Arsenal’s victory over Hull was a necessary one. Fortuitous, yet deserved and timely, Arsene Wenger needed a victory. Alexis Sanchez, being the calibre of player he is, had an indifferent game by his standards but found a way to net twice. The Gunners’ season will perhaps be defined by this week. Beating Hull stopped an ugly, growing rot after defeats to Watford and Chelsea, now they face Bayern – yes, again – in the Champions League and Sutton United on Monday evening in the FA Cup.
The Cup is a competition that has provided redemption for Wenger in the recent past. The domestic silverware ended their trophy drought and made the Wenger-hating patches of the Arsenal fanbase retreat into their shells for a little while. They are back now, though, and they are back with vengeance, fired up by another ‘choke’ in the league and the reported uncertainty over the futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]
Wenger may be retiring this season for all anyone knows – especially if Ian Wright’s comments are anything to go by. If he’s retiring he will desperately want to leave with a trophy in his hands. If he is to stay on, he needs a trophy to becalm an increasingly discontent fan base. The league is realistically out of reach for the Gunners, so they are left with two pots to clamour for.
The FA Cup is a different monster this year. With so many high profile managers in desperate need of a trophy, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs have all shown a significant desire to commit their best players to the cause. That could all change now they are about to return to the midweek glamour of European action, but Arsenal are likely to have to beat at least two of their top six rivals to win the trophy.
Arsenal, like many of their rivals, have the squad to challenge on multiple fronts if Wenger manages his squad well. Their youngsters were excellent in the previous rounds of the cup and they have squad players who will still be fresh after a light workload during the majority of the season. The Cup will not be neglected, but Arsenal’s difficulties in the biggest games make it hard to see a successful path again. They could always receive a fortunate draw, of course.
The Champions League presents an opportunity for the Gunners. If they get past Bayern, their confidence will be so significantly boosted they could go on a run towards the latter stages. Beating Bayern is not something the Gunners have done on a regular basis, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are not playing at their best this season and there are vulnerabilities.
A European trophy is the one thing that is missing from Arsene Wenger’s astonishing CV. As they have been for most recent seasons, Arsenal are rank outsiders to lift Europe’s greatest prize. With other silverware so unlikely, though, their Champions League campaign could define what might be Wenger’s final season at the club. That is how big this match with Bayern is.
[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]
[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]
