In the weeks immediately after the 2026 Champions League final, there was one question that was obsessing Mikel Arteta, to the point of almost obscuring the joy at winning the Premier League again.
It was, of course, how Arsenal become European champions. Or, in other words, how you beat Paris Saint-Germain. That would usually be the driving question as the Champions League returns for its third season since the 36-team expansion, amid the prospect of the Qatar-owned project achieving the historical gold-standard feat of winning a third consecutive trophy.
