At the start of the season our target was to qualify for the Champions League. currently 21 points ahead of 5th place we have more than achieved that objective.
The irony being that if we had just squeezed into 4th this campaign it would be deemed a success. I know Gooners who defended 5th and even 8th place finishes yet who now see 2nd as failure. How does that make sense?
Our defeat at Man City means our title destiny is no longer in our own hands leading some to say we ‘bottled it’. Some in our fan base have started to turn on certain players and even once again question Mikel Arteta’s suitably for the role. In particular the Spaniard’s ability to manage his squad when the pressure is high.
Like most things in football the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Runners up can’t be celebrated, given what for so long we seemed on course for, but our progress equally can’t be ignored.
When we get to the summer and the emotion wears off and you analyse the last year with a clear head, it’s undeniable the improvements the Gunners have made on the pitch, both collectively and as individuals.
Certain talent has showed their best ever form in an Arsenal shirt, some due to their manager’s tactical insight. Asking Ben White for right back to be his position every week, employing Xhaka further forward, all were masterstrokes.
As was Zinchenko’s timing of when to step into midfield from left back.
Arsenal has able to win matches in a manner they lacked for years, being able to go away from home and fight to grind out narrow victories.
Mentally though, the title race was just too big for our players with individuals going missing in April, the time of year which separates the good from the great.
Some fans are precious about any criticism, but it’s only a fair reflection where one of the youngest squads in the division stand.
Time will tell if this experience helps them to mount a challenge next season or if we fall away. It’s worth stressing that Chelsea and Liverpool surely won’t be as bad next year?
That’s the disappointment. It feels like a chance missed, with it not clear when that next opportunity will arise.
There’s nothing worse than regret. When you think we were 2-0 up at Afield and the London Stadium, Saka’s missed penalty at West Ham, Ramsdale passing the ball for Saints to score …. There are the ‘what if’ moments that will haunt us forever.
I can’t be a hypocrite. I don’t commend the Man United side who surrendered the title to Man City on goal difference, I don’t salute the Liverpool teams who finished runners up even though they recorded points in high nineties. History only remembers the winners.
In years to come we won’t look back at this as a success, but a glorious opportunity wasted.
That doesn’t mean the campaign has been a failure though.
All I ever wanted was Arsenal to be the best version of themselves and for the first time in years we have been this season. There’s nothing wrong with holding your hands up and saying you lost to a better side. Man City are simply superior to us at this moment in time, and that’s okay.
Just like a tennis player reaches a Grand Slam Final but accepts they will lose to Federer and Nadal at their best.
This season I have been proud to call myself a Gooner, proud of the football we have played, proud of the spirt by players who are very likeable.
If we finish runners up, how would you grade our season.
I’ll go for a B+
Let me know your grade in the comments.
Dan
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