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Ex-Midfielder Owen Hargreaves Reveals Two Reasons Why Arsenal Can’t Win UCL
Former Manchester United midfielder, Owen Hargreaves believes it would be extremely difficult for Arsenal to contend for the UEFA Champions League title this season.
Owen Hargreaves pointed out two primary reasons for his skepticism. Firstly, he emphasized the relative lack of experience of Arsenal’s squad at the Champions League level.
He noted that aside from a few players such as Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus, the team as a whole lacks extensive prior exposure to this high-stakes competition.
Hargreaves suggested that this inexperience could pose a significant obstacle to their success in the tournament.
Secondly, Hargreaves highlighted concerns about Arsenal’s squad depth, expressing the view that the team may not have enough quality and depth to sustain a successful Champions League campaign. He cited the example of Paris Saint-Germain, who despite significant investment, have struggled to clinch the title.
Hargreaves acknowledged Arsenal’s potential for growth and success in other competitions but cautioned that the fierce competition in the Champions League, coupled with a lack of depth, could prove to be challenging for the team.
“I don’t know if it’s naivety, but I think they’re pretty inexperienced at that level,” Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports.
“I can’t think of many who had been there before last season – Jorginho was probably one of the few guys, Gabriel Jesus but he was a squad player at City – so I think it takes time.
“You saw that in those Bayern games, and Bayern were struggling at that point but were probably worthy winners over the two legs. So I think it takes a bit of time.”
He added: “We’ve seen it’s hard [to win the Champions League] – look at Paris Saint-Germain who have invested billions and haven’t been able to win.
“I do think that Arsenal are going up – they’ll win trophies. But the competition gets fiercer every year and that lack of depth could cost them.”
Note that Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich on a 3-2 aggregate last season.