By Rob Worthington (Deputy Editor)
After a 7 year wait which has felt like an eternity, Arsenal are finally back in the Champions League. FINALLY.
And the group stage draw has been kind to the Gunners upon their return. Arteta’s side will be facing teams of the calibre that they’re used to facing on the European stage, frankly, Europa League quality opposition.
In this article, I will be evaluating the strength of each of Arsenal’s fellow Champions League Group B members based on their performance last season domestically and on the continent. The summer transfer business of Sevilla, PSV, and Lens will also be assessed.
Without further ado, here’s Sevilla, a side Arsenal swept aside in a 6-0 Emirates Cup win just over 6 months ago.
Sevilla
Sevilla, like many LaLiga sides, have a knack of doing well on the European front in spite of a startling lack of general quality in the division. The chasm between the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, and Atleti in comparison to the best of the rest is bigger than ever.
However, against the odds one might argue, in each of the last 4 football seasons a Spanish side has walked away with a major European trophy. And one of those trophies granted Sevilla entrance to this season’s Champions League.
Sevilla beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the Europa League final in May with the Spanish side’s manager José Luis Mendilibar delivering the club their 7th Europa League title. It’s fair to say the side who call from Spain’s region of Andalusia are Europa League specialists.
When it comes to the Champions League, they’re not quite so effective. Since 2010, they have earned UCL qualification 7 times out of a possible 13 and have made it past the Round of 16 just once.
On 3 of those occasions, they were dumped out at the group stage. Last term, they failed to escape a group featuring Manchester City, Dortmund, and Copenhagen, registering just 1 Champions League win along the way.
As for their league form, Sevilla fans witnessed a pretty miserable domestic campaign, with their side finishing 12th in LaLiga. So far this season, they have failed to register a point and sit rock bottom of the Spanish top tier.
Contributing to their early season falters has been a few key departures. They lost their star Moroccan keeper Bono to the Saudi league. A mutual agreement to terminate Papu Gomez’s contract has also been agreed, whilst Bryan Gil and Pape Gueye’s loans expired at the season’s end.
As for incomings, Loic Badé has been brought to the Spanish side on a permanent basis after a successful loan spell last term. Otherwise, Sevilla have largely recruited from Germany to replace their departing players.
Djibril Sow arrives as a midfield option from Frankfurt, right-sided forward Dodi Lukebakio joins from relegated Hertha Berlin, and goalkeeper Orjan Nyland has come in from Leipzig. They were also expected to sign Borna Sosa from Stuttgart before Ajax swooped in earlier today.
Sevilla have also been loosely linked with Rob Holding on deadline day who appears to be Crystal Palace bound. That reported interest provides insight into the calibre of player they can currently attract. The Spaniards should be easy pickings for Arteta’s Arsenal.
PSV
Arsenal are much more familiar with the side drawn into Group B from Pot 3 than from Pot 1. The Gunners haven’t faced Sevilla in a competitive encounter since 2007 but came up against PSV less than a year ago.
That’s because PSV were in Arsenal’s Europa League group in 2022. The Gunners enjoyed mixed success against the Dutch side last term, beating them 1-0 at home before faltering during a 2-0 defeat in The Netherlands a week later.
PSV, funnily enough, also faced Sevilla in last season’s Europa League. After losing 3-0 away in the first round of their knockout round play-off in Spain, PSV left themselves with all to do in the second leg. Despite their valiant effort, they failed to overturn the 3-goal deficit, losing the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Domestically PSV enjoyed greater success under now former manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The Eindhoven club finished second in the Eredivisie granting them the opportunity to participate in a Champions League qualification tie against Rangers which they won emphatically, 7-3 on aggregate.
As for their summer business, the Dutch outfit have lost a few important players. PSG utilised their right to buy back Xavi Simons for pennies and sell him on to RB Leipzig, left-back Philipp Max has returned to Germany with Frankfurt and midfielder Erick Gutiérrez has returned to his native Mexico.
Loan spells came to an end for Fabio Silva of Wolves, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, and Dortmund forward Thorgan Hazard. Holding midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, arguably PSV’s most important player, is also expected to join Nottingham Forest before the window shuts.
Since last facing Arsenal, the Eredivisie side have of course also lost the services of star forwards Noni Madueke and Cody Gakpo. PSV have been raided from top to bottom from clubs across the continent.
That said, to accommodate for the outgoings, PSV have performed shrewdly in the transfer market as one would expect them to. Highly rated Noa Lang has come in from Club Brugge, midfielder Jerdy Schouten joins the club from Bologna, whilst American forward Ricardo Pepi has arrived from Augsburg.
They’ve also looked to make the most of the loan market bringing in Sergiño Dest from Barcelona and attacking midfielder Malik Tillman from Bayern Munich. Napoli winger Hirving Lozano could also make an exciting return to the Dutch side between now and the window’s end.
PSV have performed admirably in the market in spite of the adversity they have faced in losing a number of key players, but they are unquestionably a weaker side now than they were when Arsenal faced them last season. Another team the Gunners should feel comfortable about having in their group.
RC Lens
Now for the side you, like me, likely know least about – RC Lens.
Lens enjoyed a fairytale season last term akin to that of Leicester City in the Premier League in 2016. However, Lens did end up falling just short of Ligue 1 Champions PSG, just 1 point short of the Parisians at that.
Lens were promoted to France’s top division at the end of the 2019/20 season after a 5-year absence and have since enjoyed stable success for a club of their stature. In each of their 3 Ligue 1 campaigns since coming back up they have finished 7th or above.
They last featured in European competition over two decades ago. During the 2002/03 season, they crashed out at the group stage in the Champions League. 3 years prior in the 1998/99 season they also failed to make it past the groups but did win the French top division title the year before.
Arsenal thus meet a club with very little modern European pedigree. Their fans have witnessed brief periods of major success in their 117-year history but their most recent rise to Europe is one which Lens supporters will be looking to make the most of.
After losing a few key players this summer, tough times could lie ahead of Lens with the Ligue 1 outfit currently sat 4th from bottom in the league with just 1 point on the board. However, this season’s European adventure will doubtless be a special one regardless of how the team fares.
Sadly, Lens have lost their two best players this summer off the back of their remarkable season last term. Midfield powerhouse Seko Fofana earned himself a move to Al-Nassr meanwhile free scoring Loïs Openda has joined RB Leipzig.
Two soften the blow those departures represent; the French club have brought in highly rated striker Elye Wahi who was reportedly of Arsenal’s interest earlier this summer. Midfielders Andy Diouf and Angelo Fulgini have been recruited to fill the void left by Fofana in the engine room.
Looking at the personnel in Lens’ squad, it would be of surprise to many if they were able to cause Arsenal any serious problems in the Champions League group stage. Nevertheless, manager Franck Haise, a serial overachiever with Lens, will be hoping the raucous home atmosphere at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis can drive Lens to some famous European victories this season.
Arsenal, on the other hand, would’ve been pretty pleased to see Lens’ name come out the hat, as they would’ve been with Sevilla and PSV. The Gunners must finish the Champions League group stage as winners of Group B.
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