Arsenal recorded a stunning victory against Villarreal last night to book their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League but do they have enough to go all the way and win the tournament?
Arsenal have looked fantastic in recent weeks, even when they were losing against Wigan they came back strongly and won emphatically but there is a key man missing tonight, and for the rest of the Champions League games for Arsenal, and that is Andrey Arshavin. Do they have enough without the little Russian to go all the way?
If Arshavin was available I would be a lot more confident than I am, as he has been a revelation since his move and I believe his best is yet to come. What they need for the remainder of the season is for their top players to really step up and play the best football they have ever played for Arsenal.
Having Cesc back in an Arsenal shirt is just what Arsenal need at the moment and he has shown no signs of his extended layoff, and has just jumped back into the team where he is actually playing better than he was just before he got injured. The other key player for Arsenal in the Champions League is Adebayor.
For me Adebayor is the most frustrating player that Arsenal have, well apart from maybe Eboue. He has a moment of absolute genius, a good example is the goal against Villarreal last week which not many strikers in the world could have scored like he did, and then he looks like the worst player in the Premiership as he can’t even control the ball. What he does give Arsenal though is an added dimension that no other player in the team can provide. He gives the option to go direct.
So to my original question do Arsenal have enough to go all the way, and in particular do they have enough without Arshavin? I think the answer is yes, although the players need to play to the best of their capabilities as every team left in the competition will be difficult to beat. From a crisis club to serious Champions League contenders in only a couple of month’s maybe Mr Wenger has the foundations for next season’s title winning squad?
Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports journalist who blogs about football news.
