During yesterday's spectacular Champions League semifinal between Manchester City and Real Madrid, there was some fascinating conversation on Twitter between Arsenal vs Real Madrid. Some interpreted both teams' open, attacking nature as a hint that Arsenal would be eliminated from the competition. Some even said it could be preferable not to be in the CL to avoid shame.
Arsenal - Real - Man.City
Arsenal lacks the attacking talent (yet) to compete with Madrid, City, Liverpool, Bayern, and a few other European powerhouses. Mikel Arteta is very aware of this and would not set up his team to play "first to four" against any of these teams.
This season has demonstrated that the Gunners can compete with City and Liverpool if they execute their tactics and play effectively; they did so against City in January and Liverpool in March. There is no reason why they could not achieve the same results against other elite teams. Although Arsenal would not be favored in the match, it would be unreasonable to expect them to be outmatched.
Kim McCauley, the founder of Cartilage Free Captain and a very intelligent soccer player, authored a fantastic article for ESPNFC arguing that powerful, defensive tactics have a place in the contemporary game. She is correct, even though it goes against our preference for wide-open, attacking football.
Our old friend Unai Emery is in the semifinals with a Villareal team that has neither the name recognition nor the offensive talent of the other three teams. However, they are structured, defend well, and possess enough talent to capitalize on their one or two golden opportunities on the counter. Diego Simeone has developed Atletico Madrid into a perennial contender and Champions League annoyance by playing solid, defensive-minded football.
It is possible to win without a squad full of Galacticos in a two-legged, knockout format. Mikel Arteta achieved this in his first season as Arsenal manager to win the FA Cup. You can kill giants if you play solid defensive football, have a little luck and have enough talent to capitalize.
Arsenal Things
Even if Arsenal doesn't have the talent to win the Champions League next season (likely), competing is important. The additional matches against quality opponents will aid the players' development. Being a member of the Champions League makes the club a more desirable destination for elite players and encourages the ones they have. already have to remain in Bukayo Saka.
And then there's the money. Getting into the Champions League before the rumored rebuilding timeframe accelerates the process by allowing the club to acquire additional quality players. On the scale that ranges from excellent enough to be in the tournament to the best club in Europe, there is a large range for clubs to fall.
We believe that Arsenal is currently comfortably positioned on that scale. Based on their fall performance, they were not. They likely would have been eliminated from the group stage without ceremony. However, their current performance is adequate to advance out of the group stage and possibly win one or two knockout rounds, depending on the draw.
We hope that Arsenal will qualify for the Champions League next season. Observing the intense match between Manchester City and Real Madrid confirmed this. We’re curious about Mikel Arteta and this group of players.
We want Arsenal's young, upcoming talents to compete against the finest in Europe. Playing against elite players teaches and develops you differently than Burnley's defensive formation of ten guys behind the ball. We have no fear of elite teams, and we do not doubt that our teammates feel the same way.
Conclusion
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