Mesmerizing Arsenal: Welcome To The Future

For the last couple of years, many of us have speculated that the future might belong to Arsenal. Reaching the UEFA Champions League final in 2006 was almost an aberration of timing: the youngsters certainly needed a season or two to refine their games under the wise tutelage of Arsene Wenger.

While it's still early in the current campaign, can any side in European football match Arsenal for aptitude and entertainment at the moment? I was frankly mesmerized by them on Wednesday night in the Champions League meeting with a very capable Sevilla side. That the UEFA Cup holders were soundly beaten 3-0 was no statement about the Andalucians' inadequacies. This was a match of a very high level.


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Arsenal celebrate during the 3-0 Champions League win against FC Sevilla

It's almost as though Arsenal have been freed up by the transfer of Thierry Henry to Barcelona. I, and a few others, felt that without the fantastic Frenchman, the Gunners might, temporarily at least, take a few steps in a backward direction. Instead, we're being treated to football with a smile, a deep-seated commitment to pure attacking at a pace most teams can only dream about.

Perhaps, it's too early to make judgements. After all, the resources of Wenger's squad have yet to be properly tested. But every season we're introduced to a new name or two and rarely do they fail. Bacary Sagna is this summer's shining example, following in the footsteps of Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure and the brilliantly gifted Cesc Fabregas.

I'm writing this column while listening to Wenger's post-match press comments and he's hit the nail on the head with his remark that there's a new maturity about the current Arsenal team.

One of my ESPN producers asked me the other day for my prediction as to who's going to be crowned European club champions this season. My answer? Well, I think you might be able to guess!

culled from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=464817&root=uefachampionsleague&cc=3888&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2