It has been a week to forget for Gunners fans, with a draw and a loss at the start of it to Everton and Napoli respectively, before things got even worse with a 6-3 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City. Their bad week then culminated in the Champions League draw on Monday. Normally the draw is an event of excited anticipation for English clubs, but following that loss to Napoli, Arsenal finished second in their group on goal difference, meaning their potential opponents in the next round were one of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint Germain or Atletico Madrid. In the end they got probably the toughest tie they could have hoped for, with reigning champions Bayern being drawn against Arsene Wenger's side for the second time in two years. Last season the Gunners were the only team to beat the German giants in the knockout phase on their way to glory at Wembley, but Pep Guardiola's side will be looking to be the first team to win successive Champions League titles this season. The Gunners meanwhile still remain top of the Premier League despite the loss to City, and are two points clear of Liverpool. The north London club host Chelsea on Monday in what is now already a vital game for Wenger's side. With such a tough draw in the Champions League, the Gunners will be under even more pressure in the league, and they might do well to concentrate their efforts on winning domestically first, with no trophy whatsoever for the past eight years. They are already out of the League Cup, arguably the easiest of all four competitions they entered at the start of the season, and a league run will serve them well in the years to come. To show why they should put their effort into the league, here are the five reasons why they should favour that over making a go of the Champions League this season.
Began writing about football aged 16, I've previously worked for Goal and I'm currently writing for Inside Spanish Football. Specialise in anything linked, connected with or involving football!
