Quizzed on whether Arteta will be in trouble if he does not get over a trophy-winning line this term, Sagna - speaking in association with talkSPORT Bet Online Slots - told GOAL: “You never know in the Premier League. You have so many good teams. Every year you tend to have one team that wakes up - this year it is Aston Villa, before it was Leicester. Every year you have a surprise team.
“The Premier League is the most competitive league in the world. You can never lose or draw a game in the Premier League, especially in the last few months. The pressure is so big and the build up will be on Arsenal because everyone expects them to win this year because they spent so much time on top of the league. They have won games this season that seemed to be difficult, and this is the mark of champions. They are top of the league as well in the Champions League.
“We need to praise the last four or five years because that built up to what Arsenal are today. To be able to build such a group and have such a good squad, that is not easy. Nowadays you have to deal with the lack of playing time for some players, these players won’t be happy, but if the team is playing well then it is difficult. You have to find the right balance, and it seems to be working well for them.”
Pressed on whether Arsenal can capture the European Cup for the first time in the club’s 140-year history, Sagna added: “I think, yes, they have a chance to win the Champions League. They were really close last year to performing and competing. I think they have a chance this season, first of all to qualify. They have done that already. Maybe that will put less pressure on them and they will be able to rotate a bit more and rest some players.
“They have been doing amazingly in the Champions League and can afford to rotate more now. It’s the right time for them to make a statement as potential challengers for the Champions League.”
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