Arsenal Must Rediscover Their Swagger to Win Champions League, Warns Burley

Arsenal have been told in no uncertain terms that they will not lift the Champions League trophy unless they find another gear, with two European powerhouses currently operating on a different plane entirely.

Following back-to-back setbacks against Manchester City and Southampton, the Gunners got back on track with a workmanlike 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg. It sets them up nicely for the return fixture, and they should fancy their chances of progressing to face either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid.

The opposite half of the draw, however, presents a far sterner examination. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool and PSG are all still in the hunt, and former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley reckons Arteta's men will come unstuck if they cannot elevate their performance levels.

Burley has been particularly scathing about Arsenal's current standing relative to the German and Spanish giants. "At the moment Arsenal, whilst they have everybody talking about the depth of their squad and that they're probably going to win the Premier League, they need to play better," he said on ESPN. "That level that Bayern and Real Madrid got to today – and we know they can both get better – I don't think Arsenal… they've really got to flick that switch again to get to that level."

The pundit acknowledged that a 1-0 away victory in a quarter-final is never to be sniffed at, but questioned whether Arsenal's performance merited genuine excitement. "Is anybody surprised that Arsenal are winning 1-0 away at one of the weakest teams left?" he asked. "That's all I'm saying."

Burley's core argument centres on Arsenal's need to resurrect the scintillating football that characterised their campaign's opening months. "Bigger picture, they have to find the extra gears that they had at the beginning of the season, or they're not going to win this competition," he explained. "They were really pressing teams, they were going out from the get-go, they were a hundred miles an hour, they were throttling the life out to teams and players were in form – all those things have gone."

The tactical blueprint that saw Arsenal grind out results against Sporting will not suffice against elite opposition, Burley contends. "It's one thing grinding it out against Sporting. I don't think they're going to be able to grind it out against the likes of Bayern. Because I think if you give teams like Bayern that amount of possession, they'll cut you open."

There is also a fitness dimension to consider. Should Arsenal reach the semi-finals without their key personnel restored to full availability and sharpness, Burley warns that "the semi-finals are going to be a big problem." Arsenal's injury situation, combined with a need to rediscover their rhythm and intensity, represents a mountain they must climb if European glory is to materialise.