Should we start dreaming of winning the EPL this season.. or not? by Sylvester Kwentua
When this current season began in August, a lot of football fans, including Arsenal fans, were full of expectations and optimism that their football clubs were going to have a good season. However, three games into the season, the mood changed from that of optimism to fear of ending the season struggling for league survival for some club supporters, including Arsenal fans.
After losing thrice in a row to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City, the fear of having a very bad season, were etched on their hearts. To a whole lot of Arsenal fans then, sacking the manager in order to save Arsenal’s season, was their solution. Nothing ever seemed to be going on well for Arsenal at that moment, and as far as a lot of people were concerned, Arsenal was going to have it rough. Three months into the league, and it seems every gloomy story is gradually turning into a fairy tale! What has really changed? With the way things are, can we now tag Arsenal as genuine Premiership title contenders?
Arsenal in all fairness has turned the table around! From losing three games in a row at the start of the season, to not losing in their last ten games, they have gradually climbed their way up the table and at the moment, they are just six points behind the highest placed team in the league. All these gradual but positive upward movements are enough signs to make an average Arsenal fan dream of the club winning the English Premiership title this season, but I hope I won’t be seen as anti-Arsenal, if I should request that we lower our expectations towards Arsenal this season?
Winning the league title would be a good achievement no doubt; considering the fact that many of us can’t even remember when Arsenal won the league title last, but do we really think we have the team and of course the manager, to lead us to a first Premiership title in more than 16 years? We are doing well in the league and other competitions, but for how long can we keep up with the momentum? Do we have the players needed to see us through the tough periods of Christmas, New Year and AFCON? When injuries set in, do we have quality replacements? Don’t we deserve answers to these questions?
Currently, Arsenal for the first time in a long while is not competing in Europe. This to me is a big shame. A big shame because we are built to play and win competitions. We have a proud history of winning trophies, and as rich as our history may be, we are not so successful in Europe. This record should be on our minds, as we draw up expectations for the club this season. We should focus more on qualifying for any European competition next season, than winning the league title.
Another priority this season should be to build a strong team for next season. Yes, you heard me right; we need a strong team. The players we have now are slowly building themselves into a formidable unit, but they are not yet a strong team, and what they need at this moment is a good manager who can help them achieve their potential, while gradually making progress this season and making a name for themselves.
In Arteta, the players seem to have found a manager who believes in their abilities, and they are starting to become a hard-to-beat team. However, they need to be allowed to grow without any huge expectations placed on them. This way, they may even surprise a lot of people and even smash every limitation on their way to winning one very important trophy this season.
While we await the team to come to full realizations of their potentials, will it be wrong of me to request that we drop our expectations and allow them grow into a formidable team?
Can we do this?
Sylvester
Iv not heard anyone say we can win the league this season, apart from the writer. Who then asks us to lower our expectations. The expectations that no one had, other than himself. Very odd 🤔
👍 Strange indeed! What are the current odds? Who is rushing out to get their money on Arsenal to win the League?
The headline is dreaming of the impossible. Not going to happen. Good to see the team giving 100% now. We still need a midfield maestro and a younger goalscorer (a real one), before we can even compete for the title, never mind win it. We are seemingly going in the right direction though.
Perfectly agree. We aren’t just scoring the goals and struggle a little too much with smaller teams. There’s a lot to be fixed as you rightly say
I can only expect something or not from these lads after boxing day. The next six fixtures look likely to determine my expectations.
Whatever Arsenal achieve at Anfield may give us a better idea of how the season could pan out.
Andrew Never mind just Liverpool look at the whole of December and New Year fixtures and then we will see where we are
Let’s not put any expectations…. Just play game by game at the moment because one game is enough to destroy our mood and confidence…
And next one is pretty tough… So instead of expectations lets take season game by game
As only one team can be the winner- obviously- then Chelsea, City and Liverpool are best placed to challenge for that spot.
West Ham have been a revelation and beyond that a lot is up for grabs. Could they fizzle out or can Leicester come up on the rails? Other teams this season haven’t hit the ground running so top 6 should be within our grasp
Of course the aim is to get top4 and win it. I do though, always bear in mind the winning experience of the top coaches and consider that for Arsenal to break into the top4 that we have to not only improve, but the more successful teams have to slip up. It’s one hell of a tough league to win.
Editor, this article writer appear to be naive for his presumptions so early in a season. He also lack knowledge about the club history. You could ask the same question in reverse order about the clubs state at the end of season.
Another thing he needs to know is that Arsenal never dominated the league like Liverpool, Man utd or Chelsea winning back to back titles but we have won it 14 times epl inception that makes our boys come back kids unlike many clubs you hear.
To answer the author’s question, “No.” We have finished 8th twice, gotten mangled by City and easily handled by Chelsea already this year.
Let us see how we fair against Liverpool.
Can we trade punches with them?
Can we control the match and tempo beyond a moment here and there?
Can we force them to play our game?
I’m hoping we can be competitive against Liverpool; aggressive, attacking, direct, and confident our defense can blunt their attack.
This would show progress in a rebuild, and further evidence along with an unbeaten streak we are riding.
Winning the league is plain silly and distracting. Let’s show we’re a top 6 squad, maybe top 4 with a strong tail wind.
Our passing quality isn’t as good as Liverpool yet, let alone Man City. Productivity wise, our forwards are also not as consistent as Liverpool’s
Let’s be realistic with the youngest team and the youngest manager in EPL. Top six will be good enough for this season
Top 6 is not good enough
I think people forget that Arteta as spent 230 million in a 12 month period we should be expecting a lot more than 6th place .
The reason we went down the younger route was because his 2 seasons before were a disaster with his plan A
He just spent around £ 160 million, which is equivalent to £ 100 million or much less in 2007
That amount of money is spent for rebuilding after the mess we were left with and that’s not much if you consider what other big clubs have spent to rebuild
So a small progress this season will be good enough. Everything else will be an achievement by Arteta and Edu, our great Gunner and Invincible
👍
150 million +84 million does not add upto 160 million
Thanks for the thumbs sueP 👍👍
We arsenal fan are as volatile as Arsenal itself. Win few games n we start dreaming of title and then lose few games we fear of relegation. To be realistic we have been lucky so far this season. We got lucky points against Brighton and Crystal palace. We needed few world class save from keeper against Leicester. We needed opposition miss chance in empty net against Watford. Now football is game of courage and pressing like the one shown by Brighton. I like the way they are fearless even against far superior team like mancity and Liverpool. Yes they lost to mancity but they still gave it all until last and refused to sit back. Unless we show same strategy and attack Liverpool like lion we are going to battered away as usual. I still see lot of flaws in our pressing system with most obvious is we can’t retain the ball. So luck is not going to support us forever. Better we believe in ourselves and up our game now rather than late.
Now that is what a REALISTS comment should look like !
Top comment Vz
We will not win the league. Lets take it one game at a time and see where we end up at the end.
ATM I believe we have more chance of wining the CL ( if we ever get in) then 38 game EPL
I don’t know where to start regarding this article, so much so that I won’t even try. By the way Sylvester, Arsenal play in the Premier League not the Premiership.
No. Other teams are better at the moment
We need to see if we’re still in the top 6 by January
Nothing wrong with dreaming I suppose as long as one recognises it’s just a dream and doesn’t get angst ridden when it turns out we dont have the winning lottery ticket… yet.
Like almost everyone has said, meaningful progress this year (at least pushing for that fourth place if not in it) and a solid base to build on for the next few years (with the youngest team in the PL) will do me.
The problem this writer has is that IMO he is the only fan who would even seriously pose this question.
To then suggest THAT, means we other fans, who have never considered winning the Prem this season as even a remote possibility, will laugh at him, as HE is the only one who has even suggested it!
But he then says that we – meaning only HIMSELF – should drop those expectations.
This is the fundamental flaw that makes this articles question a total nonsense and which therefore renders this article as a false one without any worth.
When you start with a false premise, you are doomed before you even begin, Sylvester!
With the way City and Chelsea handled us we don’t’ even deserve to win the league. We lack the mentality of champions and we accept mediocrity even shown at times in our play. Even some smaller clubs have played better against those teams. We need to prove our play and mindset before we can think of winning the league. That is first even before player quality comes into question.
My comment once again disappeared ! Sigh!
The progress is great. Just keep going. Bring in a midfielder or a winger who can score many goals. We also need a striker. it looks like AMN has greatly improved and we may not need anothe defensive midfielder.
Signing players like Nku Nku or Dominik or perhaps Noah Lang plus a striker could greatly improve chances of getting somewhere
ofcourse not.these thoughts are toxic for your brain
………..brains
Until it mathematically impossible not to win it then why would think we have a chance
Every season for God knows how long probably the past 10 season I think we have a chance even though we don’t
That’s what wishing and dreaming is all about
For all those who have written us off before the season has even really got started..
Shame on you
Leicester done it a few season back
We done it when we were in a slump pre George’s rein and post gg rein
Maybe I am in a minority group
If we can’t dream then what life about
Ps
I still dream about scoring the winning goal in a final for the arsenal
Alan Ball, Nothing wrong with dreaming, if it floats your personal boat!
But if you are seriously discussing realities and not indulging yourself in dreamy fantasies, then all realists know that what Sylvesters articles claims applies to many of us, is a flat lie.
Only dreamers and fantasists entertain the daft idea of us winning this seasons Prem. To suggest that those who have never considered us winning the Prem, should then drop the idea – when we never had it is the first place – is beyond stupid.
As REALISTS know!!
Win the league who knows? I doubt it, but this is the premier league and this is football! If we keep playing the way we are and we keep grinding the wins in a whatever it takes fashion, I will be happy. I want to see the boys fighting and showing there all in every game.
We can dream, last year we lost to aston villa twice- zero point.. This year we already got 3 points from them.. Last season we got 2 points from burnley games.. This year we already got 3..even our points this year compare to last year in same phases is better.. Last year we got 60 point.. The fourth place 66.. Mathematicaly if we we win the remaining game 10 and draw the another 16 game.. We should got 66 point… So top 6 or top four.. 😂😂
Dreaming is the right word,yet we dared to dream in 89 and the rest was history. These are very early days and we still haven’t see Arsenal perform well against current top four opposition but we’ll definitely start dreaming if we get a positive result against Liverpool. Not overly optimistic but but….