The UEFA Champions League group stage draw is here, and the last time the name “Arsenal FC” wasn’t in the draw was way back in the 1996/1997 season. It is definitely a remarkable achievement by Arsenal Football Club and Arsene Wenger, who showed consistency and stability throughout.
With that being said, Arsenal are in the Champions League for the 17th consecutive time, a feast only matched by Manchester Untied. When thinking of how Arsenal competed for the title in the late 90’s to the early 2000’s, it wouldn’t be difficult to predict that the team would easily qualify. But in the later stages when Arsenal were in huge debt from building a new stadium and with the teams competing with the club going from just Manchester United, to include Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and recently Manchester City, qualification hasn’t been a foregone conclusion.
Considering the budget Arsene Wenger worked with compared to his direct rivals in the league, it is a remarkable achievement. Arsenal not only qualified to every group stage, they also qualified to each and every round of 16.
Looking at teams like Liverpool, Tottenham and most recently Manchester United tells you how difficult it is to maintain that standard of competing with the best in the world. Qualifying for the Champions League is also a financial boast for any European team, it attracts top players to your club and it allows your current players to grow by competing with the best in the world. A most recent example is Manchester United, after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson they found it tough to replicate his successes in achieving top four status, which resulted in them buying players with inflated prices like Luke Shaw for £30m and Angel Di Marìa for £60m. Had they qualified for the Champions League, I am sure that the players would have gone to Manchester with lower price tags.
Coming back to Arsenal, I believe it is time Arsene Wenger stepped it up a notch and competed fiercely for the Champions League trophy. Not only are Arsenal the most successful club in the competition to not win the trophy, there is no other manager in world football who deserves the trophy more than the Frenchman. Let’s not forget the record Arsenal achieved in the 2005-2006 season when they went all the way to the finals and didn’t concede a single goal in the process (995 minutes to be exact). That was until the 76th minute of the final, when Samuel Eto’o opened the score for FC Barcelona against a back four consisting of Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole.
Now that Arsene has more money to work with, I am sure that he will deliver a Champions League trophy. Arsenal Football Club deserves it for the stability and hard work they showed throughout the years, the fans deserve it and last but not least Arsene Wenger deserves it for proving his loyalty, professionalism and love for this club.
Let me know what you think of our chances. Will we win the Champions League under Arsene Wenger?
Daniel Baz
Daniel is a 24 year-old Arsenal fan from Lebanon. He was born in Orlando, Florida, but grew up -and now resides – in war-torn Beirut. He has a degree in Business Marketing and is currently studying for a FIFA Sports Management Certificate.
Daniel, I love your optimism, let’s see how the next few days unfold in terms of the transfer window, then we may be in a better position to speculate on what May or may not happen this season
Hey AcumenTR,
Yes! Hopefully we will strengthen and stay positive till May!
All the best.
17 years of consecutively getting into the group stages of the Champions League and yet only a SINGLE final in that time, hardly the greatest record is it? 17 attempts, and only 1 final is not good enough. Also, having more money to spend won’t mean anything when we spend £42 million on one of the worlds greatest number 10’s and then decide to play him out of position on the wing, therefore not getting the best out of him. Poor tactics and an unwilligness to adopt tactics/formations to suit the opponents will see us fail again.
AFTER WATCHING ARSENAL,FOUR TIMES THIS SEASON,I’M AFRAID I DON’T RATE THEM AT ALL,
THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE SIDE THEY HAD LAST SEASON,AND AS FOR SAYING ,THERE
GOING TO WIN ,THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,IS JUST A LAUGH, I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT YOU
WERE A BETTER COME,DIAN,THAN A FOOTBALL MANAGER,WITH THE PLAYING STAFF YOU HAVE AT THIS MOMENT,FORGET ALL ABOUT LEAGUE TITLES,AND SILVERWARE,BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NONE FOR ARSENAL,JUST DISAPOINTMENT FOR US SUPPORTERS. MY PREDICTION,FOR THIS SEASON,ARSENAL MIGHT JUST SCRAPE IN THE TOP SEVEN,IN THE LEAGUE,AND NOTHING ELSE..
Daniel, I enjoy and love your optimistic believe, for Arsenal winning the champion league. I, as an Arsenal fan will love it to happen, but this dream will become real if only Wenger can sign three good players in the following possitions: one, a center defender to replace Vemerlen, two, a fine deadly stricker and thirdly, a solid natural defensive midfielder, a player like Carvalho. Then Daniel I too will remain optimistic as you. Gunners 4ever.
Hey Agina Anthony,
I am glad you enjoyed it. Of course, we as Arsenal fans should always be optimistic because we deserve to win the Champions League. Hopefully Arsene will strengthen in the positions needed and we will compete on all fronts.
Let us believe in our team and in football anything can happen.
Cheers.
You’ve written well as a true goonner, but my answer to your question is, No, our dear Arsenal will not win the UCL this season, because this same Wenger who achieved that enviable feat of qualifying Arsenal for the group stage for 17 consecutive times will also make it not happen. You see, the UCL is the most prestigious club soccer completion in the world and only the best teams win it. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester United. Once in a while some other lesser teams, with a piece of luck do win it or get to the final. Dortmund, Porto, Athletico Madrid, Arsenal. Liverpool boasted of above -average squads when they won it several times in the past.
The foregoing shows that only teams with world class players go on to win the UCL. Although Wenger has invested a little bit in the last 3 years by signing players like Ozil, Carzola and most recently Alexis Sanchez, these are not yet enough to build a squad capable of competing with these other European giants mentioned above. World class players make trophy winning teams.
Wenger believes he can compete with the squad he currently has. He is either myopic or living in a chronic illusion if he really believes so and this may be borne out of stupid stubbornness. This present Arsenal team still needs to be strengthened in the obvious areas which Arsenal fans have been clamoring for. Is there still time enough in the transfer window to accomplish that? Only Wenger can answer this question.
Hi Emmanuel,
As I mentioned above, we should be optimistic and believe in the team and Arsene Wenger.
Lets not forget that in the 2002-03 season when Arsene said my team can go a whole season undefeated, everyone thought he was nuts! And what happened a year later?
Therefore anything in football can happen with belief and stability so lets be optimistic and supportive.
Our dear Arsenal can do it.
Cheers.
After I had finished laughing I realised that your article was serious.
I am really sorry for you and any other Arsenal fans who still have belief in Wenger.
I will state here and now that Arsenal will never win the UCL while he is manager. In fact I dont believe that we will win the EPL either with him in charge.
I dont trust his ability to sign the right players required to improve the squad to make it strong enough to even challenge sufficiently.
Lets face it, Sanchez would not be the first player on your list if you were planning to really become a serious contender. Sure buy him if you had already bought a striker the level of say Cavani or Falcao plus a winger like Reus and a centre back like Hummels and a dernsive midfielder like Carvalho.
But as expected with Wenger no plan is evident! And we are into another season with a significantly weaker side than we had 5 years ago! Sure he brought in Chambers, Debuchy, Opiana … but these were just like for like replacements for Sagna, Vermaelen& Fabianski…. so in real terms the only addition was Sanchez who no matter how good he is, is yet another player in a position that we have an abundance of already … and in fact a repeat of the other expensive signing last year in Ozil! It certainly appears Wenger has this obsession with small quick midfielders…is this some fixation he has in replicating the Barcelona team who were so good up to last year??? Maybe … but with Rosicky, Walcott, Wilshire, Carzola, the ox, Ramsey, Arteta, Ozil already available why thd need for Sanchez? Surely the need for a couple of 6ft plus star midfielders was the obvious requirement.
So trust Wenger with more cash… no thankyou… and this year without the FACup win I feel we will finally lose our luck and finsh jn 5th or 6th place …. unless some radical change happens…. but as we know with Wenger change doesnt happen.
Hey Kevin,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
We will be supportive and hopefully Arsenal can do it.
Arsene Wenger is a top manager, one of the best in the world and we will stand by the team no matter what.
All the best.
Never, whilst the team is under Wenger! I’ve just only realised this man doesn’t have a winning mentality like some top, top managers! The players it seems either don’t respond to jimmy or that he buys the wrong type of players.
It would be incredible if Arsenal won the champions league. It would be great. I don’t see it happening though, hope I am wrong. I am not confident after watching their last 3 games. I am hoping things start to click soon. I don’t see Wenger buying anyone but I hope he surprises us. Like many I feel we need a strong CDM but we have so many midfielders ( none of them top holding mids ) I don’t see Wenger going into the market.
Хелп!
Буду очень благодарна если кто поможет найти работу. На каких сайтах вообще лучше искать?