One of the many positives for Arsenal this season has been their return to Champions League football after a six-year absence.
Mikel Arteta will be guiding a side that must compete in both the Champions League and the League for the first time in his coaching career.
Yes, he has already led Arsenal in a European competition, the Europa League, but participating in the Europa League allows a club to completely rotate its players because the competition isn’t that tough in the early rounds. However, because the clubs that make it to the Champions League are the best of the best, you must field your strongest team to stand a chance of winning and continuing in the competition.
Arsenal begin their 2023–24 Champions League campaign this week when they host PSV at the Emirates this Wednesday, a competition Arsene Wenger believes will hold them back from winning the Premier League. Wenger believes his former side will struggle to juggle playing in the League and the Champions League due to inexperience. Wenger said, “They still have a young, talented team. I think they learned from what happened to them last year. They couldn’t cope well with that mentally. It was very difficult. I’m sure they would’ve learned from that.
Wenger also worried that the tougher schedule may take it’s toll later on, when he added: “But we have to deal with the Champions League, so that costs points as well.”
That said, Mikel Arteta was recently asked his thoughts about the notion that his team would be efficient in fighting for the league title with Champions League duties. Other than noting that it may be a tricky affair, Arteta hinted that that is a test his team is relishing. He admitted via Arsenal.com, “Well, it’s exactly the same as last year. We played every three days, but it was the Europa League. So the competition is different.
“Obviously, the demands of that competition and the expectations are different, especially as we’ve been away from there for seven years. But it’s excitement.
“This is where we want to be. When you look at the fixtures and the games that we have to play, I think everybody’s really looking forward to it.”
Mikel Arteta is a man with a plan, and he must have devised one for this season. As a Gooner, you should think he and the boys can handle anything that will be thrown at them. Nobody expected them to be in the title race last season, yet they were.
Sam P