Arsenal fans are full of optimism and expectation as their team prepares to return to Champions League action this week with a trip to take on Porto in the first leg of their last 16 knockout tie.
The Gunners remain one of the biggest names in club football not to have ever won this competition, but could this finally be their year? Mikel Arteta’s side clearly won’t have an easy time establishing themselves at the top of Europe’s elite, but there are perhaps reasons to believe this is their best ever opportunity to do it.
Read on for our reasoning as to why Arsenal fans are right to believe that this team can go all the way in this season’s Champions League…
Arsenal’s rise is happening when the Premier League is stronger than ever
While Arsenal never managed to win this competition even under the glory years of Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry and other legendary figures, you could argue that this current team is better equipped than the Invincibles-era Arsenal to compete with Europe’s elite.
Back then, the Premier League was, quite simply, not the Super-League-in-all-but-name that it is these days. Being in the top three in the English top flight now means you’re the real deal, whereas back then Arsenal would find it a significant step up a level when up against even relatively modest teams like Valencia and Roma, let alone the real big guns like Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Still, we now exist in a world where a mid-table side like West Ham can compete for big names like Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus, who in the past would’ve been lining up for some of the top sides around the continent if they hadn’t been snapped up by one of the Premier League’s big six. Our league also boasts managers like Roberto De Zerbi and Unai Emery, who might have a decent claim to be tougher tactical opponents than the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Xavi these days.
Arsenal might not quite have the consistency of Manchester City when it comes to winning the title, but they have shown they’re more than good enough to take anyone on in a two-legged tie or one-off game, just by virtue of how much they’ve dominated in so many of their league matches this season, including in wins against the likes of City and Liverpool.
Some parallels with Liverpool’s 2018/19 winners
Having emerged as another genuine challenger to the Man City juggernaut, it’s inevitable that we have seen Arsenal compared to the…
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