Mikel Arteta is yet to find a solution to the Viktor Gyokeres “problem”, but Arsenal still have “two things” needed to win the Champions League this season.
“You have to have two things go your way [to win the Champions League]. You have to have a full squad available at critical moments and have to put the ball in the net when the chances come your way.”
Arsenal head coach Arteta is a renowned revisionist and adopted this philosophy when reflecting on last season’s Champions League semi-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain this week, claiming his side were “very unlucky” not to beat the eventual winners and reach the final.
In truth, PSG were the better side over two legs against Arsenal, who were left with the familiar feeling of ‘what might have been’ as Arteta and his side came up short in another defining moment.
So this is a huge season for Arteta, and the Arsenal head coach’s job could be at severe risk if he does not deliver a Premier League or Champions League triumph this season.
As Arteta pointed out, “two things” will be vital to Arsenal’s hopes of taking the final step of becoming winners, and the potential importance of these factors was evident against Athletic Bilbao in their 2025/26 Champions League group opener.
Arsenal have already been hit by several injuries, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Ben White and Gabriel Jesus absent from the 21-man squad to face Athletic Bilbao, which was two short of full capacity and included three goalkeepers.
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Still, Arsenal’s statement £250m+ summer spend lessens the weight of the injury excuse argument for the north Londoners, who now have multiple top-quality options in every department.
There has also been evidence this season that their squad is far superior to last term, with Cristhian Mosquera and Noni Madueke, most notably, settling in seamlessly and making a huge impact.
This stand-in duo of summer signings started again against Athletic Bilbao, as Arsenal did not have a “full squad available”, though they remained bright sparks in an otherwise flat performance from Arteta’s side.
Arsenal rode out an alarming opening 20 minutes as Athletic Bilbao dominated possession and looked full of confidence, albeit without forcing David Raya into action too often.
The Gunners woke up to have a flurry of chances around the 25-minute mark, as Gyokeres missed with a diving header and had a tame shot saved, while Eberechi Eze was denied from close range.
But these missed chances let Athletic Bilbao off the hook as Arsenal’s Champions League opener settled into a tight contest that lacked clear-cut chances.
Each side was risk-averse and unwilling to commit too much, safe in the knowledge that a stalemate in the opening gameweek is not the end of the world, especially with this low-risk format of the Champions League group stages.
Still, Arsenal snatched the lead in the final 20 minutes, and it was their superior depth that made the difference.
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Substitutes Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli combined in a rapid breakaway, with the under-fire Brazil international using his superb pace to stretch away from his marker and convert under goalkeeper Unai Simon to make it 1-0.
Gyokeres was meant to be the man to “put the ball in the net” as Arsenal’s supposed final chess piece, but doubts remain over the 2025 top scorer in Europe contender following another game against strong opposition in which he’s flattered to deceive.
Arteta needs to find a solution to get the best out of his “problem” against top opposition, but the head coach now has an abundance of match-winners in a stacked squad to ease the burden on a couple of individuals.
Trossard sealed the victory with a late goal to make it 2-0, with Arsenal’s ridiculous squad depth on show again in stoppage time as Piero Hincapie and Christian Norgaard came on for brief cameos.
It was far from a perfect display from Arsenal, but they proved that they have the necessary quality in attack to “put the ball in the net” at the right time and that they can still thrive when they do not “have a full squad available”, which bodes well for their hopes in the Champions League and Premier League.
