Arsenal’s misery in the Champions League continued as they lost 1-0 to FC Porto in the first leg of the round of 16 at the Estadio do Dragão, marking their fifth consecutive knockout round loss....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
This most recent setback adds to an increasing number of near misses and casts doubt on the club’s capacity to contend at the highest level of competition in Europe.
The Gunners’ previous knockout stage triumph was against Porto in 2010, which is a long time ago for a supporters base used to facing tough competition from Europe.
Ever since, losses to teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Monaco, and others have become the norm. Even though it was sad, this most recent setback played out like a well-known story: early promise gave way to frustration and, eventually, failure.
The causes of the conflicts:
Squad Depth: Although the starting lineup is talented, weariness and injuries frequently highlight a deficiency of strong backups, especially in crucial positions.
Tactical Consistency: Detractors claim that they are incapable of responding quickly enough to shifts in the tactics of their opponents or the status of the game.
Mentality: There are still concerns regarding the team’s capacity to withstand the stress and rigors of knockout football, particularly when facing well-established titans.
Though disappointing, there are reasons for optimism. The youthful core is still growing, and Mikel Arteta’s managerial endeavors have showed promise in the country.
Still, Arsenal needs to solve the aforementioned problems if they want to break their Champions League curse…CONTINUE READING>>
