Dan’s Arsenal Season Review 2023/24
June 2023
In perhaps a final chance to rescue his Gunner’s career Smith Rowe attempts to prove his fitness by joining England’s Under 21’s in the European Championships. That’s despite having been capped by the senior squad.
Our midfielder scores twice, gets an assist and brings a winners medal home with him.
Most Gooners are baffled when 65 million is spent on Kai Havertz, with the Chelsea flop one of our biggest earners.
July 2023
Our manager admits the nature of how we didn’t win the title left him spending the summer reconsidering his abilities. He’s more then backed by the Kroenke Family. Timber signs, as does Rice despite a late offer from Man City. Injury means Timber only plays for us on the first and last day of the season.
It’s undermined though by a youthful squad losing one of the few leaders we had, Xhaka. The midfielder is yet to lose for Leverkusen.
August 2023
Like Eddie Nketiah a year before Reiss Nelson is paid 100,000 a week to play the odd cup tie and not make an impact off the bench in the League.
Yet Tierney is loaned out and Pepe is paid to rip up his contract. Arteta mostly gets away with the number of talents he washed his hands of due to an unbeaten start to the campaign (including winning the Community Shield).
In a sign he’s overthinking things though, he starts Partey at right back asking him to plan when to step into midfield. This experiment only ends due to injury.
September 2023
Declan Rice scores his first goal as a Gunner in our win over Man United, after which he’s serenaded by 60,000 Gooners at the Emirates. Champions League football returns to the Emirates for the first time in 6 years.
Despite starting our first 5 fixtures of the campaign, Ramsdale is dropped in favour of Raya. According to Ramsdale senior his son is not given a reason or an area to work on.
Our manager though insists he doesn’t have a number 1 and will select his keeper based on form. He says he’s even considered subbing his goalies as a tactical switch.
This was a lie!
October 2023
Having made an error in the NLD, Raya made mistakes at the Bridge and in France. Arteta bizarrely praises Raya’s performance against Man City when he keeps passing the ball to the opposition. That comes across more of a manager not wanting to admit he’s wrong than doing what’s best for the team. A first win over Man City could be mentally huge.
November 2023
Did big decisions go against us at Newcastle? Yes
Did it warrant Arteta’s reaction? No.
Was it a sign of a manager out of his depth?
We comfortably win our CL group.
December 2023
We end the year in 4th, Liverpool and City both have games in hands after we win only one of our final 5 league games of the year.
To put that in perspective, we didn’t lose our second league game the previous season till February.
More concerning are the performances, with the Gunners struggling in the final third against Villa and West Ham, and Arteta describing our defeat at Fulham as our worst display of the season.
January 2024
An incredible amount of missed chances that leads us being knocked out of the FA Cup, leads to some suggesting that Arsenal have to sign a striker if they want to win any trophies this season. With Everton and eventually Forest deducted points, clubs are sensitive to breaking FFP rules though, so our manager insists improvement will come the old-fashioned way …. on the training pitch.
February 2024
After 67 minutes at the Emirates Liverpool are on course to remain 5 points clear of us before a VVD/ Alison mistake put us back into the title race. Jamie Carragher questions our celebrations but fails to explain how Odegaard taking a photo is any different to what Klopp does?
This month is arguably the best football we play all campaign, the next three League fixture seeing us score 15 goals to suddenly have a better goal difference to the two above us. Our set pieces have been world class since Rice was put in charge of corners and free kicks since December.
March 2024
Liverpool’s draw with Man City puts our title destiny into our own hands.
This is followed by Arsenal winning the first ever Champions League shoot out at the Emirates to advance to our first quarter finals in 14 years. Odegaard produces perhaps the best individual display of our season.
Despite knowing they would have to beat Bayern Munich then Man City or Real Madrid to get to the Final, some Gooners are strangely confident.
A point at the Etihad divides opinion. Some feel it’s a chance missed; others are impressed with a defensive display that previous version of the Gunners wouldn’t have been able to produce.
With 9 games left, it’s in Liverpool hands with the top three accepting they may have to win all their fixtures to be Champions. On paper we appear to have the toughest run in
April 2024
We set a record for 6 consecutive clean sheets away from home.
Liverpool’s season never recovers from failing to beat Man United in the Cup and then the League.
The turning point of the title race is the Sunday where on the same day that Crystal Palace win at Anfield, Arsenal fail to take advantage at the Emirates against Aston Villa. Our 2-0 defeat means that even if we won our final 6 league fixtures it might not be enough to be Champions. We need City to slip up somewhere.
The second half against Villa and 2nd leg in Munich are occasions the players let pass them by again leaving some to question if they have the mentality to get over the line?
In a memorable 5 days though to end the month, we beat a Chelsea and Spurs sides desperate to end our title dreams. Both are huge moments for this young squad, not just dealing with the pressure but doing so with a smile on their faces. Scoring in both Derbies cements Havertz as part of the furniture.
May 2024
The Gunners carry on winning but are running out of time finding someone to take points off Man City.
Our 1-0 win at Old Trafford again shows maturity that previous Arsenal teams didn’t have. It guarantees the title is decided on the final day for only the 10th time in the history of the Prem.
We get zero favours off Spurs and West Ham. Tottenham fans in particular show bizarre satisfaction losing a match which costs them any chance of being in the Champions League. They act like they have played a part in costing us the title, not that they simply lost another game. Even their manager is openly bewildered by the attitude of his fanbase.
2 early Foden goals on Sunday means our hopes are never allowed to be raised.
We end the season with 89 points, a point less than the 2004 Champions. Not even the Invincibles can better our record of 28 wins and 91 goals
Mikel Arteta asks Gooners not to be ‘satisfied by this’.
Dan
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS!please contact us through this link…
I am super proud of this team. I am glad Man City couldn’t take their annual 6 points from our matches
Shame they took their annual title 😔
With consulting my old friend Google
what month did we set the record of 3 consecutive away wins of scoring 5 or more goals
Middle of Feb , begining of March
Thank you sir
Mikel Arteta asks Gooners not to be ‘satisfied by this’.
This is the mentality of a winning manager. We had a great season, one of the best in our EPL history, record number of wins and goals but unfortunately came up just short of the juggernaut that is City.
Two seasons on the bounce challenging for the league this time improving by taking it to the last game, not happened in 20 years. Last time was the invincibles.
Still sad at the eventual outcome of last season, but at the same time proud of the team, which includes the players,manager,coaches,physios and other back room staff. I look forward to a ground breaking season come 2024/25. COYG!
A great season but as you say not able to win the PL or other titles. We need to strengthen in order to go again next season.
OT Nice to see Xhaka and Kolasinac in a European final 👏👏
Pleased that Kolasinac got a winners medal, as Xhaka has done pretty well already this season!!
No need to say anything else.
A good piece of writing but don’t agreed with the idea of arteta washing hand off players. It’s simple, a coach job is totry get the best out of his players and decide if their best is good enough for the team
Pepe spent one and half season under arteta, he’s a starter to begin but then a 18 years old boy shows he wants that position more. ….. The switch is a success as it produce a generational talent while the player in question couldn’t reclaim his position. Hence, the decision to let go.He had his opportunity but couldn’t produce the desired results .
Tierney is a good player but the problem, obviously, was his injury problem and secondly the coach doesn’t favour a conventional full back and both decision is proven to be correct. Tierney couldn’t stay fit at his current club and we have no conventional full back in the team setup. So his a case of wrong talent at the wrong place . What would you have suggest he do?
Now tell me how is this a case of washing hand off players?
But a good piece of critical writing as always just have to note that out