Misfiring Gunners turn focus to Europe

Top of both the Premier League and Champions League and still in both domestic cup competitions, Arsenal fans should be relishing what could yet turn out to be the greatest season in the Gunners' history.

But a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday has reopened the debate over whether Mikel Arteta's side can shrug off its tag of nearly men to deliver a first league title in 22 years.

Arsenal still holds a four-point lead over an inconsistent Manchester City and surprise package Aston Villa at the top of the table with 15 games to go.

Already assured of progression to the Champions League last 16, Arteta's men are also well-placed to reach the League Cup final and have a favorable home draw against third-tier Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round.

But, legendary former captain Patrick Vieira questioned the mental strength of the current Arsenal crop, after a tentative display against United saw the Gunners surrender their undefeated home record in the league this season.

Arsenal has finished second for the past three Premier League seasons and has not won a major trophy since Arteta's debut season six years ago.

"There are still questions about the mental strength of the team,"Vieira told Sky Sports.

"They need to understand that, when they are on the pitch, they have to play with more energy and more risk. They have the quality."

As City and Villa have stumbled in recent weeks, Arsenal has wasted the chance to turn the title race into something of a procession.

After back-to-back goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Arsenal conceded three goals for the first time in nearly three years, as United, rejuvenated under the guidance of interim boss Michael Carrick, won at the Emirates for the first time since 2019.

"We have to show the mental strength that we have on the pitch when it comes to match day," said Arteta when questioned about his side's doubters.

"We lost a game... It's how we react to that, and I am very convinced, because I know those players in that dressing room and how much we want it, that we're going to react immediately."

Saka off the boil

Despite its lofty position, a lack of invention in the final third is not a new problem for Arteta to solve.

No Arsenal player has scored more than five league goals this season, a quarter of the tally of Manchester City's Erling Haaland.

A Lisandro Martinez own goal and Mikel Merino's finish from a corner on Sunday means more than half of Arsenal's Premier League goals have come either from opposition players or set-pieces.

The signing of Viktor Gyokeres has failed to end Arteta's quest for a prolific No 9, while star winger Bukayo Saka has gone off the boil, with no goals in his last 13 games.

However, Arsenal remains very much in the box seat for a first title since Vieira's side went a full league season unbeaten in 2003-04, thanks in part to the unreliability of its rivals.

City won for the first time in five league games against bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Saturday, but Pep Guardiola's men travel to Tottenham and Liverpool in their next two league games — two stadiums where City has rarely succeeded, even during its recent glorious heights.

Villa's first title since 1980-81 would be an even bigger shock, as it continues to punch above its weight under Unai Emery.

"The journey's not always going to be smooth, there's going to be ups and downs," said Saka. "It's up to us to show our character this week."

If Arteta can restore order, the title remains Arsenal's for the taking, as does the possibility of a first-ever Champions League crown for the north London outfit.

Continental task

The Gunners, with seven wins from seven, and Bayern Munich are the only two clubs already assured of a place in the last 16.

Arteta's side could become the first team to win all eight games since the league phase was introduced last season when it hosts bottom-of-table Kairat Almaty, which has just a single point from its previous seven games.

It would be shock on par with English sixth-tier side Macclesfield's recent elimination of current holder and Premier League side Crystal Palace from the FA Cup should the Kazakh minnow emerge victorious at the Emirates on Wednesday.

As unlikely as that scenario is, it would still not hinder Arsenal's inevitable march into the knockout phase, nor undo Kairat's elimination from the competition, but it would raise further questions about how Arteta's men handle pressure when it really counts.

Big hitters jostle

Title-holder Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool are among the remaining clubs battling for direct passage to the tournament's last 16 going into the final round of the league phase this week.

Fifteen teams have already sealed their progress to the knockout rounds, but a further 17 sides will be competing for the remaining places with all 18 games kicking off at the same time Wednesday.

The top eight receive a bye into the last 16, while the next 16 teams enter Friday's draw for the playoffs, although PSG demonstrated last season that is no obstacle to lifting the trophy.

As previously mentioned, Arsenal is already through as league leader going into the final round, as is Bayern, which suffered its lone defeat of the league phase at Arsenal in November. Vincent Kompany's side goes to PSV Eindhoven in its final fixture.

It's a knockout

Madrid, record 15-time winner of the competition, will wrap up a last-16 berth with victory away to Jose Mourinho's Benfica. Liverpool will join it if it beats Azerbaijan's Qarabag at Anfield, while Tottenham knows victory at Eintracht Frankfurt will allow it to also bypass the playoffs, despite its domestic struggles.

Eight teams — those placed sixth to 13th — are locked on 13 points, with reigning champion PSG hosting Newcastle at the Parc des Princes. Chelsea currently occupies the final top-eight spot, but faces a tricky assignment at Napoli, where it will come up against a familiar face in former coach Antonio Conte, now in charge of the Scudetto title-holder.

Barcelona and Manchester City are ninth and 11th, respectively. They are poised to sneak into the top eight if any of the teams above them slip up.

At least PSG or Newcastle, if not both, will drop points.

Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid and Atalanta are also in the mix, while Inter — which has lost three matches in a row — and Juventus sit on 12 points.

Borussia Dortmund is all but certain to advance alongside Galatasaray, while Qarabag is on track to reach the knockouts for the first time after a last-gasp win over Eintracht last week.

Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV, Athletic Bilbao and Olympiacos round out the top 24 as it stands, but there are seven clubs beneath them who could force their way back into contention.

Outside looking in

Napoli is the most notable team at risk of missing out on the knockout phase. It is 25th — behind Olympiacos by virtue of fewer goals scored.

FC Copenhagen also has eight points, but heads to Barcelona for its final match. Benfica and Ajax, both former European champions, must win to stand a chance of qualifying. The same is true for Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Those that will not be playing any further part in proceedings after Wednesday's fixtures include tournament debutants Kairat and Villarreal, both of which have lost six of their seven matches so far.

Slavia Prague is also yet to win, while Eintracht sacked coach Dino Toppmoller earlier this month after a poor run of results both in Germany and Europe.

AFP