Why 2nd-Place Finish in Champions League Group Could Spell Doom for Arsenal

Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain has seen them lose control of their Champions League destiny. If PSG can beat comparative minnows Ludogorets Razgrad in the final round of fixtures, they will top the group and the Gunners will be left at the mercy of the draw. It’s a result that could leave Arsenal facing a seventh consecutive exit at the first knockout phase.

Your perception of Arsenal’s November will vary drastically depending on whether you’re a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of fan.

The optimists will point to an unbeaten run that stretches back to the opening weekend of the Premier League season, and the fact that they continue to pick up positive results in spite of mounting injuries and difficult circumstances. The cynics will say that Arsene Wenger’s team are scraping by on poor performances and that it’s a matter of time until they’re caught out. 

Wenger is trying to emphasise the positive elements of Arsenal’s run, telling Arsenal.com:

Look, I think there is a special spirit in the squad and the consistency of the results… we are unbeaten for 18 games. Sometimes you go through a spell, when you have such a long momentum, where we win a bit less. It’s down to us to continue without losing a game but as well to transform the draws now into wins. But there is no reason to panic.

Not yet—but that could change if Arsenal find themselves drawn against one of European football’s giants in the next round. Wenger insists that finishing second is not necessarily a cause for concern. He told Arsenal.com: 

At the moment we are second – but it’s not over. We have a 90 per cent chance to finish second but we wanted to finish first. But at the moment we have not lost a game in this group, you know. Overall, we have done the job well and will it be enough to finish first? I don’t know. Will that be bad or good for us? I think we have to wait for the draw. As you look at all the groups, you cannot really guess is it good or bad. The advantage if you finish first is that you play the second game at home, but for me, what is more disappointing is we wanted to win the game and we didn’t win it. It is disappointing.

There have been some who’ve …

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