Thierry Henry believes Arsenal’s dominant 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven will give them the belief needed to push for Champions League glory this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side delivered a record-breaking performance on Tuesday night, securing the biggest winning margin in an away leg in the competition’s history.
Concerns had been raised over Arsenal’s attacking options, with key players Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the season, while Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka also struggled with injuries.
However, the Gunners put any doubts to rest with a stunning display, as six different players found the net.
Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard (twice), Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori all got on the scoresheet, putting Arsenal in a commanding position to reach the quarter-finals, where they will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
Henry, speaking on CBS Sports Golazo (via Daily Mail), expressed confidence that this emphatic win could serve as a major boost for Arsenal’s belief in their ability to go all the way.
“Yes, they can. I do believe that, this is why I called it. I’m just saying now, show us that you can do that against a good team, with people that are coming back,” he said when asked if Arsenal could compete with one of the Spanish giants.
“No disrespect to Eindhoven, I really thought it was going to be difficult, especially away from home but they made it look easy. I think they had an outstanding game as you can see with the result.
“But, we all know that the [Premier] League is over. Apart if something crazy happens but what I’m trying to say is that this game can help maybe to be confident in this competition but (also) the game that you have after, Real Madrid or Atletico.
“Sometimes I think the path to the final can at times help or not, but if you want to win the competition you have to go through these teams.”
With Liverpool in firm control of the Premier League title race and Arsenal already eliminated from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, their Champions League campaign represents their last hope of securing silverware this season.
