Every year, people watch the seemingly 9-hour fiasco that is the Champions League draw. And at the end of it, complain that there are too many good teams standing in our way. After years in the wilderness of the Europa League, isn't this why we are here?
This isn't Arsenal vs Alphabet FC anymore...
I went to Europa League games and didn't even know who we played or where they were from. It was 90 minutes of getting the job done and hopefully scoring a few goals. Since the UCL has returned to N5, the overwhelming atmosphere has been mid. Take out the first game back, the Madrid and PSG games, and it's still just been a question of getting the job done.
The tension of the PSG semi-final, particularly being the first leg, and the absolute joy of decimating THE club in Europe with a stunning hat-trick of goals is what this competition is really all about.
The new format means you're generally not confirmed as through until match 7, but I look back to Newcastle's 23/24 campaign and, regardless of the outcome, isn't this why we strive to reach this competition? PSG, Dortmund and AC Milan. Home and away — what a welcome back to the highest club competition in the world. The memories of those games will live long in the memory.
Say it quietly, but we are actually quite good at football!
As Ben White humbly and simply put it — 'Obviously, we are quite good at football.'
Away days can always be tricky, and we aren't asking for perfection, but guaranteed qualification shouldn't be beyond our reach for the third consecutive season. The attacking threat we lack in the Premier League doesn't appear to affect our Champions League journey, and if anything, it gives us a chance to see some 'fringe' players get more minutes to show what they are about.
We may be one or two attackers short, but I keep saying that I think the team's attack needs to evolve tactically from last year, and that will be worth goals that simply throwing money at the problem won't guarantee to fix.
It would take a brave pundit to absolutely write off our participation in the knockout rounds.
Looking forward to Madrid and Dortmund at the Emirates
And this is the real bonus of it. THESE NIGHTS. I want to see the best players in the world on the Emirates pitch. They don't need to excel... but let's see us against them. Teams have to be wary of Arsenal, and unless you're called PSG, you don't have a huge claim to being favourites, particularly over 2 legs.
I've not seen Messi or prime Ronaldo in the flesh. Ronaldo did well against us in that tense 3-1 game in his return season, but it was clear he wasn't the same player who had been so successful across Europe for Madrid and Juventus.
The Madrid team of 24/25 carried a latent threat, but we did so well against them across two legs that Mbappé, Rodrygo and, dare I say, Vini Jr... didn't terrify me in the same way as some players that I have seen in the Premier League.
As for Dortmund, they are everyone's favourite European powerhouse. A mix of a good ethos and interesting players who usually go on to bright things. You're guaranteed great away fans and hopefully a dynamic night, but with an Arsenal win at the end of it.
Will we see Arsenal lift the trophy?
I'd love to say yes. Watching us against PSG shows there is a gap, but we were two penalties away from being Double Champions. This is the joy of a cup competition over two legs: there is another chance for the most obvious outcome to prevail.
Arsenal's limit is defined by their evolution this year — the tactics that turn 10 crosses from the by-line into 3 goals and an easy afternoon. That magical number 9 may well improve the mood, but the real work needs to be done on the pitch and in the penalty box.