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Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has pointed to the current squad's shortage of creative play as a potential obstacle that could stop them from going the distance in this season's Champions League.
The Gunners have already done the heavy lifting in the Premier League, with a first league title in over two decades now within touching distance, provided they don't suffer a late-season collapse. But Mikel Arteta's side is also chasing history by pursuing a first-ever Champions League crown.
Arsenal remain unbeaten in European competition this campaign and have proven a tough nut to crack for any side that faces them. They hold a slender 1–0 aggregate advantage over Sporting CP following the first leg of their quarterfinal clash this week, though it was a hard-fought, grinding type of display.
On a different night, without the outstanding saves from David Raya, Sporting could have held a comfortable lead heading into the second leg. Henry's argument is that Arsenal offer little beyond a resolute backline. Should that defensive foundation crack, they could find themselves in serious trouble.
"If the defense doesn't work, I don't think [Arsenal] are creating enough at times to be able to hurt teams and that might be an issue," the Frenchman said on CBS Sports.
"There wasn't much in the [Sporting] game or a lot of creativity but they did what they had to do. They won away from home, let's see what happens at the Emirates.
"We know their biggest strength already. They are strong as a team and very solid. For me they are the most solid team in the Champions League. We also know about the set-pieces—people cry about that, but it's a part of the game and a big advantage for Arsenal because they're pretty good at it."
Arsenal's Champions League Dream
Arsenal hold the upper hand at the midpoint of the quarterfinal, leading by a single goal on aggregate and set to enjoy home support in the second leg. If they manage to fend off a Sporting fightback next week, a semifinal showdown against either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid will be waiting.
The Gunners were eliminated at the semifinal stage last season by Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester United knocked them out at the final four in 2008–09, with Arsenal's only other semifinal appearance in the competition being a 1–0 win over Villarreal in 2005–06.
Arsenal are aiming to become the seventh distinct English club to lift the European Cup/Champions League trophy. Manchester City are the most recent addition to that exclusive list, securing their first title back in 2022–23.
No other nation boasts more than three different European Cup-winning clubs, with Italy (AC Milan, Inter, Juventus), Germany (Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Borussia Dortmund) and the Netherlands (Feyenoord, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven) following close behind. Spain leads all nations in total continental titles with 20, though these are shared solely between Real Madrid (15) and Barcelona (5).