Have Arsenal missed GOLDEN opportunity of BPL title?

There are a couple of reports doing the rounds of the football media today, both in a similar vein, that suggest to me that it will be a lot harder for Arsenal to win the Premier League title next season. It is not that the Gunners are not improving because I really believe that we are, but that the last two seasons have seen a golden opportunity for a club like Arsenal to take advantage of the struggles of their rivals.

Jose Mourinho and Chelsea were lucky enough to benefit this season from all the other big clubs leaving the door wide open. The former Everton and Man United manager David Moyes has claimed that the Premier League is probably as poor this season as it has been since it began over 20 years ago, as a report in The Mirror explains.

Moyes said, “It’s as poor a Premier League as I’ve seen for… maybe since the start of the Premier League.

“When you think of the great players who have graced the Premier League and the teams… I look at this year, and I look back, and I say ‘Well I don’t see that’.

“I see good teams, very good teams, and some great players, but I just don’t see the competition the way it was in years gone by.”

The struggles of all the English clubs in the Champions League and Europa League would seem to back up this claim as well and I reckon you could say the same of last season. Arsenal raced into the lead and would probably have stayed there but for the injury crisis, but we did that without Alexis Sanchez and with Ozil struggling to settle so you could say that it was a golden opportunity for us. Man City eventually stumbled over the line but it was a very winnable season for a consistent team, just like this time.

But next season could be a different animal and according to Mourinho, as a report by ESPN reveals, it almost certainly will be as he feels that Arsenal, Liverpool and both the Manchester clubs will strengthen this summer and be closer to the title.

He said, “It’s even more difficult to dominate than before. How can you speak about domination when everyone knows what will happen next summer?

“Arsenal have a phenomenal squad. Thierry Henry said they need four top-class players. Give Arsenal four top-class players and I think they will again be the ‘Invincibles’.

“Man United have a phenomenal squad, including the most expensive player in the history of the Premier League [Angel Di Maria], who is not playing.

“They are a club where financial fair play doesn’t make a huge difference for them and they will invest hugely again in the summer. Man City have done phenomenally, winning two titles in three years, and people say they will invest hugely.

“Liverpool is fighting for the title for many years. So next year it will be even more difficult for everyone than this year.”

I know that the Chelsea boss is playing down his chances of back to back titles here but he is also, inadvertently I suppose, admitting that Chelsea have had it easy this year. With a bit better timing that could have been Arsenal, either this time or last time, but from now on we are going to have to do things the hard way.

Oh well, bring it on I say!

Tags Chelsea Mourinho

17 Comments

  1. The passed is the passed you can’t do anything about it. What you can do is make sure it doesn’t happen again.

    1. yes Chelsea has won the league and this is in the past now. but what we can do is make sure the injuries never happen again. As injuries is our biggest problem. Like Debuchy said its becoming embarrassing. Someone needs to give us and explanation. I got lots of thumb down but am saying the truth.

      Ozil had no injury history before coming here so was gabrielle. now ozil gets 4 months injury every season. That is 8 months of football missed in 2 years. that is 1 season missed. No wonder he has only 14 assist in 2 years. fabregers has 16 this season as he played every game.

      Till we get to the root of the injuries we shall always cry.
      has OX ever played 4 games on a row without a hamstring?
      rambo every season he is out for 3 months
      Jack missed 5 months
      Giroud missed 3 months
      Diaby Arteta have missed the season. ospina missed the first 4 months.

      Apart from Per and sanchez the rest of the players have had lengthy injuries. It is becoming embarassing and its hight time the medical staff explain to us what the fxx is going on.

      Is our training wrong?
      is the diet wrong?
      is the medical team poor?
      is our sport science and statistic and recoveries ineffective?
      are we not massaging the players properly?
      Is the warm up routine before the game wrong?

      fabregers was always injued at Arsenal and now he is playing every premier league and champions league game for 1 season. Am I the only one seeing this problem with arsenal ?

      The medical staff need to fix it or Go. Its like any job really. Even some players have mentioned they heal quicker at the internationals than at Arsenal. Enough is enough.

      1. Dr Galen in the house !!!

        Next time listen. Wenger has addressed this, he has carefully explained how much money and time they are spending on this issue. Arsenal medical facilities are second to none.
        But the mystery remains.
        I think our style invites injuries especially to our midfielders.
        Sanchez and Wiltshire hold the damn ball too close for too long. They invite a kick to the ankle. They make me cringe, I am actually afraid for them.
        #2) I think we train our players like track athletes.Too much muscle, every 100m runner is out for months with muscle injuries. Every one.
        Perhaps a Tour de France cyclist body type is more suited to football.

  2. The Mourinho quip was a dig…..why have many seen that as some quasi-complimet?

    Arsenal DO NOT need 4 world class signings to be a title contender, if we had a DM and Ospina in goal from the start then we’d have challenged this year. Granted this years titles race hasn’t been the best in terms of quality, we still would very much have been in the convo had we started the season with a complete squad (something we’ve yet to do the last decade).

    With another DM, and a proper RW starter, Arsenal are as good as anyone in the league on paper, but crucially now on the pitch. 4 world class players? Gimme Kondogbia and Pedro and I’ll be a very confident Arsenal fan going into next season.

      1. You can label signings whatever you like, Arsenal only needs what Arsenal needs. I don’t care if that person is considered world class, or bargain basement. If he comes in and does exactly what we need him to then that’s a signing that’ll take us one step closer to champions.

  3. All I no is that we CAN win the league next year,the good thing is I believe we will improve significantly with 2/3 signings in the right areas, whereas as Chelsea will not improve to much on what they already have because the only way they will do that is by buying Ronaldo messi Suarez etc and that’s not goin to happen whereas are weak areas can be improve dramatically more than Chelsea’s .

  4. Wilshere, Walcott, Rosicky, Diaby, Arteta, Flamini, Sanago, Poldi, Gnarby, Zalelem, Sheez, Jenkinson, Chambers

    theses 13 players have either limited contribution or ZERO contribution to this season…

    why not swap them for 4 to 5 quality players instead??????

    these way we have quality players in the team to challenge for honours….

  5. As usual Arsenal had an enormous injury list. This season we had an average injury list of 8 players. At one point of the season before Xmas we had 11 players out. If this continuous problem can be resolved Arsenal can have a real go at the the title. Additionally one more goal keeper and a defensive midfielder would make a great difference. The squad now is very strong in comparison to any team in the league.

  6. I disagree with the article in some sense.. Mourinho didn’t say anything facetious or incorrect. The current landscape of the EPL makes it harder to dominate from start to finish as one club and this league campaign has been an odd one in that regard.

    I also agree with the sentiment that if you gave Arsenal 4 world class players they’dhave a squad capable of challenging in Europe. As a reasonable example look at the following: NOTE, THIS IS NOT A SUGGESTED SIGNING LIST, MERELY AN EXAMPLE WITH SOME REALISTIC SIGNINGS

    GK: Cech, Ospina
    DEF: Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Debuchy, Hummels
    Mid: Ramsey, Coquelin, Kondogbia/Gundogan, Ozil, Rosicky, Wilshere
    Advanced forwards, Ox, Walcott, Sanchez, Pedro
    Strikers: Higuain, Giroud, Welbeck

    You have your world class squad and proven players in depth to provide suitable, COVER, OPTIONS and most importantly, CONSISTENCY.

    Lastly, Mourinho is very right about his last point. Next season will NOT be any easier. Chelsea are not a club to stagnate, simply because they won the league at a canter doesn’t change the fact they WILL invest.

    United have gone through the difficult period of post Ferguson, LVG will have spent an entire season with United and will know what his squad lack. Moreover they aren’t hindered by FFP.

    City have a project and will know what they need, as bad as they’ve been this season they still have a strong squad. Silva, Aguero and Kompany on their day are world class. They will invest.

    Liverpool will attempt to do the same after an era of post Suarez.

    This summer will be EXTREMELY important. Arsenal need to invest wisely so that we can keep a consistent level from August to May. Now is the time.

    1. Exactly… but Wenger will go into next season…thinking that we are strong enough for next season challenges…

      but he failed to realise that other clubs are strengthening tooo

      Same old shit for every season…

      1. “but he failed to realise that other clubs are strengthening tooo”

        So Ozil , Sanchez, Gabriel, Debuchy…. was not strenthening?

        You think we bought these players for ?…..

  7. I am wondering whether our fans expected Mourinho to say anything sincere about his rivals. This is a man who lacks class and can’t see anything good in others. His statements seem just cynical. Anyway the business of setting the number of players we need is simply unrealistic. We basically have players for all the positions; what we need is cover for some positions so that we can compete favourably. Obviously injuries are our greatest enemy, more than lack of players. We therefore need to identify the cause of these injuries and find a remedy. If we can tame injuries we shall have made a great stride towards winning the EPL because injuries have been our greatest hindrance.
    It is true all teams will try to strengthen their squads and why not? But strengthening a team is no guarantee that you will win the league. What matters most is retaining your best players and then adding a few players in key positions and then ensuring then team gels well. The way I see the Arsenal squad there is not much that will be an obstacle to achieving success save for injuries. hence our emphasis should be on having all players fit and rotating the team to ensure there is no burn out and unnecessary injuries.

  8. Here is where life gets more difficult than FIFA15.
    Let us call this the Gooner game.
    List every striker who has scored more than 20 goals in any league this season.
    Now make a list of those from that list who are actually AVAILABLE.
    Available includes work permit issues too.
    Try getting them for 60% of an Oil club wages.

  9. The theory that we’ve missed out on a golden opportunity might be valid if we were still the cash-strapped 4th-place team of five years ago. But that’s not valid any more. The expectation now is to be there or thereabouts every season.

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