Arsenal have struggled to surpass over the past six campaigns. If this is the Frenchman’s final hurrah at the club then the trophy that he has yearned over for so many years will be on his mind once again.

“Better than all my speeches is the way we play…”, said Wenger when asked about Arsenal’s hopes of winning Europe’s biggest trophy. He’s right, the words have been written, the talking will stop once the game begins. It’s up to Arsene’s Arsenal to show what they can do now.