Mikel Arteta faces Champions League test knowing he can't repeat Europa failures
Mikel Arteta has undoubtedly unified just about every section of Arsenal and got everyone singing from the sam hymn sheet and while that is commendable, there is something he must address.
For all of the positives that have come with Gunners tenure, Arteta's Arsenal have underwhelmed drastically in Europe. His first taste of European football as a manager came in early 2020 when Arsenal were still in the Europa League. That year, his side were embarrassingly dumped out of the competition after losing to Olympiakos at home, eliminating them via the away goals rule.
The following year, Arsenal actually managed to reach the final-four of the tournament. However, once it became clear that going the distance was the club's only way to secure European football the following season, the pressure seemed to weigh heavy on the Gunners.
Arteta stood on the touchline inside an empty Emirates in April 2021 and watched Arsenal put in a feeble second-leg display that ended 0-0 against Villarreal, which in turn meant that they were eliminated after losing 2-1 on aggregate.
An eighth-placed finish that same season meant the following campaign would be the first in 25 years that Arsenal would go without any form of European football. However, that clearer schedule allowed the Gunners to jump from eighth to fifth, ensuring Europa League qualification for the 2022/23 season.
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Few could have predicted just how well Arsenal would play in the league last term, topping the table for the majority of the season before being pipped to the post by Manchester City. With that being said, given the bulk of the focus was on ending the 19-year wait for a league title, concentration levels dropped in other competitions.
The Gunners were humbled on their own turf after losing on penalties to Spoting at the round of 16 stage on a night that also saw William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu suffer season-ending injuries. Despite their late jitters costing them the title, Arsenal still finished second - which of course meant a return to the Champions League.
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Mikel Arteta has been putting his players through their paces ahead of their Champions League clash with PSVAfter seven long years, Wednesday night will see Arsenal return to European club football's most prestigious competition when they welcome PSV to the Emirates. The excitement around the red half of north London is palpable, but Arteta knows he must end his own Europe hoo-doo, he must come to terms with the fact he is now at the helm of a club fighting on multiple fronts.
Simply focusing on the league won't cut it as an excuse if Arsenal are eliminated in feeble fashion like they have been so many times in the Europa League. Perhaps everyone at the Emirates can take comfort from the words of Peter Crouch, who believes being in the Champions League will actually help the Gunners in their domestic efforts.
“Being in the Champions League can work in Arsenal ’s favour because there’s a real buzz around it," the former Liverpool forward claimed. “My experience of playing in it, it does elevate your game, it keeps your concentrations levels up, it keeps you switched on."
Crouch continued: "If you go and do something in any walk of life that is incredibly easy to you, like going away in the Europa League and playing a lesser team, it’s very different to going away and playing a proper team. It keeps your mind switched on and I do think that could potentially help them in the league."
While morale is high among the Arsenal camp, Arteta has had to field questions surrounding whether he himself has something to prove this season given his poor record in Europe during his pre-match presser. The Gunners boss didn't exactly deny his past Europe League shortcomings.
"Every day you have something to prove," Arteta explained. "Tomorrow [vs PSV] I have to prove that we have prepared in the best possible way and that we are giving the players the best possible chance to play as well as we possibly can to win the game. That's the reality of the sport."
2,388 days on from their last Champions League game, a 5-1 thumping against Bayern Munich, Arteta will be out to prove he and Arsenal have learnt from their past European mistakes.
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