Arsenal FC: 10 Reasons Why Gunners Can Win the Champions League in 2012

It is no secret that Arsenal are in a six-year trophy drought.

Countless articles and arguments have taken place over why the Gunners cannot seem to grasp that one elusive piece of silverware that would send Gooners everywhere into delirium. When Arsenal are predicted to win a trophy, it is usually in a domestic competition, such as the Premier League, FA Cup or League Cup.

However, more people should mention Champions League victory as a realistic possibility for Arsenal in addition to the domestic cups.

Many supporters do not see winning the Champions League as an entirely realistic possibility because of the strength of teams across Europe; but this is an entirely negative perspective which ignores the many advantages that Arsenal have in European play.

Here are 10 of those advantages that could very well bring Arsenal their first Champions League trophy and break that suffocating trophy drought.

Enjoy.

Style of Play

While the type of football that Arsenal play may not be perfectly suited to the Premier League, it is a perfect fit for the Champions League.

European teams are, on the whole, smaller and less physical than their English counterparts. Arsenal is built more like a continental team than a typical English one, and while this greatly disadvantages them in domestic competitions (see six years of trophy-less agony), it perfectly positions the Gunners to challenge for the Champions League trophy.

One need only look at Barcelona to see this. Despite being among the smallest and least physical teams in Europe, they easily dispatch of any opponent with their slick passing and movement.

Arsenal play the same style with nearly the same effectiveness, and if they could just avoid Barca, this style of play would take them far into the competition every year.

Speaking of which…

Arsenal Have Beaten Barcelona

Not many teams can boast of this titanic feat of grit, resolve, determination and skill. Toppling the mighty Catalans was a mighty achievement that proved just how much potential the Gunners have.

On one special night at the Emirates, the Gunners showed that they have the might to not only compete with, but beat the best team in the world. Thus, it stands to reason that Arsenal are capable of being the best if they can beat the best.

Whereas the Gunners seemed to be Barcelona's play-thing in years past, they are now—having exorcised this stigma—a team to be feared and respected. If Arsenal are, incredibly, drawn against Barcelona yet again this year, it will not elicit quite the same level of fear. That being said...

Arsenal Probably Won't Play Barcelona Again

While Arsenal have demonstrated the ability to take down the best team in the world, Barcelona are still that: the best team on the planet. No one wants to play the Catalans, and rightfully so.

The mere fact that Arsenal has played Barcelona so many times recently is mostly down to simple bad luck. A couple of unfortunate breaks in group stage matches left Arsenal second in their group, and, of course, were drawn against mighty Barcelona.

Logically, this pattern must break at some point. The law of averages dictates it to be so. At some point, Barcelona must end up in a different bracket, and chances are it will happen sooner rather than later.

And as soon as Arsenal is freed from the annual double marathon of playing Barcelona, the team will flourish and show how far it really can advance in the competition.

Arsene Wenger's Experience

There are not many managers in football right now who have more experience and knowledge about navigating Europe's most prestigious tournament than Arsene Wenger.

If and when Arsenal win their playoff games and get into the Champions League this year, it will mark an incredible 14 consecutive seasons of Champions League qualification for the Gunners. With a slew of different players playing in different eras, this feat of consistency is truly remarkable.

In these 14 seasons, Wenger has tasted victory in every stage except the final, and can therefore educate his young squad in how to succeed at such a high level. With such a steady, bright light guiding Arsenal through the jungle of European competition, the Gunners are extremely well-positioned to challenge for the trophy.

The Players' Experience

Despite having such a young squad when compared to other European teams, Arsenal boast a wealth of players with Champions League experience due to their perennial involvement in the competition.

Consistent starters like Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Alex Song and others have gotten used to the rigors of the competition, while youngsters Carlos Vela, Wojiech Szczesny, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey have been given significant runs as well.

For a team that does not have players used to the Champions League, the intensity and pressure of the competition can be overwhelming, and the squad will not stand a chance of advancing very far.

For a team like Arsenal, however, each player's job is done calmly and professionally, with the routine that only significant practice and experience can bring. When an inexperienced team faces a seasoned one, the result usually reflects the difference in class between the sides.

Arsenal Aren't Favored to Win

As Blackpool demonstrated during this past season, a team can accomplish extraordinary things when there is no great pressure or expectation to succeed.

Nearly everyone thought at the beginning of the season that the Seasiders would be a colossal train wreck. Few gave them a chance to finish any higher than last, let alone stay up. And had they not sagged in the latter half of the season, Ian Holloway's men would have done just that.

While Arsenal undeniably have the raw ability to go all the way, few expect them to do it based on their recent failures. Thus, any burden of expectation will be removed, and the Gunners can simply play their free-flowing, beautiful football without interference.

The Depth of the Squad

For a team like Arsenal that competes in four competitions simultaneously, having a deep squad is essential to actually challenging in all of them.

Luckily, Arsenal have one of the deepest squads in all of Europe and can win even while playing with the second XI. Players like Carlos Vela and Andrei Arshavin are of extremely high quality and contribute much to the team.

Therefore, Arsene Wenger can play his first XI in the Premier League, as he generally prioritizes the domestic league, and the second XI can easily advance past weaker opponents.

Only when the opponents get really tough will the premier players be called into action; but the mileage they will have saved by not competing in the early stages of the competition will serve them well later on against tired opponents who needed to play their best teams to stand any chance of survival.

Cesc Fabregas

I realize there is an enormous "if" attached to this reason, but if my prayers are answered and our captain remains a Gunner this season, Arsenal's chances of Champions League glory rise exponentially.

While those who wish for Cesc to leave in order to put an end to the long-running transfer saga are somewhat justified, the fact remains that Arsenal are a much better, more fluid and more creative team with him than without him.

In Arsenal's past couple Champions League exits, they did not have a healthy Cesc dictating possession and creating chances. Yet, even without one of the best midfielders in the world at the top of his game, Arsenal were able to beat Barcelona and might have repeated the feat at the Camp Nou had Robin van Persie not been ridiculously sent off.

If we were to have a healthy Cesc back after a full season of rest and get him clicking on all cylinders, every team in the world would have to truly fear Arsenal and regard the Gunners as a force to be reckoned with.

Arsenal Can Best the English Clubs

The Premier League is, bar none, the best football league in the world. The strength, size, skill and pace with which the game is played is astounding and it greatly surpasses the quality of other leagues in these areas. Thus, foreign teams generally have a difficult team beating the top English clubs.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have no problem doing so. The Gunners combine their European speed and technical ability with a thorough knowledge of English clubs from the Premier League to form a lethal Champions League product.

Arsenal's victories over all other English Champions League teams confirm their ability to play with the big boys. So, while teams like Schalke struggle to contend with the threat of Manchester United, Arsene Wenger and the players already have a practiced strategy for success against a familiar foe.

Arsenal Have to Have Good Luck at Some Point

Arsenal's past few seasons have been a case study in Murphy's Law; everything that could go wrong did go wrong—in the Premier League and in Europe. But here I appeal to the law of averages and the principle of regression toward the mean to save Arsenal fans from another season of heartbreak.

Simply put, Arsenal's luck has to turn around at some point. It just has to. The Gunners have endured so many atrocious refereeing decisions, untimely injuries, unfortunate teams they have drawn, shots against the post and lapses in concentration at the worst times that any statistician would say that Arsenal is due for a spell of good luck.

It's simple statistics.

Unless there is some sadistic football god toying with the Gunners from above—which I seriously doubt—Arsenal have been suffering from an astounding and improbable run of bad luck during the last few years.

In this case, the single biggest reason why Arsenal can win the Champions League this year is because their luck just has to turn around at some point.

And that point is in the very near future.