‘Beautiful’ Champions League Offers Arsenal Chance To Salvage Season
Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, hopes that the glamour of the Champions League will help his team, who is suffering from injuries, recover from their Premier League funk.
After falling 13 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool, the Gunners’ quest for a first league title in 21 years has come to an end.
A successful last-16 draw with PSV Eindhoven could give Arteta time to reclaim some of his key players, as their first victory over Europe appears to be their only chance to end a five-year trophy drought.
Due to severe hamstring and knee injuries, respectively, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been suspended for the rest of the season.
However, if Arsenal advances, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka could make it to the quarter-finals next month.
Arsenal’s inability to score in their final two Premier League games against West Ham and Nottingham Forest has made it increasingly clear that all four forwards are missing.
[/url ]FULL LIST] Teams That Qualified For the UEFA Champions League Final 16In Saka’s typical wide right role, midfielder Mikel Merino has been forced to play as a makeshift striker while Arteta has had to rely on teenager Ethan Nwaneri.
“I am aware that that piece up there is lacking,” Arteta said. There is a lot to be gained, according to the statement, “We need to discover the solution.”
We have prepared for Tuesday, have the Champions League, and have a beautiful competition in hand.
Arsenal has struggled to find creative solutions in the final third all season.
In a 0-0 draw against Forest last week, the visitors were held to a scoreless draw. This was their ninth consecutive defeat in a game this season.
Since recovering from an ankle injury that required him for two months during the campaign, Captain Martin Odegaard has struggled to reach the heights of his previous two seasons.
READ ALSO: “Angry” Arteta admits to accepting the Premier League title that is out of Arsenal’s control.
One of the many managers who has experienced mounting injury issues has pointed to the strain a crammed schedule is putting on the best players.
On Odegaard’s inconsistent form, the Spaniard remarked, “He came back in such a strong way and performed at a very, very high level.
It’s very difficult to just keep doing that over time, as we are constantly demanding of the players, especially the creative players.
However, Arteta’s men had six days to prepare for the trip to the Netherlands as a result of Arsenal’s premature exit from the FA Cup.
And they can at least rely on the Champions League’s worst defense, which has been one of the best so far this season, to survive a free-flowing attack.
In the eight-game league phase, which included clean sheets against Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta, Inter Milan only conceded three goals to Arsenal.
When Arsenal were humiliated 4-0 at the Emirates in the Champions League group stage last year, PSV boss Peter Bosz was left impressed by their defensive ability.
The attack was over as soon as we reached their box. How is that even possible? “Bosz said that at the time.
The Londoners are more encouraged by the Dutch champions’ own domestic struggles.
Go Ahead Eagles have lost to PSV twice in the last week, and PSV have never won any of their four league games, despite posting a memorable 3-1 victory over Juventus to advance to the last 16.
Arsenal will hope to reach the last eight despite their goalless struggles before Saka and Martinelli can provide the much-needed firepower for a quarter-final showdown with Real or Atletico Madrid.
Source: Channels TV
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