Arsenal can give up on Europe and we can only blame ourselves

Arsenal might have missed the ticket for European football through the Premier League train

 

Arsenal drew with Burnley 1-1 to shatter their hopes of playing football in Europe next season to pieces thanks to a moment of madness from Xhaka. Cutting the branch in which they are sitting on has become mainstream at the Emirates Stadium.

In the last match against Leicester, they failed to close down Youri Tielemans, who gave his side the lead against the Gunners. In the match before that, Dani Ceballos first presented Benfica with a free-kick from which they scored. Then he provided the second goal to the opposition on a platter. In the game against Wolves, they completely dominated the whole first half, still the half ended with a one-each score line with Arsenal a man down.

Arsenal players or fans thinking about playing Champions League football through a top four finish in the Premier League doesn’t seem rational. Poor finishing, ridiculous defensive mistakes and the lack of inventiveness when it has come to creating chances have all contributed to one of their most awful seasons in their history!

The Gunners now have only 38 points from 27 games. Although Arsenal fans would argue that their team is better than this, they certainly deserve to be where they are. At least all the underlying statistics tell so. The Gunners have earned 1.41 points per match, which when placed over the whole campaign gives a grand total of almost 54 points. No one knows where Arsenal will finish this season with that points tally.

But comparing it with previous seasons shows a grievous picture. Last season, with a points tally of 54, they would have been level with Sheffield United at ninth. In 18/19, it would have been eighth. Seventh and eighth positions in 17/18 and 16/17 respectively. What does this show? It shows that Arsenal have been a mid-table team. The Arsenal faithful should stop criticizing the referees. Arsenal dominate matches but they don’t seem to find the right key to unlock the opposition. And as they say, “the fault does not lie in our stars, but ourselves.”

The landscape altered slightly in Unai Emery’s first season in-charge, where he guided the North-London side to fifth on 70 points, missing out on Champions League football by just a point, after the Gunners won just one of their last five matches.

Coming back to the current climate, the Gunners are the 13th best team in the Premier League defensively, with their tackles, interceptions and shots allowed per game giving them a rating of 6.65, according to whoscored. Their position remains the same, when the statistics are changed to the attacking category.

They have scored 35 goals and kept eight clean sheets, which is 11th and eighth best in the league.

Arsenal fans would beg to ask the question, when will their “transition period” end?

Although Pep Guardiola said that Arsenal are a few signings away from competing for the title, first and foremost and regardless of the players they have, Arsenal need to stop shooting themselves in the foot.

Until that becomes a reality and not just a want, it would be better for the Arsenal faithful to focus at other, more important stuff in life. Because the football ain’t good, is it?

 

Yash Bisht

Connect with the writer via Instagram/Twitter: @yarsenal09

56 Comments

  1. Worse year than last but let’s at least finish with some wins and focus on winning the next EL match

  2. Yash Bisht….. Please explain what was the “moment of madness from David Luiz” in the Burnley game because he was my man of the match? Did I miss something, or did you?

          1. Read the first paragraph of the post again, he said we are out of Europe next season because of a moment of madness from Luiz. They didn’t score, it didn’t affect the result, so how does that exclude us from Europe?

          2. I read that paragragh too and i immediately dictated that it was an error.
            I think want the writer was trying to but together was memonts in the season where we were on course to take 3 points but we ended up with a point most times with nothing which had it not been so will likely have boosted our league position and points giving us a better chance to fight for European places….

          3. But they didnt score did they????? Then you need to blame the whole team and squad for the whole season for their errors even if Arsenal didnt lose..??????? Senseless comment and defence

    1. boy wan bissaka is terrific gave sterling and co a very tough game… This guy is very reliable and consistent with performances
      It was a good match and wow a rallied for united win and they produced the goods…..

  3. This season is unpredictable because there’s no supporters at the stadiums and the pandemic must have made many footballers worry about their families. Who would’ve thought last season’s EPL champion can go down to the seventh position and could be worse by the end of this season?

    Arsenal are disappointing in EPL, but there are other big teams that face similar issue because of the pandemic. Replacing the manager now would be very costly in these hard times, so we better support Arteta until our financial situation gets better in December

    1. You seem to be the club accountant.
      Arsenal will sack and change manager with or without fans or pendemic they just don’t haven’t deemed it a necessity yet.

      1. I keep hearing you saying big teams been affected by the pendemic
        Please i want to see a list of those big teams you always refer to

      2. The FA win gave MA another season just like with AW.
        Cant wait to hear what the MA fanbovs will say when we lose again to Olympiakos and will be europe less next season,

    2. “other teams” is really just one team which is Liverpool. City, United, Chelsea all in top 4 right now. Leicester with less money is in top 4 right now. Spurs still have a chance at top 4. We do not. Cannot blame the “strange season” when our decline has been an ongoing thing before COVID.

    3. Arteta is the best manager in the world for us and he will prove it by knocking olympiakos which is the second best team in the world out of EL

  4. I obviously want European football next season, but it would do us a world good in the league to have a season out of it (not financially of course).

  5. Reading fans comments have made me lose interest in the current season..
    We are in a rebuild
    Okay that is understandable
    But does it justify our performance and league position?
    I don’t believe so
    Even Chelsea under lampard with kids where still able to make champions league position but even with all the restrictions that was the bare minimum that is acceptable for their club….
    I read so much about our squad
    Many claims that we have a very terrible squad that arteta inherited i am not not disputing the fact that our squad is not the best
    Last 3 seasons the squad finished 6,5,8
    Did Emery inherit a better squad than Arteta?
    Emery even had Liechtainer,cech,torriera so you can’t claim it’s a superior squad but he went to europa final and 5 place finish
    We have moved past a lot of players brought in many players of better quality
    The question is what is holding us back then…
    I don’t expect that we will have a complete new first team 11 to move up and put in a top club performance week after week.
    So many praising arteta for getting rid of the dead woods but i keep scratching my hair how terminating players contract and moving a few out on loan became something seen as an exceptional achievement…
    Until someone explain how a club in rebuild is not entitled to move up the table then i will keep questioning the whole process

    1. “Reading fans comments have made me lose interest in the current season..”

      Just as the echo chamber of negativity has made me lose interest in the season lol, we all know it’s not good enough (vast majority anyway) but coming on here article after article to parrot over and over things that most already know, and when it’s going to have absolutely ZERO impact on any decision making by the clubs hierarchy completely baffles me. Kroenke isnt going to fire arteta because 50 or so people on a random blog keep repeating it, what your all doing is literally einstein’s definition of insanity.

      1. @ Defund The Media
        Exactly…This place has become the social media equivalent of “Doom & Gloom Central”…

      2. Uhhh yes social media is an echo chamber that with the dishonourable exception of the nut job in mar e lago has no
        Impact on reality .. so predicting endless victory each Saturday won’t bring it about and rose tinted platitudes about supporting the manager and players won’t motivate them to do better or transform the team … arsenal football club has been in a decade long decline which has accelerated under arteta … sadly that is the overwhelming reality for fans … wish it wasn’t the case but wishing it a way and burying your head in the sand is an odd response

        1. Lol RW1 you say that like it has to be full on acceptance and constant moaning or full on denial and predicting wins every week, you just sound silly and polarized.

      3. with this logic, shut down all fan websites, shut down twitter(actually, not the worst idea!), dont speak about sports in bars or unless you are a well known pundit or coach. 🤷‍♂️

    2. Spot on Mate!!👍… Whether we like it or not…. Arteta is a below the par coach and he’s very Dull tactically.
      He lacks substitution tactics, Only him knows the kind of football he’s playing; We can’t attack and we can’t defend.
      At this rate, we are going further downwards. This current team is way better than Lampard’s team of kids that qualified for Europe last season.
      Let’s stop complaining about this player or that, he has the whole power to bench them, Zhaka has been in almost all th games played this season, is he that good or indispensable? Whose fault is that?

    3. We keep hearing noises about needing more players & getting suckered into buying the b/s.
      Take a look at the table, then compare our team budget to some of those teams: Hammers, Everton, Villa & Scum. It becomes obvious that a gaffer w/o the hype is important.
      We have a guy meant to be great at developing kids picking Willian over Martinelli & Nelson?
      We concede silly goals & tend to play full of nerves. Mikel doesn’t do early subs – gooner_nation, Mikel isn’t transmitting confidence, he’s out of his league.

    4. ITS NOT THE MANAGERS FAULT. Its the players and Kroenke,……..there saved you a reply jf

      WHO PICKS THE TEAM???? DECIDES ON TACTICS??? PICKS HIS FAVOURITES regardless of form????

    1. A difficult choice Grandad but thank you
      I’ve always followed but will be more circumspect in the future

    1. If we get beat by the spuds next Sunday then Arteta has to go no way can it continue on like this he is very fortunate there are no fans in the stadium to turn against him which by now they certainly would have so if it all goes wrong next Sun the owner needs to grow a pair and sack him!!

  6. That kid kalstrom is out of depth for the premier league. He is good only in short passes. Never does a defence splitting forward pass. Cannot run fast with the ball. No long range passing. Shoots wildly at goal. Cannot dribble. Please return him to Real Madrid. Not good for Arsenal.
    Smith rowe much better!

    1. Wiggy, who’s “Kalstrom”?
      It’s not difficult to assess a poster’s ability to judge football talent, when they don’t know who plays for the Club!

      1. @ozzie
        Odegaard I call him kalstrom. Similar to the wenger error!
        Cannot handle premier league.
        Only short passes short passes all 90 minutes. Odegaard not the answer.
        Mark my words we know football talent ..

        1. Wiggy, but he’s not Kalstrom, who came to Arsenal with a back injury. Martin Odegaard, a Norwegian International, who was one of the best midfielders in LA Liga last season hasn’t played enough games with Arsenal yet to make a realistic assessment.

          1. @ozzie
            I honestly hope the kid makes it. But I have to face facts. Premier league is a different ball game to la liga. He did not light up the la liga, most games he was on the bench.
            His game is one footed all short passes. No defence splitting passes. Three games no goals no assists. Only one pre-assist. Ceballos a little better. But no one near Santi. Ozzie mark my words. The kid is going back. I hope I am proven wrong. Unfortunately we know football talent…

  7. The team, the club, the fans all are to blame. Let’s be realistic in epl. Does the covid affect arsenal fc only? They have fired staffs more than 60, terminated 3 players contracts but they can’t offer Balogun new deal. They brought Willian and over paid him while firing other workers. I think from my point of view, there’s no player arsenal will by from Chelsea will help this club. No one has done it and so far the 2 we got luiz n Willian you see some games are not interested because they have won everything in club levels. Willian has played many minutes but no goal and the coach will have guts to convince us fans he’s a game changer…how? Edu n arteta did two mistakes buying Willian n renewal of Luiz contract. Willian position we got Martinelli, Nelson, pepe , auba and saka and they all play better than him. He depends a space and he don’t win any ball ball back. Luiz made Saliba not to play, he’s error prone ever since. We had Mavropanos, Chambers, Saliba, Gabriel, Pablo, Mustafi, Papa, Holding why was he given another offer and yet we are in position 10. Because of that mistake Arteta and Edu made they play him and Willian more than other players. The young players were good in playing Europa last season and this season too but arteta after reaching round 16 he changes the line up. And these players so called experienced are the one letting this club down and they are paid handsomely mind you. It hurts me to watch them play with reserved energy so they don’t get injured. We got enough talented young players can take this club forward. Sell Xhaka, Elneny, Ceballos bring in Azeez, Niles, Gueduzi, Torreira, Willock..sell Willian bring Nelson and Martinelli that position. Sell laca bring Nketia and Balogun. Release luiz n kolacinac we got Tierney then buy full back 3. Sell Bellerin buy Arrons or Lamperty. Cedric is doing good. We need only 2 buys full back 2 and 3. Keep Odegaard and Mat on loan.

  8. An unbalanced and biased article full of unnecessary pessimism and unrealistic expectations for this season, IMO.

    Before season even began, I looked soberly and without bias at our squad back then – which was then much worse than it is now that some deadwood has left – and thought we would never make top four.

    That has proven correct and a sensible prediction. Unlike some on here and being a total realist, I always knew the size of the task that lay ahead for MA.

    I factored in our absent non supporting owner and the coasters that were here then , now mostly left. I never held silly expectations but thought steady progres would be made after a difficult start, not just in one season either.
    I am content that, broadly, what I expected has come true and will continue to have ample patience, UNLIKE so many!

    1. Oh no…more lies. After the FA win, you had a new god. You slathered over his buys and moves and fainted at our wins over MU and Chel and belittled every realist who said the jury was still out on MA even with those wins. The actual realists who could see MA is not good enough in the EPL yet.

    2. Jon- I’m sure you have seen ALL the comments calling you out on the earlier thread “Six important points from Burnley that sum up Arsenals season”. I’m not surprised you have run away as you do often do. It makes you look foolish though PAL.
      Durand brought up a very good a relevant point that was there waiting for you to answer. Just one simple question. But you PAL are a fraud. You call anyone who disagrees with you a juvenile. Pathetic from someone of your self- titled intellect. Try answering simple questions when put to you, after all, is this not what this site is all about?

      1. Phil So far I have not seen that thread. I amdoing my level best to be civil and address you respectfully, so am a little miffed that you have not decided to do likewise, after all our long standing feuds that I HAD HOPED were now behind us.
        I WILL RESPECTFULLY POINT OUT THAT YOU TOO HAVE NOT ANSWERED MANY OF MY POSTS TO YOU, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE YOU TOO HAVE NOT READ THEM.

        NO ONE CAN KEEP UP WITH THE FAR TOO MANY ARTICLES ON JA . Just let me know Phil if you are now prepared to be civil, as I much hope we can now return to our one time pleasant way of conversing.

        Calling each other deliberately untrue names does neither of us any credit,so I have ceased doing so.

        IF YOU ASSURE ME YOU WILL RETURN TO A CIVIL WAY OF REPLYING, YOU WILL FIND I meet you more than halfway. Ball is in your court Phil and I WILL NOW SEEK OUT THAT THREAD YOU MENTIONED.

    3. I think you blame the owner for nothing..look at the pay average 104000 per week playing at position 10? And say no support. Before the season started we had strong feelings this team is strong…for instant cb luiz,mustafi, papa, marvopanos,chambers,holding, mari, gabriel, (8)now tell me which other team had all those cbs? Midfield Torreira, xhaka,Guenduzi,Elneny, Ceballos, Niles, Partey, (7) in number. Forward Ozil, pepe, Willian, auba, lacazette, Nketiah, Martinelli, Saka, Rowe, Nelson..(10) full backs Tierney, cedric,Bellerin, kolacnac ..(4)…team lucks a good coach with strict measures not favouritism.

  9. As Sean says above, it doesn’t matter how anyone else rates the Arsenal squad, the table does not lie.

  10. Whatever happened to M. Allegri. His Gaffer experience and skills is what this arsenal need now.

    1. Unfortunately Allegri does not appear to want to work outside Italy, as he is monolingual.

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