Gooners are right to feel that Arsenal are very close to a League title.
Rival fans will mock that we say that every year, and for those less humble in our fanbase you need to take your medicine. Our peers are not wrong that 21 years is a long time to keep asking for everyone to wait.
Yet Mikel Arteta is not responsible for the majority of those two decades. He’s laid the foundations that for the majority of that time didn’t exist. We have one of the youngest squads in the division, assets tied down to long term contracts and he’s convinced the Kroenke Family to invest.
History of football shows whether it’s a club or an international team, you have to knock on the door a few times before it opens.
Yet Paul Merson’s words ring in my ears from when we let the Aston Villa game pass us by, ‘You might never get this opportunity in your careers again.’
You see, just because we have come close the last two seasons to being Champions, doesn’t mean you have a divine right to carry on being contenders. Don’t take for granted the very reason why only losing one game in 2024 cost us the League …. it’s hard!
Ask Liverpool!
When they last finished a point behind Man City the assumption was, they take a breath and go again. Yet suddenly their minds were willing but their bodies not.
They had given so much to compete they had nothing left to give.
They landed a few punches but realised that they were never going to knock out the machine at the Etihad.
Liverpool were left tired, drained, to the point Jürgen Klopp tapped out, admitting he can’t give the energy it takes to take silverware from Manchester.
Arteta is younger and smart enough to know that returning to North London would be a long-term project. Having done his apprenticeship with the Champions, he will be aware that it was never going to be straightforward to finish above his mentor.
The Spaniard is also human though, and as a professional will naturally be deflated to put so much effort into a campaign with zero rewards. He admitted last year when his body shut down on holiday, he needed convincing he was the right man to end our title drought.
That’s why you have to admire the standards Pep Guardiola has set in English Football.
Because picking up his 4th consecutive Prem means that for years now, he’s mentally been able to deal with must-win conditions every few days and not just do his team’s excel, they do it with a smile on their face.
He now has other coaches raising their standards, crazy winning sequences, big points totals, etc and still he finds a way to collect trophies.
To give you an idea the amount of focus Pep Guardiola puts into his work, the reason he left Barcelona was ‘exhaustion‘. To create what he did at the Nou Camp took attention to detail that was almost obsessive. For the sake of his family, he needed to change the balance of his professional / personal life.
That was in 2012.
For the second campaign running, the sport tried to convince itself that City were not quite themselves when in reality the only game they lost since December was a penalty shootout to Madrid.
They are about to follow up a Treble with a Double.
So, the 54-year-old works himself into the ground to the point he’s noticed it impacts on health, loved ones, friends and the mind but he has the comfort of every medal there is to win.
What happens to the person who puts in the same workload, is equally dedicated and who’s time is just as much spent away from friends and family?
Yet all you have to show for your sacrifices is the tag of being a bridesmaid, accusations of being a bottle job and even murmurings (from the minority) if you can get over the line when it really counts.
Our boss is cerebral enough to know he works with a group who will only get better, is trusted by his employer and that Edu will support him in the market.
He wouldn’t have taken the job at the Emirates without thinking little steps at a time.
Yet any time you get that close it’s a missed opportunity.
Opponents from August will be more aware of our set piece routines, City and Liverpool will be aware of our defensive tactics next time we visit.
Like his players, like us fans …. Arteta deserves a summer off to refresh, but if we are having the same conversation this time next year, then what?
How long does a Saliba wait?
Remember a young Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie ran out of patience.
It’s not as simple as because we challenged this year we challenge again next year.
In his own words, Arteta has to find a way to raise the level even higher.
The question is, who motivates the motivator?
Dan Smith
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We’re progressing year on year.
Arteta will remain here for the long term unless something happens backstage.
We may not win it next season, but probably when Pep leaves
What a cowardly thought! Why shouldn’t we win it when Pep is still around? Does it mean as long as Pep is around we should be contented with just putting up a fight? Where is the progress in that? What if Pep sticks around for the next 4 – 5 years? What if another better than Pep comes up, do we again get contented with 3rd place? what happens to our good players who want to win trophies?? Shame!
“The question is, who motivates the motivator?”
Simply us fans. What a good manager with good set of players needs is support from the fans and belief. And I think he has deserved that truly.
What I liked about what Arteta said to the fans yesterday was, it was brief and the only thing the fans care about and want to listen to. No excuses, no stories about how difficult it is or whatever. That shows me the character he has and the focus he has on the matter. It’s not to come second, not to be bridesmaid.
And what caused the Van Persie, Fabregas and Nasri to leave, according to them, was Arsenal as a club being happy and satisfied with finishing top four, not even battling for the title. I don’t think that’s the case with Arsenal now. Everyone in the hierarchy want the very best and not comfortable competitiveness. And I think the players know it well that it’s the goal. I expect even hungry players next season from the start of the season.
Well, how long has it been since we even challenged for the title? Maybe 2008?
I’m enjoying our football and the run we had. Also we’ve started winning the big boys regularly.
We just need to have that last little improvement.
We came up short, but we are able to identify shortcomings in the squad.
1. We need depth in a few positions; striker and DM most notably. I would argue 2 midfielders, and a striker that can rotate with Havertz, not supplant him.
2. Need to rotate the squad more during the season to keep players healthy and sharp. Maybe open things up to competition like Arteta did on the LW.
We have depth, they just need to be played more.
For example
LW is Martinelli and Trossard (we saw it most here)
RW is Saka and Jesus, (no need to play Saka so much)
Midfield ESR can play, Jorghino as well, but we still need 2 more midfielders.
LB Timber and Kiwior, Zinchenko should be sold
RB White and Tomiyasu
CB Tomiyasu could rotate with Saliba and Gabriel, but we would need a backup RB.
We have options to rotate, these players are good quality to rotate into games.
Others like Vieira, Nelson, Nketiah, should be sold as they have not performed.
If we rotate players and upgrade the striker position, add a defender, and 2 midfield spots, we should be ready to take that next step.
The first thing is the quality i.e. top quality that is good enough and fit. A number of critics have been talking about rotating without properly considering the impact on the team’s setup and balance.
MC can rotate because of the quality in the squad.
Selling all those players you have identified and then bringing in better options is actually very difficult and will be expensive.
Why don’t you want someone to supplant Havertz? In actual sense, you don’t want a better striker who could improve the team just because you fancy Havertz?!! Strange.
I think missed chances was our number one issue. If we can get a striker to burry most clear chances and some half chances, that will be a tremendous improvement . If it will mean Havertz going to the bench, why not?
I at times don’t understand fans loyalty to players at the expense of the team
SS
I should have clarified my statement on Havertz. I would like a better striker, but that is not going to happen.
1. Arteta will not bench Havertz after moving him to striker, he plays exactly how Arteta wants a striker to play.
2. Havertz doesn’t work in midfield as we have seen, that’s why he was moved to striker.
3. No way a player costing 65 million on huge wages as rumored, will sit on the bench.
My preference is Gyokeres, but in reality a backup striker will come in, that is if we get a striker at all.
You’re an intellectual barbarian, Daniel. If Arsenal is the bridesmaid as runner up, do you with that metaphor mean that Man City is the bride? Or…
Okey. But who the hell is the f*ck*ing groom then? You?! What a monstrous idea. Is that what you dream about? A wedding night with Erling Håland!
And all the FFP 115 gangsters are at the same time singing hallelujah on a typical shotgun wedding in the awful city of Manchester. You
ARE brilliant!
The season is over, Daniel. Take a break. No more laughable predictions or other entertaining stuff. Go to the sea. Go to Orkney Islands or to Dover. It’s over and the stupid b*st*rds lost! Again!
living up to your name as usual…if anyone needs to take a break…
Arsenal had unexpectedly tried to win the 2022-2023 Premier League season title. But they couldn’t win it because they fell short of the long haul campaign experience, which they had to have to enabled them to win it.
In the just considered last season of 2023-2024 that came to the end yesterday.
Arsenal had tried again to win the League title last season with an improved performance campaign in it. And on their last 2022-2023 season campaign.
But they again fell short to win it. After they had collected 89 points. A club record 2nd highest. But could only come as the runners up again to the eventual winners Man CIty. Just like they were runners up to them the previous season.
One BIG lesson which I think Arteta and the Gunners SHOULD take with to the season break and learn it. If they want to beat Pep Guardiola and his Man City team to the Epl title win next season. And beat him and his Citizens team to it, is that Arsenal SHOULD be maintaining condistency in winning their Epl matches up to the end of the season. Whenever they happen to be on top of the table. But not lose any match to give the rival teami like Man City chance to ever catch them again.
For, it was our home loss against Aston Villa that gave Man CIty chance that cost us the league title win last season.
I feel like the mentality has improved this season. This season can’t be labeled a bottle job or capitulation. In my opinion,what we need to get over the line is quality depth. For various reasons,Arteta doesn’t fully trust some of the players available to him. The Villa game can partly be attributed to a lack of sharpness which is due to fatigue. We can’t rely on 13 or so guys throughout the season. I believe this is the transfer window that will address the issue of depth. With a fit Timber, plus three quality signings, we could have 18 players that can be relied upon like City do. That’s a decent number. Not too big to cause disharmony but big enough to handle the workload. The remaining slots can be filled by prospect/project kind of players who should get minutes in the early stages of cup competitions.
While I agree that more depth is needed, I wonder if it will help as Arteta barely rotates.
The Villa game was lost due to poor team selection (favouritism). At that point, almost the whole squad was available and each player’s most effective position was known. Havertz was doing well in CF. Jesus had failed to impress the whole season. But for whatever strange reason, Havertz was started at his most ineffective position and Jesus let to fluff chances after chance. It almost seemed like the team was setup to loose
I disagree
Havertz and Arsenal actually had very good opportunities in that game against Aston Villa. But for some poor finishing we should have been well ahead in that game.
People have thrown around the “bottle job” insult around far too freely without being challenged for such silly descriptions.
The fact of course is that the kind of consistency we need requires depth that we have never had.
The depth has improved but is not yet at MC level. There are players in the squad that are not fully trusted because they haven’t shown that they can perform consistently at the levels required.
The next transfer window will be an opportunity to further improve the squad.
“Remember a young Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie ran out of patience.”
It’s not even a remotely similar situation. Those players left because we weren’t even really close, the club wasn’t really interested in going for it, whatever the reason, and they weren’t willing to stick around forever at a club that became happy just to be in Europe. It’s clear as anything the club now genuinely wants to win things and is willing to bring in players with that same desire. The atmosphere is totally different.
The comments about Liverpool have merit. I hope we’re seeing a side that will grow into champions and not be defeated by fatigue.
I have a feeling that Arteta/Arsenal end the season on top of Pep/Man City one of these days, and they won’t be a looking back from there.
It’s been consistent progress every year, and I feel we are not so far away now.
will*
It hurts because we put in so much. But we can’t do anything about it now except believe and look to next season. We will be rewarded.