This season has certainly delivered its fair share of highs and lows for Arsenal, but sadly the Gunners have once again fallen short of securing silverware.
There was a genuine opportunity to win the League Cup and even, potentially, the Champions League. In the end, that has not materialised, and frustratingly, Arsenal finish the campaign empty-handed for a fifth consecutive year.
Six missed chances since the 2020 FA Cup
Since lifting the FA Cup in 2020, which remains the first and only trophy Mikel Arteta has won as Arsenal manager, the Gunners have endured a series of near misses. The club has twice led the Premier League title race before faltering late on, narrowly missed out on both the League Cup and the Europa League final, and most recently fell just short of the Champions League final.
While Arsenal did defeat Manchester City on penalties to win the 2023 Community Shield, many supporters and pundits do not consider that a major honour.
There is something to be said for competing at the top again. Arsenal have been challengers for more than just the FA Cup in the past two seasons, and that in itself marks progress. However, the way this 2024–25 campaign has ended still feels deeply anti-climactic.

From Madrid euphoria to Paris heartbreak
After demolishing Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals, there was a strong sense that this might finally be Arsenal’s year. That hope was short-lived. Losing to PSG in the semi-finals was painful, and nearly a week later the disappointment remains. Still, there is pride in how far the team came.
If Liverpool were knocked out early on by PSG then that sums up how good they are and good luck to the French Champions in the final, as I said in a previous article.
The defeat to PSG drew comparisons to the League Cup exit against Newcastle United. In both ties, Arsenal faced compact, resolute defences they could not unlock.
After effectively surrendering the title race to Liverpool in December, many fans had hoped for a domestic cup triumph. There remains a lingering sense of what might have been, especially with Newcastle falling to a below-par Liverpool in the final.
Arsenal have become the “so close” side, nearly tasting success but never quite managing to secure a cup or a league winner’s medal. Arteta has certainly improved the club from the eighth-place side he inherited, but the pressure is building. Next season, he must turn potential into trophies.
Arsenal are likely to finish second once again, but is second place without silverware really enough for a third straight season?
Liam Harding
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Hey mate
Just for clarification he didn’t inherit an 8th placed side
The squad he inherited had finished 5th the season before but admittedly had lost their way by the time he took the job
Liam, the cub were 13th in the PL when Mikel was appointed as the Head Coach, not 8th.
No, incorrect. Arsenal were 10th in the league when Arteta took over in December 2019, 22 points from 17 matches.
A year later in December 2020 (Christmas Day) Arsenal were 15th in the league, just 4 points above relegation.
People forget how dire it was, how poorly we started 2020, and how far we had fallen by December.
Credit to Arteta to drive the team upwards; to challenging for the title and on pace for 3 consecutive 2nd place finishes.
But lets not forget the fact how bad we were, and how much worse we got after Emery and all the negative records set under Arteta.
Lets tell the truth, warts and all, and give credit where it is due, and criticize where and when it is appropriate.
@Durand
Thank you…👍🏾
NY_Gunner
Just trying to get the truth out there; Emery gets bashed a lot, some of it deserving.
However, to saddle him with our worst league positioning in years is just dishonest. We actually performed worse the year after Emery left, people either add that to Emery’s resume’ or conveniently forget Arteta was managing us downward as he learned the managerial ropes.
Durand, that’s why we kept asking for the same criteria regarding AW, UE and MA.
It seemed that phases were invented as we went along, with no recognised target to achieve.
I do agree that MA has improved the club, both on and off the pitch and to such an extent, that I want to see if he can finish what he started…. that being when his contract ends.
Ken
Thank you my friend, I have tried to remain consistent in my praise and criticism of those 3 managers.
I try to apply the same standards (growth, results, place in the PL table, and style of play), and feel it is the manager’s responsibility to meet the club’s “standards,” and not the job of the club to lower standards to accommodate a manager.
Unfortunately it seems goalposts have been moved, and concepts like “phases” and “process” are used rather than goals and standards faced by Arteta’s predecessors.
This way the “process” can continue seemingly forever, and “phases” can serve as an excuse; why we have not had a striker in several years in place of a makeshift winger and a 10.
Why no backup for Saka has been brought in for several years, why we continue to switch out GK and LB every Summer.
These are all “phases” building up to something, but they never articulate exactly what that something is, or never set a deadline or goal of accomplishing that something.
Ownership has learned after Wenger and Emery not to stipulate what is “success,” top 4 finish, domestic trophy, whatever it is.
Instead, we hear “be patient,” “we are building up to it,” or “trophies are not everything.”
@Durand
That’s why I still wonder, what was the reason for bringing in a cup winning manager, don’t back him and then sack him a year and a half later. Then throw all your cookies after a non proven rookie?
NYG
No doubt in my mind that Arteta was an absolutely massive punt and yes, all the cookies were thrown at an unproven rookie.
You and I have a to and fro on occasions regarding Emery and I am yet to be swayed that getting rid of him was a bad idea. He was backed financially. Now whether you liked the purchases, the money was spent. Equally, when Arteta started he had to go along with Sanhelli’s players – Cedric and Mari. Not an upgrade in anybody’s opinion. They were supposed to be short term loans but somehow got long contracts.
I honestly think that you are wearing rose coloured specs if you think messing up the last few league games and the horror story in Baku PLUS the dire form in his second season PLUS the fans deserting home matches was a reason to keep Emery on board.
Having taken on Arteta, the directors were somewhere between duty bound or hoping for the best, that he would come good, and therefore, keeping him on for longer than Emery who did have a full and impressive CV was the route they took.
@Sue P
I’m a bit too long in the tooth to be wearing rose coloured glasses in any instance. The unanswered question still remains. Why hire the guy(Unai)in the first place? I find it very unprofessional of them, given Arteta did worse in his first year than Unai.
And yeah, you and I will go back and forth on this. But it’s simply opposing opinions between two adults. Just like the rest of the banter on here. Respect still remains Sue. ✌🏾
If UE making it to the Europa final and taking a beating is a horror story, do you consider not making it to the final at all under MA as a better story?
There’s a glaring difference between the level of expectation by fans and owner for the two managers. If not for UE having more experience than MA, it would be double standards
We are both wrong Durand. Although Mikel was appointed on December 20th, for our next game at Everton Freddie was still in charge. The 0-0 draw left us 11th on 23 points with a GD of -3. His first game in charge was on Boxing Day at Bournemouth.
A year later on Boxing Day we we were 14th after beating Chelsea 3-1 at home.
Yes things weren’t that great in those days, but we must remember the challenge he had, being an inexperienced Head Coach/ Manager and the job he had to do in rebuilding the club.
No, stop trying to pin things on other managers.
We were 10th when Emery was sacked, not 13th, that is patently false.
Also we fell to 15th, 4 points above relegation the following December under Arteta; that is a fact.
We were worse than under Emery, one cannot erase or ignore inconvenient facts.
Credit to Arteta for turning things around and improving the club, he has done a great job on that.
I hope he can capitalize and win a trophy like PL or CL and finish what he set out to do.
However, if he can’t then he should go when his contract is up, enough time and money were spent, he had a more than fair chance.
We are Arsenal Football Club, not a cult of personality beholden to one man.
I’ve already posted that I had made a mistake in saying we were 13th.
As I posted previously, his first game in charge was away at Bournemouth on Boxing Day. Before that game we were 11th after the draw at Everton when Freddie was in charge and Mikel was sitting in the stand. After the Bournemouth game we moved up one place to 10th.
Yes we did fall to 15th the following December, but on the anniversary of his first game we moved to 14th.
It seems to me that people don’t realise the job a novice Head Coach, then manager, had to do at the club, much like Fergie did when he took over at Man Utd in October ’86.
Herr Dierr why mum? Where is your retort?
Where did you get that 13th from because you keep repeating it over and over?
Were you lying?
HH, I don’t spend all my life on JA, I have other things to do, like having hospital appointments twice a month !
I take it you never make mistakes ?
Why do you always lie about me, saying I’m a Wenger hater when I’m not ? I mentioned him when people dig out Mikel for the same things Wenger did or said.
At least I reply to you, unlike you, when I ask you a question.
What a convenient mistake to make it look way worse than how it actually was? Why didn’t you make a mistake of saying he was 7th perhaps or 8th or 9th?
Speaking of replying to each other you still haven’t answered my question, where did you get that 13th from? Did you make it up?
2 places is hardly way worse 🙄
No I didn’t make it up. That’s where I honestly thought we were.
NY-Gunner,
That still sits a bit uncomfortable for me actually. To think that a club of Arsenal’s size, rather than bring in an established manager, they allow a then rookie as a manager cut his teeth in his first managerial job.
As well as he’s done to a point, I still have my doubts as to whether he can get the club to the next step. And if so, how long will it take. Another 5 years and 5 more of those wonderful phases that we keep hearing about.
I heard the other day, that the club are thinking of getting a new club dog, this one they’re not going to call Win for obvious reasons. This time I hear their going to call it, almost. 😂🤣😉👍
Maybe they should name the dog “Trophy,” at least we will have one around the grounds. “Striker” would be a good name, at least we would have one at the club.
“Process” or “phases” are also good names, at least they would reference something tangible.
Cute dog to be fair
@DEREK
The manager before Mikel was an established manager. We all see how that turned out. 🤔
Derek, it’s in the clubs DNA to appoint rookie managers, even men that had no managerial experience at all.
I hadn’t really thought about that before, HD. Bertie Mee was a physio if memory serves me
SueP, yep, he was the physio. His footballing career was cut short due to a knee injury iirc.
He replaced Billy Wright after Wright was sacked in 1966. Wright became our manager after retiring as a player for Wolves. He was married to one of the Beverley Sisters, who at the time we quite famous singers.
In the 30’s we had George Allison who was a journalist who won League Titles and the FA Cup.
Tom Whittaker was another one with no managerial experience when becoming our manager. He also won 2 League Titles and the FA Cup.
Jack Cranston then took over from Tom Whittaker, and he was again another on with no managerial experience. Only lasted a few year I think.
Yeah not sure I agree with that mate
only a few after World War 2 were first time managers at Arsenal ( full time )
Wouldn’t say it’s in our DNA , hasn’t been the case for decades before Arteta
Post WW2 we’ve had 11 full time managers and 1 Head Coach. 5 were rookies, so that’s just under half. Hardly a few.
Nah mate
‘a few” generally means a small number, which is always less than half. While “a few” doesn’t have a precise number, it typically refers to more than two but significantly less than half of something.’
So If you had 11 full time managers and your telling me 5 had their first job at Arsenal then that’s not even half
Also if you name them for me your see this were decades ago
As I posted, just under half were novice managers.
As for the names, and remember you first posted from after WW2, here is the list.
Tom Whittaker 1947
Jack Crayston. 1956
Billy Wright. 1962
Bertie Mee. 1966
Mikel Arteta. 2019
Yeah but you think under half means hardly a few
It literally does mean that lol
Point is mate if you have to go back to 1966 that is not in the club DNA
Nearly 70 years ago lol
Few: not many, hardly any, scarcely any, a small amount of, a small number of, a small amount of, a small quantity of, one or two.
5 out of 11, as I posted previously, is just under half, so hardly a few.
Still, I see your maths is just as bad as your comprehension.
Think I’m right in saying since 1966 we have had 3 rookie managers who first full time managers job was Arsenal manager
1966
1976
And Arteta
That’s not DNA
Just my opinion though peeps
I think you’re erroneously including Neil in ’76 after he’d been with Spurs and omitting Howe in “84.
Jax, Neill was also at Hull before going to that lot in N17.
Yeah mate was meant to write 1962
I thought Howe managed others before Arsenal ?
West Brom and Galatasaray
I didn’t know Howe had previous experience🤣
Yeah he did some coaching at Arsenal first I believe mate
He became the coach under Bertie Mee in 1967 iirc.
Yeah came back years later
Bit of a flop wasn’t he!
Jax, as a manager yes. Mind you I think we had just gone 4th in the League when he quit in 1986.
A top coach though.
One of our best coaches.
Yep. It was his idea to move our RB, Peter Storey, into midfield to become our hard man, which is what most teams had in them days. I think George Graham copied that idea with Michael Thomas, who has played defence in the youth and reserve teams.