After Arsenal failed to win the Premier League last season, having shown during the season through their dominance they could win it, many had reasons why they failed to win it.
One primary reason many noted cost the Gunners the PL title was the depth of quality gap between us and serial title winners Manchester City.
The priority for Edu and Arteta this summer was to make sure they injected some quality competition for places into their squad to push them closer to Guardiola’s team.
Progress is already being made to that end. Arsenal has reportedly lined up blockbuster deals in moves for Kai Havertz (who’s already been signed), Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Romeo Lavia. The belief is that these deals will make them better and thus able to fight for the league. But the question is, do these deals close the quality gap between them and Manchester City?
The Gunners are closing the gap if we are to believe Craig Burley. The ESPN pundit argues that as long as Arteta has Rice and Havertz in his squad, he has a quality in his squad that is closer to Guardiola’s.
“James Olley (an ESPN reporter) was saying the other day that there is money in the budget for Rice and Caicedo,” said Burley. “Whether that happens is a big ask.
“If they get Rice and the Havertz deal works out, then it certainly might close that gap even more to Man City.”
Arsenal is coming for Manchester City’s crown next season.
COYG!
Sam P
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No! Wait til the end of the window to decide that. We need a Striker. If city sign Gvardiol, tgen they will be even better, thats without any other signing. Haarland and Gvardiol means they have the best defender and striker.
They also have the best manager.
We had City beneath us for 90% of the season, sitting top of the table. We already showed what we could do, we just reinforced the fact we can’t finish.
Unfortunately, we have a weak mentality when pressure rises and the 3 game collapse against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton set the table to fail.
Then played off the pitch by Brighton and 2 more shocking displays and it was over.
We have ourselves to blame, and until we overcome choking under pressure, Rice, Timber, Havertz won’t matter a bit.
Jesus and Zinchenko didn’t lead when we needed it, and succumbed like the rest of the squad.
We are acquiring the depth, but we need the mentality, tactical flexibility, and squad competition to beat City.
Last season City had to deal with CL, FA cup and league. We after xmas had nothing. They just timed their run perfectly and we wilted, as some of us predicted by the way we play. It does do pressure.
Doesn’t do pressure.
@Reggie
Realness…Some of us predicted the bottle, due to the gaffers lack of team/man management, once again.
At the moment I see us putting together a core of 12/15 players, with the rest just making up the numbers. Still, many will complain about lack of squad depth, once again…Jus sayin
Agree NY. Playing the way we do, with the system we use is hard to play, when you are under pressure or not filled with confidence. Its not a robust system and its demands are to be brave. As we saw, when you aren’t brave, it is hard to play the system. If you are under pressure, your levels of bravery drop and because it is not solud, it breaks down. That also has to change next season.
Squad depth NY would not change that. A change of system or plan b would.
SamP, please stop ending your posts with the COYG acronym. It’s stolen from Spurs, and probably the only thing they’ve ever got right.
UTA.
🎯
UTA, Up the Arse?😊
Spot on!!!
🤣🤣
We are not there yet but I think apart from harvrtz, rice, lavia and timber we can’t do much… But don’t forget Guardiola made that tremble with 7yrs, klopp with UEFA 6yrs so time is crucial since you can’t buy all players in one transfer, but we are 70% there… If we get our target we get to 85% and next season we try find another
quality midfield, winger and a striker..
You seem to have some keys on your keyboard not working.
We don’t have to match Man city’s quality man for man. Remember this last season we nearly upset them with the players we had. If it was not for injuries to Saliba, Takehiro, Jesus and Zinchenko we were going to win the EPL. We were let down by the lack of quality squad depth. If we address that like we are trying to do I believe we shall compete favourably with Man City. We can even lose both games against Man City and still win EPL provided we keep our consistency and beat other teams. The way this window seems to be unfolding is very promising. Let us hope for successful deals.
David, I agree with you. We need to go gradually
i do agree with Adnan that we need a striker with presence but not for the league but the latter rounds of the CL if we get there.
if you look at the last 4 teams who reached the semi’s they all had hold up players and good ariel presence
if we are still going to share the goals around with the top end hitting 10 to 15 each then the presence of a big striker will restrict the way we play.
if we are able to find one that isnt going for mind boggling money then why not just to mix it up
as for getting closer to city – we improve and they go again and improve further.
they do have the best manager and coach around where as we have a very good coach learning his trade to be a good manager. as big difference .
given where we were a few seasons ago to where we are now he is learning, weather quick enough to surpass Pep and snatch his crown is another debate
its just nice now to hear and be considered as challengers rather then the team that makes up the numbers.
by past seasons bar last season, our title hopes have normally faded and gone by Nov, Dec.
enjoy the ride and make the most of it as no sooner as we have that feeling back it can certainly disappear just as quick
But Tuchel did it with Havertz and Werner?
Arsenal have exceeded all expectations this season, but we are not there yet surely we are banging on the door to get in to sit around the table shared by the big boys.
As it stands for many Arsenal 2022/23 season will be remembered for the gunners throwing away one of the the biggest leads in premier league history, And while that is harsh it is true
The gaffer wants Arsenal to get out of the perpetual cycle of coming up short that they’ve been in since they lost one the title back in 2004.
Since the triumph the gunners involved in numerous titles bottles in 2008, 2010,2011,2014 and 2016 but each time wecome up short.
Twenty years on since our lost title merely challenging can’t be seen as being good enough for Arsenal comparing to the Citizens
Arsenal are a very different team from when the gaffer first arrived- he has changed the mentality from top to bottom. And because of that with our marquee signings we are right at the door ready barge in at any moment to demand our space around the table with the Citizens.
Yes this is the way to go, Salute Arsenal Management and the board we have been waiting for this since we moved to the Emirates. We are big club once again just waiting for the throphies to arrive.
Physical striker like osimhen comes to mind.
Closing in? The only way to answer that question is to compare finished seasons, for example season 21/22 with the season 22/23, and when you do that, the answer is: YES! Arsenal is closing in on Man City. Will they reach the champions? That’s another question, and that question is impossible to answer 23/06/28. Because that answer belongs to the future. And about the future we know NUTHIN’. A better question, please.
No, we are still another year away from catching City…and to be honest, we may win one championship for every three or four that they win. We can match them XI for XI but not XXV for XXV. People forget just how few injuries we had in that miracle 2003-2004 season.
I repeat we are not in a two horse race with Man City but rather in a league competition with them where we need to have consistency throughout the season. It doesn’t matter whether or not we beat Man city in the two games against them. What matters most is to win games consistently against other teams . If we didn’t draw and lose our last sevenganes we were going to win EPL even if Man city had beaten us 6-0 at Etihad. Liverpool did in 2020 even though their squad was not as good as Man city’s. Atletico Madrid has once in a while beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona to La Liga title even though their squad is not as strong as the two teams. Leicester won EPL in 2016 with a seemingly weak team. Thus the whole idea of comparing our team to Man city is erroneous. All we need is a team that will be consistent throughout the season and remain unscathed inspite of injuries. This is the reason we are trying to have two quality players for every position. If we had good replacements for Saliba and the other injured players we wouldn’t have capitulated. Let us hope for more reinforcements that will propel us forward.
Yes, let us wait to see Arsenal complete all their remaining two summer signings of Timber that is looking in the pipeline for their completion. And also that of Lavia whose signing who they could complete after offloading some inhosred Gunners to recoup part of what they had spent on the incomings. So as to have sufficient funds in their summer transfer kitty to do one more strong new player signing, probably Lavia after spending £170m to sign in Havertz and Rice.
Despite that Arsenal ate deadlneday signing specialists, but will they still sign one new player on this summer transfer deadlneday? After they have signed Havertz and Rice and also seemingly have signed Timber and Lavia.
The next January transfer window will be there for Arsenal to address any short comings in the team which they may need to address when it opens.