Michael Owen believes Arsenal are Manchester City’s biggest Champions League threat
Michael Owen believes Arsenal are in the top three teams in Europe on ability and possibly Manchester City’s biggest threat to win the Champions League this season. The Gunners picked up a big win at Sevilla on Tuesday night, beating the Spanish side 2-1 thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, taking them to the top of Group B after three matches.
There is still plenty of work to do after the defeat at Lens in their previous European outing but Mikel Arteta’s side are in a good position on their return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Former Liverpool and Manchester United forward Owen thinks the lengthy gap since they were last in the Champions League may well cost them at some stage, but ability-wise, they are in the top three in Europe.
Arsenal’s Ability
‘I think this Arsenal team on ability, on what they do week-to-week, are one of, if not Manchester City’s biggest challenge in this competition. I think they’re that good,’ Owen told TNT Sports.
‘But the problem is, and as Man City have shown, the very good teams in the league, if it’s your first time in the competition it can take you a long time to understand it, to get past these experienced teams , I think that’s what Arsenal might find this season
‘On ability I think they’re the second or third best team in it. But can I see them go all the way based on this inexperience…it’s a massive ask, but they’re good enough, ability-wise.’
Injury Concerns
It was a great evening for Arsenal, although came with some concern for Jesus, who was taken off with a hamstring injury. Arteta confirmed the problem after the match, although was yet to discover the severity of the issue.
‘He felt something in his hamstring, so let’s see,’ said the Arsenal boss of the Brazilian forward. ‘He asked straight away to be subbed, which is not good news because Gabi is not a player who does that at all. So we have to wait and see in the next few days.’
Conclusion
Arsenal have made a great start to their Champions League campaign and Michael Owen believes they are one of the best teams in Europe on ability. However, their inexperience could be their downfall as they look to make a deep run in the competition. It remains to be seen how serious Gabriel Jesus’ injury is and how it will affect their chances.
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