How would Arsenal look back at their season so far? by SE
The Gunners, going into the new season having done decent business in the transfer market, were relatively confident of putting up a good show and living up to the demands of being a top Premiership club. Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and Danny Welbeck are players with a lot of flair, suited to Arsenal and Wenger’s style, which subsequently got the sea of Arsenal supporters excited. However, going into a crucial phase of the season with a home clash against Hull City this Saturday, how would Arsenal look back at their season so far?
A couple of months into the new season, and nothing seems to have changed from recent seasons for the North Londoners who have already been knocked out of the Capital One Cup by a youthful Southampton side, languishing at 8th position in the Premier League table, and have won 1 of their 2 Champions League fixtures.
It’s only fair to say that Arsenal have been rather unfortunate to have so many crucial players – Ramsey, Giroud, Monreal and Debuchy – injured, and hence been unable to play with a settled lineup. In addition to the injuries, marquee players – Sanchez and Ozil (until the Chelsea game) – haven’t delivered for the Gunners who, prior to their first defeat of the season against Chelsea, had won just 2 and drawn the other four games. In hindsight, a win over Leicester and draw against Chelsea could have made all the difference to Arsenal’s season so far but, as things stand, it’s been ordinary stuff from Wenger’s wizards.
Highlights of the season so far
The biggest highlight of the competitive season so far surely has to be the comeback draw against Everton at Goodison Park. Trailing 0-2 with 10 minutes to go for the final whistle, Arsenal conjured up an expected turnaround and earned a well deserved point for themselves, while breaking Everton’s hearts. This result, at the time, was simply brilliant.
Next up, it has to be the 4-1 demolition of Galatasaray on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Welbeck’s hat-trick made the result even tastier, as the former Manchester United striker exhibited calm and composed finishing in front of goal. In recent times, the North Londoners have failed to put up such displays on a consistent basis, regardless of the competition and the opponent they are up against.
With just 7 games into the new season, it’s surely not irrecoverable from Arsenal’s perspective. 9 points behind Chelsea looks an indomitable margin of points to overhaul but, with the likes of Ramsey and Walcott to return from their respective injuries sooner rather than later, Wenger’s wizards can come up with better displays, string a few wins together, strike better consistency, and thereby hope to stage a turnaround of some sorts, both on the domestic and continental fronts.
Rating: 6.5/10