Dear fans, do you remember the bitter lesson of Arsenal's Champions League last-16 match with Bayern Munich seven years ago?
Now, Arteta's new Gunners have finally lifted the league runners-up and returned to the Champions League stage after many years.
With the results of the round of 16 draw revealed, Arsenal will face strong rivals Porto from the Portuguese Super League. So, can Arsenal successfully qualify this time and create a new European miracle?
Good or bad?
According to the official draw for the Champions League, Arsenal will face Portuguese giants Porto in the round of 16.
The outside world has affirmed Arsenal's signing, and the data shows that Arsenal have the advantage of 3 wins and 1 draw in the history of the two teams. But we must not forget that Porto is not a soft persimmon in history.
As a Portuguese giant, the dark horse of the Champions League for many times, they have repeatedly broken out on the Champions League stage. So, Porto is still not to be underestimated.
The goal is to reach the quarterfinals or semi-finals
It is worth mentioning that this season's Champions League will be Arsenal's return to the top competition after seven seasons. In the last round of 16, Arsenal unfortunately lost to Bayern Munich and missed the quarterfinals.
Now, the new Arteta seems to be confident in his team's European journey. In his opinion, Porto are not scary, as long as the players stay focused and play to their due quality, it will not be difficult to knock out the Portuguese opponents and attack the target further.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and even a fight against Barcelona for the Champions League title – these unattainable dreams seem to be coming true one day under Arteta's leadership.
Rice Havertz became Mr. Key
When it comes to whether Arsenal can go far in European competition, there are undoubtedly a number of key players in the team. Among them, the performance of midfield brain Declan Rice and winger Kai Havertz was particularly important.
As Arsenal's billionaire star, Rice's role on the pitch is everywhere, whether it is playmaking or attacking.
Kai Havertz, on the other hand, has been a recent dark horse, with the German winger making frequent contributions in the first few league games and becoming Arsenal's top scorer at one point. The two are in peak form and will surely be two key players that Arteta will rely on.
There is still plenty of time to prepare for the race in the first two months
Although the two sides are currently equal, Arsenal's shortcomings are also very obvious, that is, they still lack a stable top scorer.
To that end, the management has shifted the focus of reinforcements to the forward position. Brentford's Ivan Tony appear to be Arsenal's favourites of the winter window.
With his arrival, Arsenal will undoubtedly be stronger than they are now. In addition to Ivan Toni, the defense and midfield are also expected to usher in new signings to further improve the overall strength and calmly cope with the arrival of European competition.
Epilogue:
Some netizens said: "Ivan Toney's joining is almost a certainty, so that our forward line is not false." ”
Some netizens said: "In addition, we also need a high-level central defender, so that the defense can be more solid." ”
Another netizen said: "I am more optimistic about the secondment of Canadian player Davis from Liverpool, this kid has unlimited prospects." ”
It can be seen that everyone is very optimistic about Arsenal's reinforcement plan in the winter window market, and I believe that through the introduction of one or two high-level players, Arsenal will glow with stronger combat effectiveness in the new season and is expected to achieve good results on the European stage. Of course, it will take them to prove themselves against Porto, so do you think Arsenal will be able to achieve their dream of the last eight?
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