Arsenal are next in action during midweek under the bright lights of Champions League knockout football. They will take a trip to the Netherlands to face PSV Eindhoven for the third year in a row.
The Gunners have never enjoyed the ultimate glory of lifting the trophy, coming closest to the crown in 2006. They are unlikely to achieve the feat this season. Even if Arteta’s men beat the Dutch club and go into the last eight, their opponent will be Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid: these two teams are always a daunting prospect that is even more frightening due to all the shortages in the squad.
Yet, it is the only title the club can dream of winning at the end of May. The team need to find a way to turn their pain into power and reinvigorate the season. Amid all the anguish from their European eliminations, what can they glean from their previous experiences ahead of next week’s fixture?
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Undone by Unai
Mikel Arteta arrived at his old abode to take over from the master of cup competitions in Europe. His early days in the dugout did not do much to take people's minds off that record from his predecessor.
Unai Emery had won three Europa League titles in a row with Sevilla. He nearly earned a fourth in his first and only full season with the Gunners, losing 4-1 to Chelsea in the tournament final in 2019. This would be the best feat of 53-year-old in his time at the club: he was out of the job by November.
However, his reputation was not in ruins for long.
Arteta picked up the pieces to scoop the FA Cup in the summer, but the novice navigated a situation that was much more than one person could handle. He could not take the team up the league table and also bowed out of the Round of 32 of the Europa League with a 2-1 loss to Olympiakos in extra time.
This was the tip of the iceberg as the Gunners ground down into dire straits over the next twelve months. It is safe to say the 2020/21 season does not live long in the memories of fans and even the Europa League lifted their mood only briefly as the club crashed out of the cup in satirical style.
Victories over Benfica, Olympiakos, and Slavia Prague paved the path to the final four and a tie with Villarreal. Their manager? None other than Emery. It was destined: a clash between past and present.
By the end of the first leg, it was clear to anyone who did not already accept the truth. In the age of post-Wenger politics, the board backed a young prodigy to produce a future that was far out of reach.
This 2-1 loss was notorious for the use of Emile Smith Rowe as a false nine. Alexandre Lacazette was missing due to a hamstring injury, but the manager chose to put Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang on the bench. Arsenal fans were bemused at the absence of their talismanic figure and saw the side struggle for the whole of the first half. They were lucky to have any hope of getting into the final.
Not for the first time, Bukayo Saka stood out as the bailout in their time of need. Arsenal, already 2-0 down, were on the cusp of collapse with a red card for Dani Ceballos, but he drew a foul in the box. Nicolas Pepe put the penalty in the net and all they required was a goal at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the team blew the chance to save the remainder of the season. Arteta's men fired a blank, registering just one shot on target. Indeed, they did not win one knockout fixture at their ground throughout this European tour— a rotten record that remains a black stain on the manager's card.
Elimination is final in cup competition: there are no second chances. Since 2021, the perspective on Arsenal's campaign has never depended so much on their fate in Europe. If the Gunners are going to have anything to fight for this season, they cannot throw away the advantage of their home crowd.
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Stunned by Sporting
At the beginning of 2022, fans finally had something to shout about. The process picked up pace and new challenges came to the club's doorstep.
Spurs snatched fourth spot from their local rivals at the end of the 2021/22 season, so Arteta had to be content with another year in the Europa League. As it panned out, that might have been for the best.
Arsenal attacked the top flight with a fluid, fearless style, propelling the club into a two way title race with Man City. The Basque, who would have been the youngest manager to win the league if he had taken the crown from the Citizens, could commit more of his best players’ energy to the title charge.
The Gunners did not (and still do not) have the biggest squad to fight for silverware on several fronts. But second class continental competition stood less of a chance against their players and meant there could be more rest for the starting eleven. Kieran Tierney, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Rob Holding, and Eddie Nketiah all started at least five of the six games in the group stage phase.
This collection of players was still good enough to take the top spot in the standings. Right of entry into the Round of 16 was their prize, avoiding a playoff and two additional matches in the schedule.
At this stage, Ruben Amorim asked questions of their credentials as Sporting stood strong to turn around a deficit and earn a 2-2 draw in Portugal. But the belief around the club was still that serious silverware should make its way to north London— and quite possibly in the form of this competition.
Xhaka drew first blood in the second leg as Arsenal attempted to hold onto their lead this time around.
It was not to be. A pair of injuries spoiled the show in the first half. Takehiro Tomiyasu picked up a knee issue that ruled him out until the end of May before William Saliba suffered a blow to his back after a collision with Aaron Ramsdale and also did not return to action for the rest of the campaign.
Sporting started the second half stronger than their hosts, and Pedro Goncalves got his name on the score sheet with a sensational strike, lobbing Ramsdale from the halfway line. Arsenal added more first team players into the mix, but their efforts were all in vain. A penalty shootout settled the showdown, and Gabriel Martinelli was the man to miss the critical shot from twelve yards.
Throughout the season, Arteta was stretching his squad for solutions. That is an even more relevant dilemma for the team now and demands a different answer to the one that he chose two years ago.
Amorim and Arteta admitted Arsenal were to repeating routines with a second string selection. The Spaniard is steadfast in his ways but can only go as far as the eleven men on the field can take him. He may have more luck if he leans more into the strengths of his players over the tried and tested.
Even though they have a long way to go, those players proved their development last campaign.
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Beaten in Bavaria
Arsenal made their maiden appearance in the Champions League under Arteta last season. It was also the first time that the team reached the competition since the departure of Arsène Wenger.
The group stage phase was a simple enough task to ease into life with the elite. The Gunners grabbed top spot in the table after a 6-0 rout of Lens, having begun the campaign with a 4-0 win against PSV.
At the start of 2024, Arsenal were finally firing on all cylinders: the side scored 21 goals in their first five fixtures after the winter break. But while the players proved that they were a force to be reckoned with in England, the Champions League is another level of competitiveness and created challenges.
Porto pitched up a strong defence to stifle them in both legs as Wendell worked hard to shackle Saka on the wing. David Raya would be the hero in this stern examination with two second leg shootout saves to send the Gunners into the quarter-final of the tournament for the first time since 2010.
A familiar foe would end their journey at this stage. Bayern Munich were deep in a crisis and would eventually concede their crown in the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years last campaign. But the squad was full of seasoned professionals who knew how to perform when the pressure was greatest, and Thomas Tuchel equipped them with a plan to put an end to Arsenal's aspirations across the tie.
Konrad Laimer latched onto Odegaard from the word go, and after Saka struck early in the first leg, the Gunners gave up their momentum on the ball. The reliance on right sided dynamics, which is still a struggle for the side, limited their options for the trip to Bavaria. Martinelli made little headway on the other flank and Arsenal rarely looked like they would get the goal that they needed to take the tie.
Meanwhile, Leroy Sane slalomed around left back Jakub Kiwior to tear apart the defence in the first leg, earning a penalty for Harry Kane. He was more of a 'bait-and-switch' option in Munich but still effectual as Joshua Kimmich could get freer in the final third and popped up with the winning goal.
Worries about that position in the side still exist, and as recently as this week, Nottingham Forest targeted that flank to great effect. The Champions League is not a different sport to the Premier League, but merely an ensemble of the sport’s stars. Top teams surely see it as an area to exploit.
The summer window will have to address some of the squad's flaws and all the answers are not internal. But the Spaniard sees the situation as a "good exercise" to examine how he can make the most of a side he has built for over half a decade in an attempt to make an unprecedented step.
Let's see if he put their traits to good use.
