It is a over 12 years since Arsenal won the Premier League back in the 2003-2004 season as the “invincibles” pulled off the feat without suffering a loss. It is also over a decade since the Gunners made it to the Champions League final which they ultimately lost 2-1 to Barcelona after Jens Lehman was sent off early in the match.
While many media outlets have criticised Arsenal and made weak jokes about the club placing a trophy-like accomplishment on finishing 4th in the Premier League, Arsene Wenger has risen above such talk and insinuation directing the club to a record in the Champions League which is certainly unrivalled in British football and only has Real Madrid as a club in the whole of Europe which can boast such an impressive qualification history .
To top their group, Arsenal needed to win last night in Basel and hoped that PSG were either beaten or held to a draw by Ludogorets at the Parc des Princes in the French capital. Arsene Wenger picked a strong side which included the return of Spanish striker Lucas Perez and the team waltzed past the Swiss Champions on the back of a stunning first half hat-trick from the Spaniard with Alex Iwobi adding the fourth before Basel notched a consolation goal late on. The win and the PSG draw signaled that Arsenal finished as group winners for the first time since 2012 and means that they have a good chance of ending their current 6 season streak of exiting the competition at the round of 16 stage. Arsenal have the longest active streak of Champions League qualification from the Premier League which currently sits at 17 seasons in a row and counting. This streak deserves a great deal of respect and recognition for the Arsenal boss. Arsene Wenger is often criticised but he is worthy of high praise as the other so-called British giants like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool plus Celtic (who have a much simpler task of qualifying for the Champions League based upon the Scottish Premier League) do not even come close to Arsenal’s monumental qualification streak.
Arsenal led by the incredible Alexis Sanchez, who was denied a goal by the woodwork with his stunning free-kick before he left the game to grab a well-deserved rest last night, are looking like a side who are exhibiting the same kind of fluidity of passing and movement which was so much in evidence when Pires, Bergkamp and Henry were strutting their stuff for the club. Wenger is building a team which looks as though it is on the cusp of major honours and surely if they make that breakthrough they will not have difficulty retaining the likes of Sanchez and Ozil who are really showing how valuable they are this campaign. At this stage Sanchez in particular looks like a shoo-in for the Premier League player of the season and could well be a strong candidate for the Ballon D’Or neither of which are likely to be much of focus for the team-oriented striker who should be rewarded with a multi-year contract which puts him among the highest earners in world football.
As for Arsenal and major honours, patience may be in short supply for some but the club are playing some of the most attractive football in Europe and are destined for serious silverware as long as they just get a little luck on their side. Arsene Wenger has shown yet again that he is fully in control of the side and his recent transfer business is proving to be some of his best work while at the club.