Ian Wright says Arsenal must do ‘ruthless’ thing to beat Man City to Champions League

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has now told his former club what they need to do to stand a chance of winning the Champions League this season.

Arsenal will continue their Champions League campaign later this month, with the first leg of their round of 16 knockout clash against Porto.

The Gunners will be favourites heading into that encounter with the Portuguese outfit, and Mikel Arteta will be expecting his side to go far in the year’s iteration of Europe’s elite club competition. 

Of course, the north London club have never won the Champions League before. The closest they came was in 2006, when they were runners up after suffering late heartbreak against Barcelona in Paris.

If Arteta could guide Arsenal to continental glory this season, he would immediately cement himself as a club legend.

Arsenal made light work of the group stage in their year’s competition. However, under Arteta they have a poor record in knockout football at European level. The Spanish coach has to show signs this season that he is capable of achieving success on that biggest of stages.

There are already positive signs that the Gunners can make an impact in Europe though. Arsenal broke a club record against Lens earlier in the competition, whilst the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have adapted to their first experience of Champions League football admirably. 

Gabriel Jesus is also flying in the competition. Whilst he has struggled for goals at Premier League level, he has been prolific in Europe. The Brazilian striker has netted four times in just five Champions League outings so far this season.

Ian Wright tells Arsenal how they can take Champions League crown from Manchester City

No one in the competition will be taking Arsenal lightly this season, but the biggest threat to their chances of glory could well come from closer to home. Manchester City won their maiden Champions League crown last season, and few would be against Pep Guardiola’s side retaining the trophy.

If Arsenal are to win the Champions League this season, they may well have to overcome Manchester City themselves in order to do it.

Ian Wright has now told his former club how they might achieve such a feat. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he said, “I’d love Arsenal to win it. If we got there in the final with City, I’d feel more confident. You’ve got to be more ruthless with the chances. You’ve got to see games off so that you can relax in games. At the moment, we’re not taking those chances even though in the end we won the game. If we could take those chances, I’d be more confident going to places because we’re defending a lot better.”

Arsenal will have to be at their best, and utterly clinical, if they are to win the Champions League this season. However, such is the strength of the Premier League, a division in which the Gunners are now one of the dominant forces, their chances of European glory should not be underestimated.