Arsenal at a Crossroads with Champions League and EPL Title in Crosshairs

In what looks to be yet another late-season collapse by Arsenal, something that has been all too much of a tradition of late for the North London club, Arsenal are now nine points behind the leaders and haven't won a game since the disappointing exit to Stoke in the FA Cup last month.

Meanwhile, despite the fans pleading with Arsene Wenger to buy in the transfer window, Arsenal haven't bought any players, with Wenger only attempting a few transfers on deadline day, another annoying tradition by Arsenal's manager—one that usually ends up with a hit-or-miss result.

Now Arsenal fans are discussing what the team should put its focus on—the Champions League or the Premier League?

With the current performance of late, Arsenal don't have what it takes to win either of the them, but the Gunners are still in the race for both.

Perhaps some people might say that Arsenal should focus on the Champions League, but it is by no means guaranteed.

Barcelona are technically in the quarterfinal, and so are Madrid, given the weaker teams that they face.

Manchester United ad Chelsea face off against AC Milan and Inter Milan, respectively, and don't look 100 percent qualified, but they have a bigger chance of making it than their Italian rivals; still, you can't deny Milan and Inter's chances.

But when you look at Arsenal's rivals, Porto have always been a thorn in every English team to ever play against them, especially on home turf.

Manchester United are the only English team that has beaten Porto in their own backyard; maybe Arsenal are capable of going through to the quarterfinal, but it is by no means guaranteed.

Should Arsenal beat Porto, then they will have a much harder task this time around compared to the one they had last year.

Needless to say, if Arsenal meet Chelsea or Manchester United in the Champions League with their current form, they will be eliminated without much of a fight.

Arsenal have been struggling defensively, especially against the bigger teams.

In a contest like the Champions League, possession is nothing without clinical finishing. Such a lesson would be much more painful in the Champions League, more painful than the punishment Arsenal have experienced with Chelsea and Manchester United in the League.

Arsenal shouldn't fully focus on the Champions League right now. It's too early. Should Arsenal fail early on, the fans will have to admit that their season is over, and it's not even in March or April yet.

It would be an even worse scenario than that of last year.

Arsenal still have a chance in both competitions. The hardest games are over, for better or worse—Arsenal have Liverpool remaining from the big four, and while they still have harder games against Manchester City and Tottenham, Man U and Chelsea still have to play against all the other top sides, most notably against each other.

Should Arsenal be able to collect the points needed from all the bottom-table teams like Manchester United did last year, then they still have a fighting chance.

Should Arsenal concentrate on one contest, then they've already lost the other one. Instead, they should try and take it one game at a time and correct their errors, most notably the defensive ones, and then maybe Arsenal might get rewarded for their efforts at the end of the season.

The Liverpool game is the best place to start winning again; by beating Liverpool, Arsenal would end their disappointing run and would have beaten one of the strongest teams in the league, a perfect preparation for the match against Porto.

Arsenal are yet again in a familiar position—a position they found themselves in over the last few seasons; a position they have not been able to overcome.

Fans have the right to be skeptical, especially when Wenger keeps making the same mistakes over the years, but the season isn't over until it's well and truly over.

Arsenal would have killed to find themselves in this position last year, but the fans keep forgetting this fact—it could be worse.

This year, Arsenal actually have it easier than the one before.

Perhaps now is the time for the Arsenal players, and Arsenal the manager himself, to start thinking about this and not take this position and this moment for granted.

They still have it in their hands.

Win against Liverpool, and you start getting your momentum back again.

Lose, and you find yourself two points away from fourth-place Liverpool, possibly ending up as fodder for the likes of City, Villa, and Tottenham, who are desperately awaiting your failure.

On their day, this Arsenal side has what it takes to beat any team on the planet.

But when consistency is your biggest problem, you need to concentrate and achieve that "mental strength" and "attitude" that Wenger has been talking about for ages yet the Gunners often lack when they are under pressure.

This is the last chance Arsenal have to prove to their fans that they still can achieve something this season.

One should hope they do achieve something this season, for their own sake and for their fans' as well.