Liam Brady believes that Arsenal's first Premier League title win in 22 years can be the start of a new golden era for the club and boosts their chances of a first ever Champions League final triumph.
Arsenal, who had a dominant campaign and led the league for almost the entire season, were confirmed as champions without kicking on Tuesday evening a ball after second-placed Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth.
The Gunners had to overcome an injury crisis and a dip in form that let City back into the title race but were able to regroup and rediscover the form that saw them take control of the league.
The season is not yet done for Mikel Arteta’s men who finish their Premier League campaign with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, before they move on to face Paris St Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May.
Former Arsenal player and coach Brady believes that finally claiming the Premier League title after finishing runners-up for the last three years, will boost their chances against PSG and give them added confidence that they can break their Champions League duck.
"It might just make the task of winning trophies a lot easier when you get a big one like the Premier League under your belt," Brady said, speaking on RTÉ’s Inside Sport.
"The Champions League final is going to be interesting. It's a great attacking team in PSG, but Arsenal have a defence to keep them quiet and get a goal on the break, or get a goal from a set-piece and win 1-0.
"Nobody worries about how you win a European Cup or a Champions League, it's just getting your name on that trophy and Arsenal have never done it so it's a big opportunity for them.
"You can really look forward to that Champions League final. Can you imagine if we had blown the league and had to play that match? It would have been really difficult, but now they're in a very favourable situation."
To win the title, the Gunners had to overcome a tricky post-Christmas spell in which they won just two league games from seven along with back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City in April.
Brady admits that the title run-in was closer that he would have liked, given how impressive Arsenal’s early season form was and he feels that the pressure got to Arteta’s side at times.
"I have to say the last couple of months have been a bit nerve-wracking," he said. "They had a healthy lead and it dwindled away a bit.
"The last couple of months have been a bit shaky but we got over the line in the end and that was down to all the wins we gathered and all the good play we had in the first half of the season.
"I think when the league began to look like we were going to win it, we got a little bit nervous," Brady said.
"It was a bit like a golfer going into the last few holes and he's got a couple of shots ahead of the field and he tightens up a bit and he makes a few mistakes.
"Arsenal had a bit of that because it's been so long and in the last three years they've been runners-up. I did think that affected their performances and it wasn't great, some of the games, but if we got a goal ahead, the defence usually kept a clean sheet."
