English football reaffirmed its dominance on Tuesday as Arsenal breezed past Real Madrid, pushing the Champions League holders to the edge of quarter-final elimination.
For Liverpool fans who watched their team dismantle the European Super League advocates on home turf during the group stage, this outcome may not have been too surprising. Some Reds supporters view Arsenal’s 3-0 first-leg triumph, which the London side will aim to defend at the Bernabeu next Wednesday, as a significant boost for Liverpool’s chances of reclaiming the Premier League title.
The theory is that Mikel Arteta’s team could now focus their energies on becoming European champions for the first time.
However, there’s an opposing viewpoint that the confidence gained from likely progress against Real Madrid could invigorate Arsenal’s championship bid, where they’re striving to close an 11-point gap on Liverpool with seven games left.
One undeniable upside to Arsenal’s victory is that it guarantees the Premier League a fifth spot in the Champions League next season.
This also means that Liverpool has essentially secured their place in next season’s competition, barring a mathematical anomaly. The Reds are currently 21 points ahead of sixth-placed Manchester City, with a goal difference 25 better than the reigning champions.
With a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League, it was more a question of when, not if, the Reds would secure a quick return to the Champions League after their penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in last month’s round of 16.
However, as ex-manager Jurgen Klopp always maintained, securing a spot in the Champions League is Liverpool’s primary goal for any Premier League season. For Arne Slot, that mission is essentially accomplished – leaving only the minor detail of clinching a record-equalling 20th title.
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“When you’ve not played against this team for 20 years, you’ve not had a proper run in this competition, you have to be prepared to write your own history,” Arteta said.
“It’s on nights like this, that you can write your own history. It came from the collective and individual quality of our players. And now we have a lot more to give.
“We’re going to enjoy the win but we know it’s half-time and we’re going to have to be even better in Madrid. I was very convinced [this could happen]. I could sense in the build-up we could create a lot of problems.
“But you have to make it happen. If you have that mindset and belief it can happen, you can deliver it. We did that but it’s only half-time.”
