There’s no denying that Arsenal’s quest for glory is as thrilling as ever, especially with the Champions League back in our sights. With the international fixtures now in full swing, we’re all anticipating the return of real football and the chance to watch us win the North London derby before going for the biggest game away at the Etihad. While the Premier League is obviously a priority given how close we’ve come to winning it in recent seasons, I firmly believe that we should focus on making a serious claim for the Champions League title.
This massive trophy has eluded us since its inception, and it’s high time we rectified that. Arsenal has a rich history, yet the Champions League remains the only major trophy missing from our cabinet. Our record in Europe has been disappointing lately, with the Europa League final loss to Chelsea in 2019 being our only European final since 2006. We’ve had our share of near misses, like the heartbreaking defeat to Barcelona in 2006, where a red card to Jens Lehmann changed the course of the match. Despite being one of the biggest clubs in Europe, we need to win the Champions League to truly enhance our European pedigree and establish ourselves among the elite.
I’m not delusional; I understand the immense challenge of winning such a competitive tournament, especially with the new league phase format making things even tougher. However, we have a young squad brimming with quality, and if we can stay injury-free, there’s no reason we can’t compete at the highest level. The excitement of facing teams like PSG, Inter Milan, and Monaco in the group stage is exhilarating, and it’s a chance for our players to gain invaluable experience.
Of course, the Premier League is important, and it’s where we’ve had some close calls recently. But if we find ourselves in a position to challenge for the Champions League, we should seize that opportunity. Winning this trophy would not only bring glory but also attract top talent to our squad, further boosting our chances in both domestic and European competitions.
Ultimately, as Gooners, we should be aiming for the Champions League. We’ve won the English top flight 13 times; surely it’s time we prioritize a trophy that has eluded us for far too long. The ambition to win both the Premier League and the Champions League is what drives us, and I believe we can achieve this with the right focus and determination. Let’s rally behind the team and make this season one to remember!
Sam P
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I think it is true that you’re not really considered a “top” club across Europe until you’ve won the Champions League.
Arsenal under Wenger did well qualifying for all those seasons but didn’t do very much (on the whole) when they got there. As a result, although I suspect many fans across Europe (including my friends in Spain and elsewhere) certainly know of Arsenal (from Wenger’s time, in the main) I don’t think that they consider Arsenal a “leading club” in the way that, say, City, Liverpool, Chelsea and probably Utd (even despite everything!!) are. After all, Arsenal has hardly any European winner’s pedigree at all – and they’re all defunct competitions now.
Let’s hope things change, although I suspect Arteta’s main priority will remain the EPL this season.
If we havnt won an English title in two decades we can’t be prioritising the Champions League
OT – 12 minutes in and Rice, Saka, and Havertz have not been injured in their respective games.
still some humour left in the world
i am sure Arteta will do his best in the CL, and certainly not chuck it, however if it came to it PL still #1 as it stands
that said if we tank in the PL early on then CL could assume priority
too early to say
that said, no first XI midfielder starts vs Atalanta for me with Man C away the weekend after
With the new UCL format we now have to play 8 matches to reach the last 16. Personally I do not believe we have the squad to go for both trophies so I would like to see MA concentrate on the EPL again. Our European record is poor even when we had the likes of Bergkamp, Henry, Viera, Petit, etc., we still struggled. To have only won the Cup Winners Cup (now equivalent to the Conference League) and the Inter City Fair’s Cup in our history says it all.
Luck is a huge factor in UCL. We could get lucky there or not, so we’d better focus on EPL first
If we lose against Spuds and Man City, we could focus on UCL more
,@Gai
It’s better to have a focus than being ” a jack of all trades” and achieving nothing. Imo it’s better to focus on Epl after two seasons of very close to trophy. Let’s see the possibility of achieving Epl cup.
We can strive to get to UCL quater/semi final.
I think Arteta would mostl likely be judged by his employer/fans base on Epl performances.There are more tougher “Sharks” to conquer in UCL and luck would be needed.
After witnessing our performance against Bayern last season, I don’t think we currently have the mental strength to go all the way in the UCL. We need to win a trophy and build from there. Unfortunately, in the Premier League, we also tend to get tense whenever City is close behind us. Our best chances seem to lie either in maintaining a wide gap heading into the final games or being just a point or two behind and hoping they slip up in the last match.
Given our current injuries, we should prioritize the FA Cup, with the Premier League as a secondary focus. Our primary goal should be to win the FA Cup, no matter what. While we should still put effort into the Premier League, we also need to recognize that we might fall short this season.
United won the FA cup it means nothing
i think Rashid80 point is that Man U winning the FA Cup does not transform them in to a successful team, likewise our own FA Cup in 2020
both poor teams that FA Cup flattered to deceive
winning the PL however proves you are the best team in the country
SS
I know it’s your opinion, but am sorry, we are past FA cup. Now is either The EPL or the Champions League
The arrogance of our fanbase
We haven’t won a title in two decades but now we are above the FA Cup ?
Never has a team done so little but got credit