Simple question

• Will Arsenal qualify to the next round of UCL?
  • YES
  • NO

I have to agree with arsenalgunners. Except maybe the part with Ozil. He's only been consistently brilliant since his return from injury last season. I would add that the duo Coquelin Cazorla has been very consistent since wenger put it in place. The Arsenal squad right now is the best we've had since the invincibles and is better than that squad that beat barça. Fabregas and RVP can both rot away where they are.

On that bayern defeat, I'd say bayern were playing great, and we were not up to our standard. Wenger admitted in an interview that he was very disappointed by the players' performance. "defensively we were extremely poor, a top disappointing performance, never looked like a unit, no pressing, no concentration, no challenges, we watched them play" I still think that on our day, when all the players perform, we can beat any team.

I think we have much more consistency nowadays than years before. Monreal, Koscielny, Bellerin , Cazorla, Coquelin are consistently performing well. Ozil has been great recently this year. We just need to get rid of Mertesacker from starting eleven, but we have no backup on CB then. Gabriel and Koscielny pair is great, but Gabriel and Mertesacker is horrible.

@dynastian

The difference that Real and Barca make is that they both have two world best players . If Real plays without Ronaldo, Arsenal are very capable of beating them and if with Ronaldo then it will be much more difficult . Same goes with Messi in Barcelona. Messi was the one who was giving hard time to Arsenal players otherwise everyone else was playing on pair with other barcelona stars .

Good point that RVP was a crucial player . That is what Arsenal needs someone who comes close to filling RVP shoes .

I think Arsenal will defeat Olympiakos, but not with 2 margin goals. I suspect the same Monaco-Arsenal away game situation. Arsenal giving their all, Olympiakos parking a big bus. Arsenal getting the lead late in the second half, time wasting, bus parking, Giroud to miss a clear goal, and time is out.
Maybe im a little sadic or imagining a cruel outcome, but thats what exactly happened last year and i dont see Olympiakos attacking while they got a confortable Margin, they wont open the game its not in ther advantage to see a game full of goals...

The score should be 0-2 or 1-3 to see Gunners progress, that will be tough...

When I said 'constant performer', what I really meant was 'consistently world-class'. I saw Ozil at Real Madrid for 3 years and at Bremen for 1 year. He was much better then than he is now. I presume that it's due to his team not being as fluid in movement as it was before, particularly the absence of Ronaldo, but Alexis is truly the only Arsenal player I have seen that has been consistently world-class this season.

The likes of Bellerin, Monreal, Koscielny, and whoever else was mentioned are a far cry from 'world-class'. Ozil is the only other Arsenal player capable of being world-class at this present moment but isn't performing as well as he used to with Madrid. Coquelin will also be world-class in the near future, but not right now. By this logic, Alexis is the only consistent world-class performer.

@Dynastian Koscielny, Cech and Monreal are world class atm. I used to watch Ozil for real madrid, because he was one of my favorite players and he's just as good right now. Also Alexis is not that consistent. He hasn't been great since the manutd game when he scored his brace. Ozil has been way better than him this last month or so.

@KTBFFHSWE Agree with you throughout - nothing to add.

@Jozi

In what world are Monreal and Koscielny world-class? I can only think of a handful of world-class CBs, with Boateng, Ramos, Silva, Benatia, and Otamendi being the prime examples. I've watched plenty of Koscielny along the years and he is definitely not world-class. A good CB, but not world-class. And Monreal world-class? That's a baseless statement. The only world-class LB in the world who is equally good offensively as he is defensively (which is what LBs are supposed to be) is David Alaba.

Not going to argue with Cech being world-class though. He is one of the best GKs I have ever seen.

@dynastian depends what world class means for you but best in the league in his position is world class to me. Monreal has been the most consistent LB in the league in 2015, and kosc is up there with the best CBs in the league. Boateng, Ramos, Silva I agree are better than Kosc. Benatia is honestly not that great, Otamendi has not impressed me so far since he moved to city.

@Jozi

Haven't watched Ota since he joined City. At Valencia he was by and far the best defender in all of La Liga - ahead of Ramos, Pique, and Varane.

Otamendi has been pretty good. It would obviously take some time for any defender to fully gel in the team. This isnt FIFA where a new player starts playing perfectly from game 1. I think going forward, he will be very important. His aerial ability and tackling is among the best in the league.

And as much as it pains me to say this, the best defender in the PL this season so far has been Chris Smalling.

And coming to the question, No I don't think Arsenal will qualify. Olympiakos will draw against them and qualify.

Should probably add that Olympiacos has 28-4 in goal difference and 10 out of 10 wins in the league as well.. Will be really hard to score many goals against them away from home.. So Arsenal fans should probably hope for a 0-2 win for Arsenal to progress.. and even that may be hard..

@KTB yeah it'll be incredibly hard. Let's hope this year we don't end up 1 goal away from qualifying like we usually do.

Chances are that you will because I still think Arsenal will win a narrow win against Olympiacos..

Koscielny is world class. For me THE BEST CB in the world. Watched him _every single game_ from past 3 years for Arsenal (inc. pre season). Dynastian if you don't think he's top 5 CB in the world then there must be something wrong with your head - sorry for the insult. I am sure Koscielny would walk in to any starting XI in the world.

Oh wow. Alexis being consistently world class is truly false too, he was shadow for first 4 games of the season and has been shadow of his best past 4 games too. No doubt he's knackered though.

About Nacho, on current form I'd say he's world class - he wasn't 2 years ago. Like josif mentioned, he's been one of the most consistent players in the WORLD - hasn't had single poor game for one year.

Arsenal's world class players are Özil, Koscielny & Sanchez, period. Cech is top 5 GK in the world too, but I think Neuer & De Gea are ahead.

Benatia better than Koscielny? That's why he's not even playing?

Koscielny is maaaaybe top 10, but nowhere near top 5. In any order:

Ramos
Otamendi
Boateng
Silva
Hummels

On this season alone:

Smalling
Kompany
Hummels
Boateng
Alderweireld

(Obvious prem bias for this season, haven't seen enough of leagues other than Bundesliga/EPL to form opinions)

Koscielny looks better this year because Cech has been outstanding, hence less goals conceded. But there have been games where Koscielny has just been eaten alive like those two losses you had in the CL vs Zagreb and, as tiki says "the greek."

tl:dr, Koscielny is not world class, has never been world class. Doesn't mean he isn't solid though.

Smalling is in top 5 and Koscielny is nowhere near top class, I'm done.

Very surprised on how good Smalling has been . He needs to start ahead of Jageilka, Jones or even Cahil in England with a form he has at the moment .

Smalling is not better than Koscielny though . Yeah he has been doing good but "don't count your chickens before they hatch" .

Koscielny is world class player , some people don't realize if he gets good partner Arsenals back four will be solid like a rock . He does not fear to tackle and throw himself into any dangerous situation just to clear the ball . He has stats to back his world class status . He has done great for France ever since he started to play , so what else do you need for world class tag ?