When the balls were pulled out, everyone agreed – Arsenal had an easy group.
Many called it a “Europa League group” and with PSV, Sevilla and Lens it was hard to disagree. But that easy group could begin to look a bit trickier if we fail to return to winning ways tonight.
Our return to the Champions League started with a bang – a comfortable 4-0 win at home to PSV. Ironically we had also played PSV 12 months earlier in the Europa League.
Everything was also going swimmingly in the second game in northern France. 1-nil up after 14 minutes, we looked in complete control. Lens then snatched a brilliant equaliser before the crowd carrying them to victory. The exiting (and troubled) Elye Wahi grabbing an excellent winner.
On a side note, Wahi is clearly a talent and it is only his controversies that probably stopped him getting a bigger move last summer.
Only 20-years old, I do not think you can hold something that happened as a 15-year-old against him. I would not be surprised if he only stays at Lens for a single year. A lot of clubs will be keeping tabs on his private life to see if the incidents where just immaturity.
Anyway, back to The Arsenal.
3 points from the opening two games leaves us 2nd in a group where no one has a 100% record.
10 points is the usual magic number, and you have to think that we will win our 2 remaining home games, so all we need to do is grab a draw (or win) in Spain or Holland. But it is not just about qualifying, we need to finish top.
Those late Wenger-years were marred by us finishing 2nd in Champions League groups that we should have topped, and then getting the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona or AC Milan in the first knockout stage.
Finishing top is so important.
As it stands (and yes, there is still a long way to go), winning the group would set up potential matches against PSG, Inter Milan, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Lazio, Porto or Galatasaray.
Finishing 2nd would mean we would be drawn against one of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad.
Bar PSG and Napoli, you would expect us to win against all the 2nd placed teams without an issue. Finish 2nd and the only “easy” tie would be against Kieran Tierney’s Real Sociedad
The need to finish top is what then puts the pressure on tonight.
Lost, and we could find ourselves bottom of the group with 3 points from 3 games. We would then need to win 3 from 3 to have a chance of finishing top. Win and we might secure top of the league with a game to go, allowing us to rest some players ahead of the busy Christmas period.
Sevilla have not been great in Spain this seaosn, but then neither had Lens.
We need to put out our strongest possible team, play at a high tempo and regain control of our Champions League destiny.
UTA!
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 