For a large part of the 22/23 season, it looked like Arsenal could, seemingly from nowhere, overthrow Manchester City’s dominance and win their first league title in nearly twenty years. Alas, it didn’t quite work out that way for Arteta and his team. In the end, they ran out of gas and gave a window of opportunity for Manchester City to storm ahead, an opportunity that they duly took.
Still, on balance, Arteta can view the last campaign as successful. No one expected them to push for the title, and in any case, there’s no shame in finishing second in the Premier League. The question now is, how will they perform in this coming season?
Havertz and Rice Are On Board
Arsenal arguably lost momentum in the title race for one simple reason: they lacked squad depth. It was more or less the same team playing every week, and eventually, that took a toll. Arteta clearly understood the need to bolster the squad, and that’s just what he’s done. Kai Havertz and Declan Rice have both made the move across from Chelsea and West Ham, respectively and will be sure to add some much-needed steel and quality to the team. With no major player departures expected this summer, Arsenal will be in a stronger position than they were last season, providing both Havertz and Rice can hit the ground running.
Another Season of Progress
Still, even though Arsenal should be better next season than they were last season, that doesn’t mean that they’ll be shoe-ins for the title. Far from it. Arsenal are very much on the right path towards where they want to be, but they’re far from the final product. You can expect another season of development under Arteta, one where they strengthen their strong points and eliminate their weak points.
Rivals on the Rise
It’s possible that Arsenal outperformed expectations last season. They also benefited from underwhelming seasons from their main rivals, most notably Liverpool and Chelsea. A slight shift in performance levels from Arsenal or the other challengers for the top spots could lead to a much different Premier League landscape. Fans that keep up with online sports betting odds will know that Arsenal are second-favourites for the title behind Manchester City, but Liverpool and Manchester United aren’t far behind them, in third and fourth positions, respectively. There’s little chance that Liverpool, in particular, will be anywhere near as poor as they were last year, which means Arsenal will have to be firing on all cylinders if they’re going to preserve their position towards the top of the table.
Where Arsenal Can Improve
So why didn’t Arsenal win the league last time around? You can say that they were simply tired come the end of the campaign, but there was also an element of mental weakness that came into play, too. They lost more games towards the end of the season than they should have, and everyone knows that you don’t win trophies if you falter at the time that matters most.
This isn’t necessarily a criticism of Arsenal. It just shows where they are at the moment. Liverpool had the same obstacle to overcome before they finally won the Premier League title. Ex-players often talk about the mental strength required to dig deep and grind out victories at key moments of the season. Arsenal don’t quite have that yet. But you can be sure that Arteta, a serial winner who was at Manchester City when they began their period of dominance, will know just what it takes to make his players believe. And if he can succeed, then it could well be a great year for Arsenal.
Our defense has been strengthen, while we have significantly reinforced central midfield, the attack has been upgraded.
But if Partey leaves, where does that leaves us, it is for this reason a next powerful midfielder must be sign now.
Looking at Arsenal at the moment, I think we’re a better team than we were last season. Three experienced CDM in the mould of Thomas Party, Jorginho and just arrived Declan Rice is massive, you don’t always get to see a club who can boast of such class in that department of the game. So this on paper will give you relief. Our defence is well stocked with players who are hungry and want to achieve for the club. I think where am still not convinced is our 8 and 9. Yes, Odegarrd is there and has been doing it, in fact, he has been so reliable but what happens when he’s out injured or suspended. You may want to say Veira is there but I quite disagree because we can’t be hungry for success this coming season and depending on players like Veira. We need to let him go cos I don’t think that guy will come good in this league. Let him go then use whatever is gotten from his sale and bring in someone who is ready to do the same or similar thing Odegard does in the team. Talking about the CF, I don’t think Jesus is the man to take us to where we want to be. He’s a great footballer no doubt, very top notch and needed in the team but as a CF, it’s a no no for me. As for Nketiah, I don’t rate him and Balogun is yet to prove himself. He scored 21 in the French League, ‘yes’, but the EPL is a totally different thing. So he is still a man under a mask and we don’t know yet what we’ll see when this mask is unveiled. I think we need to sell Nketiah, keep Balogun and see what he can do then go into the market and get us a strong towering CF who can do thing with both his legs and head. Do this and watch every other team dread Arsenal.
Happy times ahead,welcome to the new era.
This season, along with Manchester City, Arsenal next season will be the hunted. A strong start to the season, like Season 2023/24 with 9 wins in the first 10 games.
The chasing pack of Newcastle United, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Brighton & Hove Albion et al will be looking to benefit from any falter from Arsenal.