Against a backdrop of adversity, Arsenal must pull up their socks and get down to business against AC Milan
Arsenal’s hopes of salvaging anything from this season now reside in the Europa League. But against a tougher-than-usual field, do they have what it takes to go all the way?
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Your support makes all the difference.With their backs against the wall, we should have seen it coming. As a club whose up-and-down form has become a staple feature of the Premier League landscape in recent years, it was typically unexpected of Arsenal to down AC Milan in their own backyard. After a run of four successive defeats, the side put in a gritty, resolute performance at the San Siro to show that there’s still life left in the old dog.
It was the sort of display that, over the years, has proved just the ticket in lifting the club out of its self-inflicted malaise. It was a similar story last season. Twelve months ago it was Bayern Munich who had plunged north London into a state of hysteria, sparking Arsenal’s already combustible fanbase into civil war. An end-of-season FA Cup win over Chelsea settled the waters – and kept Arsene Wenger in a job – but, as has been the case for years many years now, the prospect of another predictable ‘crisis’ is never far away.
Which brings us, then, to tonight’s second-leg tie against AC Milan. In a game of paramount importance – the outcome of which will either crush or carry forward Arsenal’s hopes of Champions League football – which team will show up? Despite their feats in Italy, Arsenal’s propensity for inconsistency does not bode well. Winning runs simply aren’t a thing for the club. The side have claimed three consecutive victories or more only once this season – way back in September of last year. Having followed up their victory at the San Siro with a routine win over Watford last weekend, do they have the self-belief and momentum to keep up their winning ways?
Arsene Wenger, for one, is hoping that his men have ‘turned a corner’ after their recent setbacks. “Consistency is a sign of quality and that is the most important quality for me,” he said on Wednesday. “Sometimes when you have a negative spirit it is difficult to get out. That is why it was important for us to turn the corner especially when you have three games in one week, if you lose the first one you have more chances to lose the next one. It was important to get out of that.”
As with their FA Cup campaign last year, Arsenal’s hopes of salvaging anything from this season now reside in the Europa League. Manchester United showed it was possible and now, after initially dismissing it, the club is concentrating all its efforts on reaching the final in Lyon and securing a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Aaron Ramsey has made this much clear. “We needed the result in Milan, it was a tough run for us,” he said alongside Wenger on Wednesday. “Sometimes these things just happen. Hopefully we can build on it and go from strength to strength. It is a massive opportunity for us so it’s something we’ve got to be prepared to give everything for to try to achieve this. This game is very important for us and our season.”
To complicate matters, though, the quality on offer within this season's Europa League has undoubtedly been raised beyond the usual norm. With Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid in the mix, Arsenal’s route to the final is far from straightforward. “We play Milan for the chance to reach the quarter-final. You look who is in there – Milan, Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, all the French teams,” Wenger added. “You have many good teams in there and this competition is maybe this season at a higher level than ever before.”
Among such high-calibre company, Arsenal face quite the fight. But does the club and its players have the mental resilience to go all the way? Wenger, a man who has spent much of the past 10 years bordering on the line between deluded and determined, will certainly believe this – but his players and the fans make for a very different story. Apathy has crept in at the Emirates, discontent has rocked the changing room and the future of Wenger himself looks more uncertain than ever. It’s hardly an environment conducive to defying the odds. Nonetheless, against this backdrop Arsenal must pull up their socks, dirty their hands and get down to business. It's either that or yet another season of unfulfilled promises.
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