Could it really happen to Arsenal? After all we did go nine years without any trophy to celebrate and it will be 11 years this May since the Arsenal team lifted the Premier League trophy. They did do it in a unique way of course, not losing a single game and earning the title of Invincibles, but that was a long time ago.
Which is why one of those Invincibles, the great Thierry Henry, as reported by the Daily Mail, has expressed his concern about the chances of his beloved Arsenal going down a similar path to Liverpool, who have never won the Premier League and last became champions of England back in 1990 with Kenny Dalglish as manager.
The record Arsenal goalscorer said, “If I had told you in 1990 that Liverpool would not win the title in the next 25 years, you would have taken me for a madman. I don’t want the same thing to happen to Arsenal.
“This year, we’re not so far off. With the exception of the first leg against Monaco, they are on the right track, but they undoubtedly dropped too many points at the start of the season. But I think this squad can win the title in the years to come.”
But many Arsenal fans believe that we blew a great chance last season when all the other big clubs were in various phases of upheaval and transition. You could say that we would have taken advantage of this had it not been for the awful luck with injuries but the fact is that we didn’t. Chelsea this season have taken advantage of ours and other rivals’ problems and they have been lucky with injuries, but has our big chance now gone?
I don’t think so and I reckon that the Manchester clubs could struggle again next season as they attempt to rebuild, while Chelsea will not have it so easy from us I’m sure, but I doubt that Liverpool will start so poorly and we will need to be at it from the start.
It could be our best chance for a while as well, with City and United willing to throw buckets of money at their squads while we have the miserly Stan Kroenke unwilling to spend a cent of his own cash. And then we could well be in our own period of transition with Wenger stepping down. So is next season’s title a must for Arsenal to avoid the same sort of woes that Liverpool have suffered?
Yes he’s right to fear that,as much as Chelsea,Man City and Man U spend a lot in the transfer market we must also not get left far behind so we’ll be able to compete
The “king” is concerned about his beloved arsenal! King theirry has a point, if we do not show ambition in putting our best foot forward to ensure success for arsenal fc we could end up on the outside looking in! Coyg!
Well how far really are we off of Chelsea? Defensively we’ve been pretty solid recently with Koscielny back and Coquelin coming in. Our ‘big game mentality’ is improving, though we still have those games where we simply don’t turn up everysooften. Attacking-wise we’re as threatening as anyone. A couple of top class additions in the summer and we’re good to go.
Hilarious lack of analysis. “couple of quality geezers and it’s ours innit”
If you think it’s gonna be solved with a couple of good players you’re a fool.
If we can retain the F.A. Cup and finish 2nd or 3rd this season has still been an improvement.
We have a youthful squad, which will only continue to improve and the taste of back to back success will hopefully add to a stronger mentality. A winning one.
But looking ahead we have a few chances to really hurt the top teams and make a statement for next season.
Home games against Liverpool and Chelsea are massive.
We need to establish the Emirates as a fortress for league success.
Stretching the gap from liverpool and nailing their CL hopes in a coffin will demoralize.
Mourinho has had it over Wenger since his prem return. It needs to stop and with our form we need to make a statement.
Old Trafford… Twice in a row… Ahhh just the thought of it is brilliant!
We’ve won 2 out of 9 games vs top 6 teams this season, so actually talk of winning 3 out the next 3 is delusion prevailing over any rationale.
I do love the line “we have a youthful squad, which will only continue to improve” – will it? so progression is linear is it? Maybe in FIFA or other games, but in reality being young just means you have the opportunity to improve. Whether you do is not in any way related to the number of weeks that pass.
It’s quite honestly baffling to sit and see people churn out the same phrases as the season draws to a close and we postulate the next one. Young squad WILL improve – well obviously they will….look at Jack, clearly light years a head of his 16 year old self. Just a couple of quality players needed – yep another obvious one….done that the last two summers and nothings changed, but it’s def the year for it.
Let me take a guess at how next year will unfold. We’ll buy 2 very good players in the summer, hype will ensue. We’ll either start well and fall apart, or start crap and make a late dash….either way top 4, last 16 in the CL and maybe a domestic cup. Why? because superficial changes do not transform teams. Until significant alterations in our approach changes, we will not see a big difference. That simple.
Oh if owen had said this we would be all over him..
The King is good on the pitch. But as a pundit I rate him Mr. obvious. ..
There is only one decent pundit out there and that is Gary Neville.
Faroff the title no, this current crop of players and a few signings over the summer and we’d genuinely have a shot next season but truth be told we are the third best team in England at the moment. In my opinion the difference between our squad and City is very marginal, the difference between ourselves and Chelsea a bit.
However beyond that there are things we need to remedy in our title charge.
For one our away form needs to improve in tough matches. Before we even look at the big guns we need to start taking more points from tough away grounds. Stoke, Swansea, Tottenham, Everton. Now if we’d have drawn those games we’d have been ahead of City.
As it stands we dropped 11 points vs opposition outside the top 7 away from home.
Leicester 1 – 1, Stoke 3 – 2, Everton 2 – 2, Swansea 2 – 1. We need to win some of those.
Secondly we need to start taking more points off top 6 opposition away from home.
We’ve visited 5 of the 6 grounds of top 6 opposition. Of a maximum of 15 points we’ve gained 4. Loss to Chelsea, loss to Southampton, loss to Spurs, draw with Liverpool win vs City.
Had we drawn those we’d be a further 3 points ahead while docking 2 from Chelsea.
Lastly we need to turn our dominance into wins at home.
Spurs, United, Hull. Those were matches we were in absolute control over but didn’t win. We need to kill off opposition and see out matches.
I don’t expect us to go undefeated, some results are acceptable, an away loss to Chelsea is acceptable, as is a home draw vs City but we drop too many points that eventually halt a title charge before its even begun.
I don’t think we should bank on other teams either. Chelsea season after season get very little injuries. Similarly we always suffer a loy due to injuries, neither of those is down to luck. Moreover several teams next season will be stronger, Chelsea will only strengthen in the summer, City and United will invest, Spurs didn’t have Kane early on.
We should only focus on ourselves
The key is signing the right players in the right positions.
U cnt win the title with Giroud n Welbeck as ur strikers… Go for a top top striker like Lewandowski,Muller,Higuain
We need a better CB than Per to partner Koscielny.
Get Godin,Subotic or Varane.
Coquelin has been fantastic but we still need another DM a more physical Viera-type one for competition.
Get Wanyama,William,JavierMartinez or go all out for POGBA which will make our midfield undoubtedly the best in Europe.
With these, even injury wnt be able to stop Arsenal from winning the league and possibly the UCL
You’d better get your piggy bank out, and help pay for them then.
Giroud can certainly win titles for arsenal,…its neva abt a single player…the aforementioned strikers alone cant win title for their team, its obvious how higuains napoli is struggling and I can’t imagine how well only muller will perform without robben and ribery….
Athletico stormed to the top of d league last season when their top striker was injured, and they ve been consistent dis season with average strikers.
Some players re game changers but we don’t ve many of dem….messi, ronaldo, suarez and maybe robben….others won’t perform d magic easily
Under Wenger we will do always well(in the top four) who considered very well is not so bad as 20 teams fight for those positions.
Wenger contract expire in two years,we can then get Pep as a coach and we would win everything.
Why would Pep come into Arsenal, when he has all the teams in the world to choose from. Yes, he has close relationship with Wenger, but that´s it. He is used to have as much money as he needs to have players he want´s to his 2 teams, Bayern and Barca. That would he NOT have here in Arsenal with current owner + board. So, dream on Pep, that ship has sailed. Look what happened on Simeone and Klopp, everybody were crying them for Arsenal. What did they do, contract extensions with their current clubs. Need I say more? With the limited funds, being manager of our beloved Arsenal is not so attractive job for the big manager names, is it?