Wednesday 9 December 2015 22:44, UK
For the first time in 16 years, Arsenal could miss out on the last 16 of the Champions League. We look back on the previous exit and how the latest disappointment could affect the mentality of the club this time around...
Arsenal's elimination from the Champions League in November 1999 was a blow. The Gunners had been three points clear of the team in third at the halfway stage of the group but back-to-back defeats at their temporary European home of Wembley did for them. At least there was comfort in the identity of their vanquishers.
Rivaldo and Luis Figo were among Barcelona's goalscorers in a 4-2 win that heaped the pressure on Arsene Wenger's side for their home tie against Fiorentina. Gabriel Batistuta - far more than just the Jamie Vardy of his day - blasted home the game's only goal to put the Italian team on course for qualification and a win over AIK on the final matchday was not enough for Arsenal.
A look at the line up from that night in Sweden highlights just how long ago that game was. This was the Arsenal of Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn. David Seaman was sat on the bench. Ashley Cole was alongside him, an unused substitute still waiting for his professional debut. Davor Suker and Marc Overmars scored the goals.
Playing at Wembley was seen as a mitigating factor, inspiring the visitors as much as the nominal hosts, but 16 years on there can be no excuses. Not having faced a Dinamo Zagreb that had picked up one point in six Champions League games prior to beating Arsenal. Not when Alfred Finnbogason of Olympiakos was their conqueror at the Emirates Stadium. Barcelona and Batigol, this was not.
Such a record of consistency was supposed to be a sign of strength; a team building to a crescendo. Real Madrid are the only other side to boast a superior sequence of continuous qualification and their run brought them a Champions League triumph in 2014. Few Arsenal supporters still dare harbour dreams that this era will have a similar ending for their team.
For while Manchester City can point to a period of adapting to the challenge of Europe, Wenger's Arsenal have long given the impression of enduring it. Last season alone saw them surrender a 3-0 lead at home to Anderlecht before being beaten 3-1 by Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. The latter result precipitated a fifth consecutive last-16 exit.
Even that modest ambition is at risk this time around. The situation could yet be salvaged in Greece on Wednesday evening but the drawn-out process that has got the Gunners to this point has already allowed fans the time to reconcile themselves with elimination. Perhaps more significantly, the blow could serve as a jolting reminder that there is no inevitability to life as an Arsenal fan.
It can feel that way. Arsenal do provide drama. In recent seasons, there have been 8-2 defeats and 7-5 victories. Latterly, there have even been Wembley wins to celebrate. But the parameters have remained extraordinarily narrow. Would the Champions League elimination come at the quarter-final stage or the last 16? Would the team finish third or fourth in the Premier League?
Problems in Piraeus would represent a disturbance to this status quo. For Wenger's critics, it's evidence of further fallibility. Even for Wenger's supporters, it's a reminder that these runs cannot go on indefinitely. A side on the slide or a welcome wake-up call? Arsenal's second-place finish in 1999/2000 - and their journey to the final of that season's UEFA Cup - at least offers hope that the rest of their season need not go in the same direction.
Aston Villa v Arsenal is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12.30pm on Sunday
