David Showell


When the recent Champions League draw threw Arsenal and Celtic together for the final qualifying round, an air of inevitability perceptibly passed around the room. The assembled managers, dignitaries and reporters knew the mouth-watering prospect of an England-Scotland tie has all the ingredients of a match to remember.

For Celtic, the chance to show a top English club the door is always taken seriously. However, their track record isn’t great. They managed an excellent win against Manchester United in 2006, but it seems, and is, a long time since the heady days of 1970, when Celtic famously sent Leeds United packing in front of a 130,000-plus crowd.

For the present-day Bhoys, passage into the group stages is a financial shot in the arm, especially given the poor financial state of Scottish football and the reduced TV package following the collapse of Setanta. It is also another step in Celtic’s quest for international acceptance as a big club. But for Arsenal, qualification is a must-have.

The Gunners have been sliding very gradually in the last few years. The magnificent achievements of ‘The Invincibles’ have faded into memory, and the recent departure of Kolo Toure means none of the regulars of that select band remains at the club. Arsene Wenger remains the shrewdest of managers, and the club’s future is in exceptionally safe hands. But Arsenal supporters will know the team can’t continue a rebuilding process forever.

A dazzling production line of young talent pours ever forward from the training ground, but many will want to see 2009/10 as a period of fruition, not transition. Arsenal will undoubtedly be favourites to win the tie, but Celtic’s players and supporters will know that providing an intimidating atmosphere will help to unsettle young and inexperienced opponents.

The ironic thing for Arsenal is that their style of play probably gives them a greater chance of winning the Champions League than triumphing in the Premier League. Their fast-paced passing game is far more likely to succeed in games at Valencia, Lyon and Lazio than at Bolton, Wigan or West Ham.

Arsenal face a potentially difficult season. In the last campaign there was a very real chance that Aston Villa might pip them for fourth place, and they’ll be knocking on the door again, despite the loss of the influential Gareth Barry. As usual, Tottenham (also without the influential Gareth Barry) will be desperate to overturn their great rivals. Manchester City (with the influential Gareth Barry) will also be looking to mount a challenge.

It has been clear for all to see that Wenger’s men have been steadily falling behind Manchester United and Chelsea in recent times, and last year a gap opened up between Arsenal and Liverpool, too. There have been many names linked with the Emirates Stadium throughout the summer, but so far Thomas Vermaelen remains their only purchase. The loss of Toure and Adebayor, albeit for a vast sum of money, will be felt. The reported income of £40M for these two will be very welcome, but if they don’t spend much of it, the end result will simply be a lighter squad than the one deemed lightweight last season.

The last English team to fail to qualify for the group stages was Newcastle United in the 2003/04 season, having lost a tight two-legged match against Partizan Belgrade. Since then, English clubs have gorged at the top table with the rest of Europe; failure to qualify costs millions. The regular quartet of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have got richer and richer, thanks to the huge rewards the Champions League bestows. For Arsenal, failure to progress is a prospect too disastrous to even contemplate.

Traditionally, Arsenal are more than a little secretive about finances, and prefer to leave the ostentatious shows of wealth to certain other clubs, but it’s known that the creation of a wonderful new stadium hasn’t come cheap. A failure to get involved in some of the more extravagant purchases in recent times has depleted the squad, and an apparent lack of buying power has worried supporters.

Arsenal will be favourites to beat Celtic in the forthcoming tie, but, as is often the case, they will be susceptible to passionate and organised opponents. Qualification is a must-have accessory for the London club; they’ll be hoping the in colour this season will be red.
 

 

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