Arsenal 2026/27: Why the Left Side Decides Our Champions League Campaign

Every summer, Arsenal fans go looking outside for the answer to the Champions League question.

I think the answer was always inside the building.

It won't be about looking outside for solutions but looking inside for solutions.

How we played last season, with what we had, tells us most of what we need to know about why this Champions League run is possible. It can still work – but we do have to acknowledge that we didn't have our left side covered enough to be exploding like we wanted, and that's where the problem was.

What actually changed around Arsenal this summer

Before getting into our own business, it's worth looking at the strengths and transfer dynamics that have played out elsewhere. None of our direct European rivals had the kind of window that should worry us:

• PSG – sold Barcola and Mbaye, reduced strength, but signed Torres
• Real Madrid – Bernardo Silva was their major signing, alongside a system change under Jose; nothing else in the window looks like an upgrade on what they already had
• Barcelona – Rodri was their major signing, which doesn't improve them drastically
• Bayern Munich – no major signings, but Kompany will come in strong

None of that is a team that has pulled decisively clear. If Arsenal solve their own problem, the gap this season is ours to close.

The left side was always the missing piece

We signed someone who can run and make good decisions to make the left side work. That creates the space for us to attack all three channels, unlike last year. It also helps us change our attacking strategy and off-ball possession – the team stops being predictable about where the ball is going next.

I'm expecting us to deliver more balls into the middle from the left side than in any previous season. No disrespect to Martinelli – it's that Tzolis has been making good decisions in decisive moments, and Arteta has trust in that and his explosiveness. With Calafiori inverting inside from left-back, that lane gets a second layer of decision-making instead of relying on one player to create everything alone.

By January 2027 we will know more about our ambitions than we do now. But I expect Havertz, Gyökeres and Ødegaard among the goals and assists, and balls into the box from the left side to double those from the right.

What this does to the opposition

This is the tactical payoff. Once all three channels are live, it puts the opposition in a decision dilemma, as they can't fully overload one side and rely on the low block too much. A team that could previously set its defensive shape around stopping Saka and trusting the low block now has to respect a left side that's just as capable of hurting them.

I'll be honest about the domestic risk. We will lose in the Premier League due to our own mistakes with players at the back. Barring that, I don't see us conceding much.

Can we win our first Champions League?

I don't know. But I can say this: once our attack on the left side becomes natural and a trusted channel, we become a high threat as a team but not dependent on a superstar player's individual quality.

We become high threat as a team – robust, not dependent on a superstar player's individual quality.

We still carry surprises within the squad that haven't been explored properly. That, more than any single signing, is what makes this season worth watching closely.