Arsenal has just fallen short in the Premier League title race, but they could go one step further and become champions next season.
The Gunners have been in fantastic form for most of the campaign, and if you ask most neutrals, Mikel Arteta’s side deserved to be champions.
The Gunners are now looking to ensure they remain at the top of the Premier League table and potentially win the championship at the end of next season.
Arsenal has improved every season since Arteta joined the club, and the Gunners’ manager will want his team to take that next step and become champions next term.
They need to make changes to achieve this, and Micah Richards has suggested which positions they must strengthen.
He said, as quoted by Football London:
“I think if you are looking at them, how can they improve next season? It’s to get a striker who can score all types of goals, I think that potentially has been a difference this year even when (Erling) Haaland has not been playing at his best he has scored goals.
“City won the League without Haaland but they won the treble with him last season. They have a chance to win a double next season and I think for Arsenal, going forward, having added threat up front could pay dividends.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We have been making good progress and most of us will agree with Richards that we need a new striker. Hopefully, we will sign one in the summer.
No, Arsenal haven’t improved every season since Mikel Arteta joined the club – what is the point of making such false statements?
What we should be saying however, is the progress made in the last two seasons versus the previous three… and THAT’S when one can REALLY start to appreciate what a fantastic job he’s done.
Those first three seasons saw no improvement in results whatsoever and also resulted in us having no european football for the first time in two decades, but if one wants to rewrite history to try and prove a point (whatever that point might be!!) then let’s keep reminding ourselves of the facts.
Meanwhile, when will MA sign a new contract?
So wrong KEN,that it beggars belief!
You are seriously tryng to argue that we made NO progres from MA ‘s first half season when we finished eighth, to his two next seasons when we were again eighth and then fifth? Improvement cannot always be measured ONLY in final Prem positions.
NO WONDER WE HARDLY EVER AGREE ON ARSENAL MATTERS, WHEN YOU TRY TO PASS SUCH NONSENSE OFF AS A SERIOUS COMMENT.
SIGH .
@ken, I understand your definition of improvement but let me ask you this, did we make any improvement this season? Considering we’re in the same position as last season
Secondly, another reason why people don’t see any improvement in arteta’s early years is their unwillingness to acknowledged the position we found ourselves in England then, the truth is when arteta was appointed we’re not in the top five team in the league, man City, Liverpool, Manchester United; chelsea, Tottenham are all ahead of us, I mean from the outside we’re not considered a top four team anymore and that’s what some of our fans failed to accept but it’s the truth. They are still living in past glories nnot realizing how low we’ve falled. Emery’s first season at arsenal saw us not competing at all for champions league qualifications but we’re flattered by our exploit in the europa league. The following season take us to another level of our down fall and at half season we all already knew that no European competition for us even before arteta’s appointment, I witnessed the worst arsenal performance have ever seen since I started supporting the club but still some fans, out of their inability to accept our current position was expecting a manager that can revived our season and bring us back to top four that same season which is just outrageous and unrealistic. Even our fa cup triumph is against all odds, even after our victory against man city in the semis where we literally packed the bus against twishDavid Luiz in his post match interview mention how they have to be honest with themselves about the team current level which is no where near that of man city and i wish the fans can also think the same way. That we finish 8th one place better off Emery’s tenure with a trophy shows an immediate improvement
Lastly, the task arteta face is underestimated, hence , ,underappreciated which is even more looking at Manchester United situation. The task is huge for a novice coach even any coach hence, the owners reason for exercising patience. The improvement started internally by arteta’s appointment of backroom staff, building a dying team spirit, induction of the right culture and ethics, setting standard and so on which won’t be recognised by some fans but it’s important in building a competitive team. That’s the task in his first full season which he did well and also maintaining his previous position. The notion that we miss out on Europe completely is also an example of fans not accepting reality, we missed out on Europe in the previous season also but the virtue of fa champion means we’re still there not our performance.
I understand if the first one and half season doesn’t show obvious improvement, though there is, the following season we finished in fifth position and back in Europe and top five team in the league but still, some fans chose not to see improvement despite finishing 8th in the last two seasons because they believe arsenal is a top four club and that confirmed my earlier claim that majority of our fans failed to accept the reality of our club present position but chose to live in past glories which is unrealistic hence, their unrealistic expectations. This same fans, for the above reasons won’t see any improvement in our performance this season.
Well chronicle, you’ve answered your own questions as you write your post.
There is no way on earth that one can say we improved every season since MA joined the club.
Just look at the results in the league, domestic cups and European involvement.
Let’s refresh our memories.
We finished 5th the season before he took over in the PL… it took two and a half seasons to equal that position.
We lost in the final of a European competition the season before he took over… we failed to qualify for europe for the first time in two decades under his stewardship.
The fa cup? Well, after winning it with the players who, it seems saw the club in an almighty mess, we failed to progress beyond the fourth round in the next two seasons.
So explain to me where, in those first two and a half seasons, where the results saw us improving in ANY SINGLE COMPETITION WE ENTERED?
What your missing, of course, is the fact that, if you admitted to the fact that he was unsuccessful to begin with, the reason behind the immense progress in the last two seasons is phenomenal – that is why I’m so behind MA, he is taking us to the top.
I’m over the moon with this seasons results which confirmed the fact that last season wasn’t a fluke.
But that doesn’t screw my memory of those earlier years, where I sat and watched the most awful football, despite spending lots of money and ditching the “deadwood” that, to date, won him his only trophy.
I believe I’m getting so much more from MA as our manager, by facing the facts, rather than trying to rewrite his early seasons – but hey!!
Everyone to there own and I took on board what Mikel said at the end of the match this Sunday… tell me what you thought about his advice?
Though the results have surfaced in the last 2 seasons, especially this season, but, results don’t just come all of a sudden, although they may seem like when they surface. It’s like making butter by skimming the sour milk. Most of the process involved is just skimming the sour milk, and nothing really seems to happen even after half the total time it takes for the butter to solidify and be visible on the surface. I don’t think Arsenal is where it is just because of changes in the personnel on the pitch or the performances they put. The whole culture has changed from ground up within the club and it’s easy to see, not on the pitch! but through the talks and the passion that the leaders we have currently in Edu and Josh. Those are the things you can’t measure on the pitch but the results we have seen last 2 seasons wouldn’t have been possible without it. It’s very naive to think a bunch of good players and a good manager alone can win titles, even Pep said in his press after the title win that he alone wouldn’t have done it if not for everything that the club does “for” him. That’s not what we had when Mikel joined, club leadership was in shambles with dubious people pulling the strings before and their consequences still haunting the club. To me, the biggest achievement has been building the culture that we see now at Arsenal, the passion, the effort, the look on the faces of players tonight after the whistle, the way Havertz didn’t even seem to move a muscle in his face after scoring a goal, I thought for once may be it was an offside and he knew it but no, it was a goal but that look said it all. What the players are fighting for, taking accountability and not blaming this or that. We didn’t have that before. It was shambles and those changes don’t get reflected in points and game metrics as they are intangible, but without them we wouldn’t have been here today. So, speaking of improvements, it’s my honest opinion that the improvements in the first 3 years trump all we have done last 2 seasons. I value those years of Mikel more than the last 2. Anything could have happened in those years, Mikel could have given up seeing a mess that the club was in, management could have become impatient like it has happened to clubs like Chelsea and ManU, and kept changing managers for a quick miraculous surge of results. But they didn’t happen in those years and that’s why we are here since last season, pushing the best in the premier league history till the last game, pushing them to be better than they were ever before!
Ken1945
I’m glad you enjoyed the match I knew we were up against it as City were 2-0 up moments before my plane departed.
I can’t take issue with your facts as you present them but I have a different view on how and why the turnaround wasn’t instantaneous. Whatever way you look at it, Wenger had unfortunately failed to make top4 and so did Emery (who imo was no improvement at all considering his vast experience).
I thought that the general behaviour within the squad was deeply flawed and as was pointed out above, it took time to fix. I can’t dispute that the results were poor. But I also strongly believed that AW was not going to bring us back to the top and it wasn’t just Emery’s lack of English that was the root cause of failing to qualify for the CL or at least put up a show in Baku.
You will remember very clearly that I backed Arteta as I found him to be a convincing individual. It was touch and go at times especially with the Ozil banishment which caused untold friction and then with Guendouzi and Auba. Something was definitely amiss with the dressing room.
The only way I can describe it is that we reached a tipping point around Arteta’s 2 year mark, when results turned a corner. Was it his philosophy on football that was beginning to take shape underpinned with new players arriving with the old brigade slowly being moved on? I believe so, coupled with important changes being made at executive level.
Much ridicule was aimed at the process, but that process has now become increasingly successful as the turnover of players has brought about a major change in how Arteta’s team now plays in the way that he wants with the type of player that suits his philosophy. For the players who didn’t fit – Tierney for example, it has been difficult. Some purchases haven’t been successful but overall the majority have been, otherwise 2 top 2 finishes would have been impossible.
There was a lot of short-termism when Dan for example banged on about the 885 and lack of CL football. 20 plus years with the same manager at the helm who was almost a certainty to be difficult to replace. The ownership had a good look at themselves too which has also paid dividends.
I notice your “no improvement in those first two and a half seasons”(not three BTW!) totally ignores the steady increase in final total points gained, which has increased in all four and a half years MA has been in charge.
Doesnt suit your agenda perhaps??
Interesting to note, this is the most wins we’ve ever had in a pl season (28). More than even the invincibles (and last season we equalled their 26). And our defence is widely acknowledged to be the best or at least equal to anyone in the league. I’d say we’re playing at an incredibly high standard.
Davi, indeed we are and I stressed that in my post.
I’m of the opinion, however, that we are glossing over the first two and a half seasons in our praise for the manager I hope will be with us for many seasons.
I always try to be honest in my assessments and I remember those early days, when everyone, at the very least, showed some concerns as to where the club was going.
I agree with Daulat and his views regarding the club and it’s fans – The Emirates is at last our home and it rocks every game and has done for the last two seasons.. the question we should address is why it wasn’t for the previous two and a half seasons?
The answer is simple, we were not successful and the football was worse than previously on offer.
SueP sees it differently from me and I know she’s as passionate a supporter as myself so it proves that opinions are just that.
Can’t wait for the results of the 115 charges to reveal what city have been up to and I am so PROUD of what AFC stands for.
Hi Ken – wasn’t really meant as a point against your post, I’m just astounded with that particular stat and how it hasn’t been made more of.
I can see you mean that we haven’t seen *continuous* improvement, going from day one. It was a bit more up and down in the first couple of seasons and only these past two seasons have we seen the fruits of the work arteta has put in. It often goes that way, I find – there’s usually some initial hiccups before you really see the direction of travel.
I personally wouldn’t say we were particularly worse than the few seasons they preceded arteta’s first couple of years – I could see he was ripping out the old roots and laying new ones (not that I was always entirely convinced his new regime was going to succeed, I admit), but I still don’t think we were ever far worse than the few previous seasons, certainly no worse than the year under emery.
Ken
You make good factual points regarding the early year’s, unfortunately that doesn’t fit the narrative of some.
They dismiss those times; they blame Wenger or Emery, or the players, but it was under Arteta’s leadership.
Arteta oversaw our lowest point in 20 years, but brought us back and improved us.
I am pleased with the current state of our club like you, but I don’t try to rewrite history.
In fact, it’s those struggles and down times of missing European football that make our current state so much sweeter.
Durand
I can only speak for myself and my narrative does blame Wenger not bowing out on a high. (Either him or the club for not being bold enough) I also can’t reconcile a European trophy winner multiple times failing to get the squad to give Chelsea a game and to fall short in getting a CL place from a good position. By the time Emery was given the heave-ho we were lower than mid table.
So you have described how it was awful under Arteta but fail to see that there were troubled times before he arrived and must then think that either AW was unfairly treated and that Emery’s problems were all because he was just the coach.
I’m not saying that Arteta’s early years were fantastic but I gave what he was trying to implement a chance. He had his non negotiables as some of them found out. Did everyone think that a man with no prior management experience was going to waltz through?
I didn’t think he was going to “waltz through” as you put it SueP, but neither did I think he would see us out of Europe, finish 8th in his first full season and see us in our worst league oosition in over two decades.
As Durand says, the lowest point since, I believe 1988.
Neither Wenger or Emery did that, just Arteta – so although the future is looking fantastic, he was not successful since he joined the club as a ciach/manager and that’s the point I’m making with regards to the article.
Ken1945
It’s very clear that we do have very different views on the subject of Arteta’s early years. I can’t dispute the league positions as they are there for all to see. But what is often overlooked as far as I’m concerned is that AW and Emery didn’t have to play out the 8th place scenario as both were no longer in post. I have great respect for Arsene Wenger, with the proviso that he had some part to play in finishing lower than 4th with a diminished chance of regaining the position. It was the start of a decline that Emery couldn’t halt either. So yes, the league positions do tell the truth of 8th place twice but fundamentally do not put any meat on the bones.
May I ask if you thought that when Emery was released he could have made it above 8th if he’d been given more time?
SueP, sorry for the delay in answering your question.
I do believe that UE could have made a difference, if he had been backed by the club and made manager instead of coach.
I base that on what he has achieved at villa and the fact that he got us to a European final and SHOULD have got us back in europe.
The reason that AW and UE didn’t have to play the 8th place scenario, is that they never got into that position – no matter what kind of situation the club was in.
Thanks for your reply Ken1945
I am very much in the minority regarding Emery. Making excuses was used many times against people like me who saw something in Arteta.even though it was a bumpy ride.. I thought he would come good but my old favourite- patience- was required due to having no track record to judge him by.
I could say the same thing about Emery who had a successful track record and was on the brink of CL football on 2 fronts and failed. That failure was at least as bad imo as Arteta finishing 8th the second time when there was some justification in people’s minds about his ability to turn it around. .
I will be interested to see if Emery can deliver a better outcome for Villa next season. He flew with us and it went wrong and he has flown with Villa but the results tailed off and he should at least have made it to the Conference final. His success was to bring CL football to Villa albeit with a vastly inferior points difference to the 3 clubs above. and also during a time of turbulence for the previous big hitters such as Chelsea and Utd.
Btw, I just watched a YouTube video that was titled “Funny Arsenal Defending”. It was made 4 years ago and featured highlights from Mustafi, Sokratis, Luiz and Bellerin and co as our back line. I watched it whole, believe me, twice, as a refresher of how far we have come. And it’s only the 20/21 season when we finally let go of players like Mkhitaryan, Sokratis, Mustafi, Ozil and Kolasinac. And the next season 21/22, Luiz, Guendouzi, Torreira, Willock and Willian left. Other than Willock and Willian, who else among above actually played well after? And in EPL?
That’s where the actual rebuilding of the squad began. Odegaard, Gabriel and Partey came a year earlier but still we had so much of junk. Odegaard was still finding his feet, and Gabriel was too young and inexperienced. The only player of caliber we had then was Partey. Only players that Arteta made mistakes on were Mari, Soares and Lokonga and arguably Fabio Viera, over the course of 2 transfer window that is. That’s 4 out of 18 incoming transfers he has made so far, that he has made mistakes. And his outgoing record is IMO perfect! We didn’t make much money out of them but who in their right minds would buy such players then? Heck, even Pep let Cole Palmer leave this season and see how he turned out. Of course, they won the league, but no one would say that was a smart decision now. Also, Pep let go Gundogan, Mahrez, Jesus and Oleks, and bought Phillips, so he has made mistakes that could have cost him the titles last season, nearly!
Can you do a rebuild without letting such players leave the club that Arteta did? Mikel’s first 3 seasons were simply cleaning up the squad for the most part. And before someone comes mentioning, “But these junk won Mikel the only trophy …” Even Wigan Athletic won the FA cup in 12/13 despite positioned 18th in the league. So, bringing up the first 3 seasons under Mikel time and time again just goes on to prove the epic lack of honesty IMO. It’s all there to see where Arsenal has come from since the first season under Arteta. And what the rebuild has done last 2 seasons is absolutely incredible. I agree the improvements might not have happened under the manager of their choice for many fans here, but to suggest the improvement hasn’t been steady is a remarkable dishonesty, something that questions the very loyalty of such fans into question.
Daulat – you question my loyalty as a fan, because I have a different opinion to you?
I have supported The Arsenal for over 70 years and travel down from Scotland for every home game. I have had a season ticket for over sixty years on and off and have lived through every kind of emotion known to man following this club.
Now, you might not agree with my views and opinions, but don’t ever question my loyalty, which, by the way, is to the club and not Arteta, Wenger or anyone else.
As I say, IN MY OPINION, Arteta was not a success in his first two and a half seasons.. as the club’s history shows.
The last two seasons have been excellent and I want him to stay for a long time.
Fans like DK (Who I respect for his honesty) points out that he STILL hasn’t won anything with his preferred players – but I have no doubt that will happen.
No one will convince me that MA was a success in those early days and Mikel himself admits that!!
It was not directed to you personally ken. And I don’t doubt your loyalty as you probably have been supporting Arsenal for longer than my age.
But saying we haven’t improved steadily is something I can’t fathom honestly. I am not saying Mikel’s first years were a success, but I never saw decline after he joined. Yes, the points suggest the turbulence, but it was merely a rough patch of road that caused the coke to spill a couple of times but that wouldn’t have happened if a vehicle isn’t moving forward steadily! If a vehicle isn’t moving steadily, we never feel the bumps on the road, isn’t it?
The fact that your questioning anyone’s allegiance to the club because they have a different opinion is wrong, completely wrong!!
There’s an article on JA asking how long we can be the bridesmaid which I haven’t yet read as I’ve only got home about two hours ago from the game.
I had booked the time at the hotel in expectation of being at the open bus parade, such is my admiration and support of Mikel Arteta, but it was not to be – so I cut my losses and left this morning.
AW stayed to long, UE lost his way and MA made many mistakes.
To say otherwise is denying the facts – but that’s in the past and I am more positive in the last two seasons than the previous six.
MA has become a real manager and I hope he stays to win the trophies he needs to be considered alongside the likes of AW, UE and in particular, PG!!
I believe he will, just my opinion.
I admire your support for Arsenal. Maybe it wasn’t apt for me to question loyalty based on mere differing opinions.
And I am not loyal to Arteta, but Arsenal as a club as well. And being that, I see the impact he has had on the whole club, not just the players and performances. In fact, so far, his biggest impact has been in the former case than latter, as the team isn’t still the way he prefers. It’s almost there, but we have seen how almost doesn’t cut it in the title races. His squad building is still WIP, but what he has instead finished is the task of changing the culture and building passion. He has helped brought both back to this amazing club, the most crucial steps he took to achieve this were taken in his early years, IMO.
So, although, the match performances and league positions in the first 3 seasons didn’t show a steady improvement, you could argue however that based on points gained every season it has been a steady incline, but the groundwork for most of what we are seeing today were laid during the early years of Arteta, which as a loyal fan to the club is even more important to the club than the results in the last 2 seasons. And not just Mikel, but Edu, Josh all must receive equal credit for how they remained patient in the process and helped Arteta change the culture and air around the club. That for me will be Arteta’s legacy in the future, even after he wins the league trophy, I will still praise him first and foremost for revitalizing the club, and then the trophy. But that’s just my take on the matter.
And I apologize to you if my conclusions were a bit rash, but I meant no disrespect.
Thanks for your reply, especially the last paragraph and we’ve cleared that point up.
I also acknowledge your view on Mikel’s first two and a half seasons and concede you have made (along with SueP I should add) some strong points.
That’s what debating is all about, as we often forget that we are all Arsenal supporters and want only the best for the club.
I’m now looking forward to next season under MA and can only see a positive outcome.
History is exactly that and I have enjoyed debating with you.