Arsenal enjoyed their best run in the Champions League since 2009 in the 2024/25 season, but ultimately came up short to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners have reached the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition just three times, with the two prior to this campaign coming in 2006 and 2009.
Mikel Arteta led the North London club to the last four in the latest season, beating Real Madrid 5-1 over two legs en route.
PSG beat Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-final, with this outcome condemning the Gunners to their fifth consecutive season without silverware.
Arteta will be hoping to strengthen the offensive firepower in his squad over the summer, to ensure his side can launch another assault on the Champions League next term.
UEFA announce Champions League home advantage rule change
While there were things Arsenal could’ve done better over the two legs against PSG, they were ultimately somewhat unfortunate with how the format worked.
The Gunners finished third in the League Phase, while the Parisians finished this initial stage of the competition in 15th place.
Despite this, Arsenal played the first leg at home, before having to travel to the French capital for the second encounter.
Typically, playing at home in the second leg is seen as advantageous, and many felt the team that performed best in the League Phase should’ve been rewarded with a second leg on home soil in each of the knockout rounds.
According to ESPN, UEFA are set to change how this home advantage works in the new Champions League format, with the side that placed higher in the League Phase now set to play the first leg away from home.
In the 2024/25 season, while the teams that finished in the top eight got second leg home advantage in the round of 16, past this point the order of where the matches were played was determined by an open draw.
Arsenal were punished in both the quarter-final and semi-final for this, playing at the Bernabeu and Parc des Princes in the second legs, respectively.
The change was reportedly agreed by UEFA’s club competitions committee in a meeting held before Saturday’s Champions League final in Munich.
UEFA’s Executive Committee is expected to approve the alteration to the format before the League Phase Draw on August 28th.
UEFA’s Champions League rule change is great news for Arsenal
Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe, and should be confident of finishing high up in the League Phase every season.
The Gunners won six of their eight games in this stage of the competition last season, conceding just one goal from open play across these matches.
Incredibly astute defensively, Arsenal should also have better squad depth next season, which ought to give them a better chance of balancing both the Champions League and the Premier League.
| Champions League league phase 2024/25 defensive record | ||
| Team | Goals conceded | xG conceded |
| Inter Milan | 1 | 7.3 |
| Arsenal | 3 | 5.8 |
| Liverpool | 5 | 7.1 |
| Atalanta | 6 | 8.4 |
| Aston Villa | 6 | 9.3 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | 8 |
| Juventus | 7 | 13.1 |
If Arteta can rotate between the two competitions, his team have a great chance of finishing high up the European table.
Heading into the knockout rounds, this should give the North London club an even greater chance of progressing.
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