Toni Kroos believes that Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Champions League have decreased following their recent wobble in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s team look back on track now following draws against Brentford and Wolves, after producing back-to-back wins over Spurs and Chelsea.
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Arsenal have a favourable route to the Champions League final this season, which has certainly boosted their hopes of going far in the competition.
However, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder remains unconvinced by the Gunners when discussing his favourites to win the Champions League.
Toni Kroos is unconvinced by Arsenal’s Champions League hopes
Back in October, Toni Kroos backed Arsenal as one of the best teams in the Champions League; however, that is no longer the case.
The former German international claims there is no standout team in the competition, especially given the Gunners’ recent form.
Kroos told Einfach mal Luppen: “So in my opinion, there’s still no team just marching straight through. I think we talked about this back in October – who the Champions League favourites were.
“We came to the conclusion that there wasn’t one team that was 100% convincing as the clear favourite. We also said: let’s wait and see a bit more.”
Kroos believes that Arteta’s team have allowed Manchester City back into the Premier League title race, which highlights their vulnerability.
“Now we’ve seen more – who’s really in top form? Back then, Arsenal were probably among the most consistent, but they’ve also dropped points here and there recently, which has allowed City to close the gap again,” he added.
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Having won eight from eight in the competition this season, Arsenal need to block out the noise from the media and focus on themselves.
In the Round of 16, they face Bayer Leverkusen and then either Sporting CP or Bodo/Glimt in the next round – a great chance to reach the semis.
Bayern look like the other team to beat in the Champions League, but Arsenal have already seen them off during a 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium back in November.
Arteta will certainly be excited about his side’s chances in Europe this season and will be getting his team prepared for a trip to Germany next week.
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