Arsenal FC: 11 Reasons the Gunners Can Win the Champions League

Could Arsenal be having a renaissance?

After the fantastic 5-3 drubbing of Chelsea over the weekend, Arsenal finally showed that they have turned the corner and are able to perform against big clubs as well as smaller ones.

Not many would have tipped Arsenal to do it earlier in the year (myself included), but Arsenal may just have a legitimate chance to win the Champions League if they can keep up their form.

Ludicrous, you say?

Actually, it is all too possible.

Not many mention the world's most prestigious club competition as a realistic venue for the Gunners to end their infamous six-year trophy drought, but it should increasingly be on the minds of more supporters.

Here are 11 reasons why Arsenal can win that competition for the first time in their history.

Enjoy.

This one kind of goes without saying, doesn't it?

Robin van Persie is certainly the best striker in England at the moment, and with the form he's in, the title of best in the world might not be too far-fetched.

Simply put, any team that can pencil the Dutchman into their starting XI has a very good chance of winning. Both the goals and distribution he brings can transform a match at any moment.

If van Persie can continue the astounding run of form he is on, every side in the world will have to at least respect Arsenal, and the Gunners will have the ability to take down any team they may face. 

Though the style that Arsenal play is not always best suited for the Premier League, it is perfect for the Champions League.

The emphasis on technical ability and players who are fleet of foot and mind, matches up well with squads from Spain, Italy and France.

If Arsenal were built more like Stoke, a team full of battering rams who rely on sheer muscle to win matches, they would not stand a chance in Europe.

With players like Mikel Arteta, Laurent Koscielny, Theo Walcott, Andre Santos and Gervinho, the Gunners are actually better built to win the Champions League than they are to qualify for it.

Thus, they match up well with many of their opponents.

And, of those other English teams?

As Arsenal proved in spectacular fashion on Saturday, every top team in England must fear the cannon.

Even though they may be built in a more European mold, they are more than capable of taking down their domestic rivals.

So, if Arsenal happen to draw Chelsea or one of the Manchesters, they will still be more than capable of progressing to the next stage.

When you pair the players in the previous slide with the likes of Per Mertesacker, Alex Song and other more physical types, Arsenal have the balance necessary to tear apart the defences of solid English sides, while preserving the integrity of their own.

Speaking of defences...

Yes, I know, they shipped three goals against Chelsea, even though they still managed to win—and that number could have been well higher.

But, before you let that little voice in your head yell at me in the comments, hear me out.

Arsenal have been getting steadily better in defence. Prior to the Chelsea match, they had not conceded more than one goal in a game since September, recording two clean sheets and eight wins in the process.

And that was without Thomas Vermaelen. 

The Belgian is the best defender Arsenal have, combining the physicality of Per Mertesacker with the game-reading skills of Laurent Koscielny. He is also a born leader and is capable of forming a rock-solid partnership with either the German or the Frenchman.

Besides, think of how far Arsenal got last year with a terrible back four. They have made great strides, and the defence is now a valuable asset.

Though you might not think it at first, Arsenal really do have a lot of depth in their squad.

Ju Young Park, a very capable poacher and finisher, can partner or replace van Persie if necessary. Yossi Benayoun, Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin and the resurgent Tomas Rosicky can play in midfield.

Andre Santos and Kieran Gibbs are battling it out at left back, while Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are competing for a place beside Thomas Vermaelen.

And, I haven't even mentioned Jack Wilshere or Bacary Sagna!

Simply put, this Arsenal team has much more depth than it has had in previous years.

That can only help the squad overcome a congested schedule during a long season, and it will allow Arsene Wenger to play his best team in Champions League matches by resting his regulars in easier domestic games.

Ah, Barcelona.

As much as we don't want it to be so, sooner or later, the time will come when Arsenal will have to face their Spanish rivals. If they want to win, they have no choice but to slay the dragon.

And you know what? I'm not particularly concerned, at least not on the scale of nervousness that teams usually have when they go up against the Catalans.

Why?

It's simple: They've beaten Barcelona before.

When it was 11 vs. 11, Arsenal were able to beat Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium, and I see no reason why our boys can't do it again.

The core of that team remains, and as I said earlier, any team with Robin van Persie always has a chance to win.

While Arsenal have demonstrated the ability to take down the best team in the world, Barcelona are still that: the best team on the planet.

No one wants to play the Catalans, and rightfully so.

The mere fact that Arsenal has played Barcelona so many times recently is mostly down to simple bad luck. A couple of unfortunate breaks in group stage matches left Arsenal second in their group, and, of course, they were drawn against mighty Barcelona.

Logically, this pattern must break at some point.

The law of averages dictates it to be so. At some point, Barcelona must end up in a different bracket, and chances are, it will happen sooner rather than later.

As soon as Arsenal is freed from the annual double marathon of playing Barcelona, the team will flourish and show how far it really can advance in the competition.

And, as I said, if Arsenal face Barca in the final, I am confident that they can win.

As Newcastle United are showing this season, a team is capable of doing remarkable things when the burden of expectation is not placed upon them.

Arsenal are certainly not favored to win the Champions League this year, hence my creation of this persuasive slideshow.

And, that is exactly why they will win.

With the ability to play without any pressure, Arsenal can play freely and without inhibition, knowing that no one will ridicule them if they fail, unlike the giants of Barcelona.

If Arsenal play in this spirit, their football will be free and beautiful, and their victories will be entertaining and plentiful.

There are not many managers in football right now who have more experience and knowledge about navigating Europe's most prestigious tournament than Arsene Wenger.

When Arsenal beat Udinese and qualified for the competition this year, it marked an incredible 14 consecutive seasons of Champions League qualification for the Gunners. With a slew of different players playing in different eras, this feat of consistency is truly remarkable.

In those 14 seasons, Wenger has tasted victory in every stage except the final and can therefore educate his young squad in how to succeed at such a high level.

With such a steady, bright light guiding Arsenal through the jungle of European competition, the Gunners are extremely well-positioned to challenge for the trophy.

Despite having such a young squad when compared to other European teams, Arsenal boast a wealth of players with Champions League experience due to their perennial involvement in the competition.

Consistent starters like Robin van Persie, Bacary Sagna, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Song and others have gotten used to the rigors of the competition, while youngsters Wojciech Szczesny, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey have been given significant runs as well.

For a team that does not have players used to the Champions League, the intensity and pressure of the competition can be overwhelming, and the squad won't stand a chance of advancing very far.

For a team like Arsenal, however, each player's job is done calmly and professionally in a routine that only significant practice and experience can bring.

When an inexperienced team faces a seasoned one, the result usually reflects the difference in class between the sides.

Arsenal's past few seasons in the Champions League have been a case study in Murphy's Law: Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong (see: Robin van Persie's ridiculous red card at the Camp Nou).

But, here I appeal to the law of averages and the principle of regression toward the mean to save Arsenal fans from another season of heartbreak.

Simply put, Arsenal's luck has to turn around at some point. It just has to.

The Gunners have endured so many atrocious refereeing decisions, untimely injuries, unfortunate teams they have drawn, shots against the post and lapses in concentration at the worst times that any statistician would say that Arsenal is due for a spell of good luck.

It's simple statistics.

Unless there is some sadistic football god toying with the Gunners from above—which I seriously doubt—Arsenal have been suffering from an astounding and improbable run of bad luck during the last few years.

In this case, the single biggest reason why Arsenal can win the Champions League this year is because their luck just has to turn around at some point.

And that point is in the very near future.