STEP FORWARD!

The FA Cup; that's gone. the Care Less Cup; kaput. The Premier League title; nope. So that leaves the Europa League. not only is it the sole chance for silverware but it's a ticket into the promised land (where we resided for two decades).

If we fail to successfully negotiate the Benfica tie we will be left with just thirteen League games, a potential 39 points, to climb the table and gain European qualification, and who knows where we will be come 27th February.

However, if we defeat Benfica we move forward to a mixed bag of remaining teams. Some good, some ok and some completely unknown quantities. What's clear is that is won't be a stroll it will be a long brisk walk.

• Olympiacos
• PSV
• Young Boys
• Krasnodar
• Dinamo Zagreb
• Braga
• Roma
• Slavia Prague
• Crvena zvezda
• Milan
• Real Sociedad
• Dynamo Kyiv
• Club Brugge
• Wolfsberg
• Tottenham
• LOSC
• Ajax
• M. Tel-Aviv
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Granada
• Napoli
• Molde
• Hoffenheim
• Salzburg
• Villarreal
• Antwerp
• Rangers

My concern is that two English clubs are potentially lurking in the mix. For a club of our stature our European record is not what one would expect, but our European record against other English teams is appalling. These two English clubs are both, for different reasons, enemies, and the prospect of knocking them out is as satisfying as the prospect of being knocked out by them is horrifying.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The bread and butter is the league and in this particularly unique season no one really knows which way is up. There are teams over performing, underperforming and getting up to all sorts of strange behaviours. In this climate it's hard to quantify what should and could be expected of the Arsenal this season. I guess, finishing as high as we can and getting into Europe is an aim in so far as the club as a business is concerned, but winning a trophy will always be something that fans appreciate. Can we get past Benfica? who knows, and if we do have we the got the squad for a long campaign? another unanswerable.

What remains clear though, is that, on the back of recent form in the league, we have an opportunity to make that slow climb.  Our European form this season should also give us cause for optimism.

What is needed is for the squad to step forward, gird it's loins, give of their best and accept the opportunity to compete on two fronts and that's all we can ask for