Tuesday night’s shootout saw Arsenal defeat FC Porto. This saw the Gunners through to their first Champions League Quarter Final for 14 years. Could this be a special season for the Gunners?
The was a huge win inside the Emirates Stadium. David Raya had earlier kept out Porto winger Galeno’s spot kick. This helped the Gunners win 4-2 on penalties. Having levelled the tie 1-1 on aggregate, thanks to Leandro Trossard’s 41st minute goal.
The North London side are also in a title race with Manchester City and Liverpool. Unless they can beat the defending champions at the Etihad next Sunday. They are still third favourites to win the title.
Nevertheless, the UEFA Champions League could be the stepping stone for Arsenal. Hoping to end their 19-year wait for a League title, as it was for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in 2019-20.
Of course, there are still some big teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and defending champions Manchester City to get past.
But the mental streangth Arteta’s Gunners showed against a resilient Porto side. This should stand them in decent shape for the upcoming challenges.
However, will the fact that they have a 17-day break before heading to Manchester City, effect the momentum they have now?
That is why they may choose to prioritise the Champions League. Especially when you consider that their only European success came 30 years ago. In the Cup Winners Cup in 1994, where they beat Parma 1-0, in the Final, in Copenhagen.
The draw for the quarter finals takes place on Friday, and there are still some big teams out there.
But what last night’s game shows, is that the Gunners have the mentality and the motivation to take on any challenge put in front of them, and this one was one of the toughest of this season
Arsenal last reached the Champions League Final in 2006, where they lost Barcelona 2-1. Since then, they have only reached one Europa League Final in 2019, where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea.
But Arteta’s side have learnt a lot over the past few years. They are starting to look like the Arsenal of the late 90s and early 2000s, in terms of mentality, and they will need to prove that they are close to that level in the next couple of weeks.
But when there is an international break after the FA Cup Quarter Finals is done, there is the possibility of a side losing momentum in a Run-In, due to injuries, and capitulating in terms of their form.
This is exactly what Arsenal experienced last season, and it is important that they learn from it.
Do Arsenal Have the Spine?
After the loss to Brighton & Hove Albion at home last season, Gary Neville made the point of Arsenal’s spine ‘wobbling‘ at the most crucial part of this season.
“Experienced players stay still, they stay calm, they settle everything down and make sure they get you through difficult moments. That is what I always doubted. The Arsenal spine has wobbled at the most difficult time. They were never capable in my mind of holding it together.
Neville: Sky Sports
Now if I’m Mikel Arteta, or any of his players, then surely, I would want to prove him wrong, by winning every game.
That is not to say you will win every single match, but you need to approach each game with that sort of mentality, and that is what Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have managed to build in their squads.
Spines are a group of experienced players in a team. They carry the team over the line, by keeping them motivated and making sure that they do their job.
And this is why City have the likes of Rodri, and Liverpool with Virgil Van Dijk, have really set the standards on how to lead teams in these moments?
Martin Ødegaard has com leaps and bounds as a Captain for Arsenal this season. The team huddle they have before the start of every match, seems to work wonders for the side going forward.
The Gunners’ skipper highlighted the importance of belief and momentum heading into the final stages of the season.
“I think we have to use this, we have to grow off this,” he said. “It is a massive night for everyone. We are still a young squad, but this was another big experience for everyone. We have to keep building on that and use it in a good way going into the end of the season.’
Ødegaard: The Guardian
When you here this as a manager, it gives you faith to trust you players, and makes sure that they deliver the goods when it matters.
“Unbelievable, that’s where we want to be. We’ve been patient, worked so hard and a lot of people have made good decisions and showed courage in difficult moments and this is where you want to be.”
Arteta: The Mirror
Arsenal now have 17 days to prepared for what could be the most important game of the season in terms of their aspirations for the Title, and it’ll be fascinating to see how they will approach these 17 days.
Liverpool and City have the experience of being in more title race in the lates 2010s, and early 2020s, but can Arsenal learn from their mistakes, and pip them for the Premier League Title as well as winning the Champions League?
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