Theo Walcott pinpoints the two things Arsenal must improve if they want to win the Champions League

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Arsenal are through to the next round of the Champions League after securing a top-eight finish after their win against Girona this week.

Over the past few years, Arsenal have gone from being pretenders to being contenders in the Premier League, establishing themselves as one of the best teams in England.

Indeed, Arsenal picked up 89 points last season, and they showed they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

That sort of domestic performance lends itself well to competing in the Champions League too.

Speaking to the BBC, Theo Walcott has been discussing Arsenal’s Champions League chances, and he says that there’s two things Arsenal need to improve on if they are to win the Champions League.

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Arsenal need to improve in two areas to win the Champions League

Walcott spoke about what Arsenal need to do in order to win the Champions League.

Owen Hargreaves believes Arsenal can’t win the Champions League, but Walcott thinks Arsenal can do it if they fix two areas.

Meanwhile, Paul Merson thinks Arsenal have a chance in Europe too.

“There are areas that Arsenal need to improve on if they want to win the Champions League,” Walcott said.

“They need to improve their winning mentality, there were signs of that last year.

“I feel if theyr’e going to progress I want to see players expressing themselves, playing with enjoyment and freedom.

“They’re also lacking that star striker. Kai Havertz gets the best out of everyone on the team, but if they want to win the Champions League, they need to get those numbers a lot higher. If they can improve those two areas, Arsenal aren’t far away from winning the Champions League.

Arsenal’s winning mentality

Walcott says that Arsenal need to have a stronger winning mentality, and he’s not wrong.

Indeed, when you look through the key players in Arsenal squad, it’s a who’s who of top players who are yet to win major trophies.

Arsenal only have two players in their squad who have won a Premier League title before, while many of their players are yet to win a single major trophy.

Even a player like Jorginho who is massively accomplished in his career has never actually won a league title.

Yes, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all won big trophies in their careers, but Sterling and Zinchenko can barely get a game right now, while Jesus is out for the rest of the season

This Arsenal team isn’t jam-packed full of players who know how to get over the line in big moments, and that could ultimately be the difference between being Champions and being contenders once again.

As for their striking problems, Arsenal have been linked with a few new forwards this month.

Arsenal bid for Ollie Watkins this week, while Arsenal also made a move for Evan Ferguson earlier this month, so the search for a new number nine at the Emirates is certainly on.