Most of us Gooners aren’t overly worried about the title race right now, and perhaps we’re justified in feeling this way.
In the 2023-24 season, we missed out on the league title by just 2 points. Last season, after 20 games, we had 39 points. We are only slightly behind that total at this stage of the season compared to last.
There’s hope, but a glance at the Premier League table does give some cause for concern. Table-toppers Liverpool are currently 6 points ahead of us, with a game in hand.
While we’ve managed to sustain an impressive unbeaten run over the last 12 games (9 wins and 3 draws), we need to go on a winning streak—and Liverpool must drop points for us to have a real chance.
Call me cheeky, but I’ve been eyeing Liverpool’s fixtures, and there are 9 matches where I think they could drop points:
- Chelsea (away)
- Manchester City (away)
- Brighton (away)
- Bournemouth (away)
- Arsenal (home)
- Aston Villa (away)
- Brentford (away)
- Everton (away)
- Nottingham Forest (away)
Surely, at least 4 of these teams can step up and deny Liverpool all 3 points.
If Liverpool drops points in these matches—perhaps even 10 or more—it would blow the title race wide open. Embarrassing as it may sound, we Gooners wouldn’t mind if Liverpool bottled the title race.
On our end, Arsenal has endured a tough start to the season with challenging away fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Tottenham. Yet there’s still plenty of time to recover. As Martin Keown recently said on TNT Sports, “There’s still time to recover against Liverpool, who have lots of difficult fixtures to come.”
Our hunger for glory is undeniable, and we’ll fight until the very end. And come Sunday, May 11th, we might just do something extraordinary at Anfield: beat Liverpool on their home turf to confirm our first Premier League title in over two decades.
Daniel O
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I agree. Experience, another word for old age 😁 tells me that this is not over yet.
However, we have to improve and start to be honest. At a much lower level my coach used to say, ‘it’s up to us to win the game’ So let’s stop time wasting, let’s play forwards instead of sideways, let’s get goals when we are on top in games. If we do that, the odd referee decision or slip up by the defence doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to say is, if we are going to win the league we should expect, not want, expect, to score more than one goal at the likes of Brighton etc
I agree arsenal are still very much in the race. Long way to go yet. I know some fans are disappointed were not top but take out some of the ref decisions weve had and injuries so far and alot more of you naysayers would be more positive or at least less vocal. Liverpool are not unbeatable. We still have to go Anfield and pool have to play the toffees twice still. They have some other tricky away days too as mentioned by post writer. The key now is keeping our run going and if we’re still 6 points off them come start of march we’re still I’m with a decent shout imo. Even city imo are not out of race yet it just takes a couple of off games by pool and things could change very quickly.
800 mil to win the Carribou cup? I don’t think so. It would be nice but not the goal. You are classed as elite winning the domestic cups. The league and CL should always be the goal and yardstick for success. The rest is tit bits.
Please stop talking about the money spent as some sort of stick to beat Arteta with. It says, you basically know nothing of how football works and the state Arsenal were in when Arteta took over.
Arsenal were a million miles off the likes of City and Liverpool. Explain to me how we bridge that gap without spending?
Spending can also create wealth. Our squad is now worth a huge amount should we decide to sell. Beforehand, we literally couldn’t even give our players away – the situation was that bad.
Arsenal fans did nothing but complain for years that we weren’t spending, and now moan because we are spending! Given the ridiculous prices we pay for tickets, and amenities inside the Emirates, surely you want that invested in the squad?
Finally, whilst we were HAVING to spend to catch our rivals up, do you think they weren’t continuing to spend themselves?
I have no issue having some of Arteta’s tactics criticised, or transfer windows, but the money issue is a laughably bad excuse!
I think you make a strong point about what the other teams have spent and the value of our squad now. It’s one of those things other clubs are at liberty to do but not get questioned about it
Exactly my point. Some of our fans seem to think that our rivals, who’s squads were so many levels above what we had, just stood still.
Also Arteta is unlucky enough to be trying to overhaul the greatest team in English football history!
Yet it took Slot less time than the time he had to know his neighborhood to do just that.
It doesn’t help that if there was one person to dethrone Pep it was Arteta. He was his assistant for a considerable time before joining us!
Yep, Slot simply rounded up some boys from the neighbourhood and that was it.
It flew right over your head unsurprisingly. How old are you? Based on your usual wishful posts I bet under 16.
Before you question others football knowledge check your reading comprehension first. People do not criticize spending, they criticize lack of success despite astronomical spending.
Arteta is the second highest paid manager in the world. Pocketing nearly as much as Pep Guardiola, the Guardiola who has won 3 UCLs and 6 EPLs (including a record 4 times in a row as well as a treble).
So we are on par in spending now like the other wealthy clubs yet they keep winning trophies and we keep dilly dallying. Why? Because they do not tolerate failure. They support their managers financially and if they see they are not good enough they are shown the door.
We kept beating the great Arsene Wenger for top 4 finish on a shoestring budget yet we should kiss Arteta (a 100x inferior manager) boots for the same results with 10 times the spending?
What was the point of that much spending anyway if trophies do not matter?
So why haven’t Chelsea won a truck load of trophies given what they’ve spent over the last 2 years or so if success is directly associated with astronomical spending?
Their spending won them a second CL three years ago. We still have 0 CL.
Why haven’t you asked 3 years ago? You have chosen to ask 2 years ago because Arteta finished above them in that time. Cherry picking data never survives in a face to face combat against the truth.
Fine then, lets go back 4 years then! They won the CL in 2021 and haven’t won a trophy since then. Please explain to me why they haven’t a single trophy since 2021 despite outspending every other club on the planet within the same time period?
But they won a CL spending a truck load of money and many Arsenal fans said that was the reason?
Lucy78,
While I agree the amount of money spent is no guarantee of success.
For me it’s the quality of player that you spend your transfer kitty on that’s important.
And lets face it, some of Arteta’s buys are at best good and nothing more in a lot of cases.
He’s had five years now, and yes the squad has been better in the last couple of seasons.
But with the pragmatic style of play for most of this season, and the constant time wasting over every dead ball situations, Arteta needs to be called out for that.
Granted the team are having injury and illness problems right now, and while Arteta can’t be held accountable for that, what he can be held accountable for is his lack of adequate cover.
Something that goes’ back to spending your transfer kitty wisely, something Arteta hasn’t done for the most part.
The money is more than a stick to beat him with. Its been spent for what?
Sorry you are NOT classed as elite, winning domestic cups.
What I will say is. Should A manager be expected to win the CL and league, spending nigh on 800 mil in 4 years? Arsenal fans have always used the excuse for City and Chelsea success was down to the money they spent and we didn’t. Now we are spending, why shouldn’t we expect the same? Is Arteta here to just see us in the CL every year? That was deemed not good enough for Wenger and he never flashed the cash like Arteta. Why should Arteta be given a different brief? Is it because deep down, we know he may not be up to it? Why on earth should we keep trying to excuse failure?
To Reggie. I do agree alot of money spent over the years. Thing is,Carabao cup might not be a huge trophy but it gives them confidence if they win it. A boost to the seasons end. Walk,before you can run.
👍
Agree, thats all it could be. It should not be used as a yardstick to our progress.
How good you are, is where you finish in the league. Or winning the European CL.
If we are honest with ourselves, there is no way our forward line can win us the championship . I’ve watched Martinelli and Trossard enough times to confirm this.
We look so disoriented without Saka and for reasons Havertz and Odegaard have regressed. This player’s were so pivotal to our season, unfortunately those who deputise for them are just a complete shadow of them.
It kills me whenever I see how thin and average we are in depth and apparently there is nothing we can do about it.
@Cliff you are on point.
Havertz is ill, Saka is out and Nwaneri now with muscle injury.
It’s unthinkable that Arsenal board are not ambitious enough to think of buying this January even if a loan. And Arteta should be proactive. Imo, we lost to Brighton because of thin bench, we couldn’t even substitute Jesus. With who? Trossard was ineffective but no player to replace him.
We have loads of games coming 2 cup games, Epl, and UCl. We just keep hoping no other forward player get inured. My hope is very tiny on Arsenal winning anything this season.
#I.mean we drew Brighton.
@Sylva
The simple truth is that if we ain’t adding anyone upfront this January we ain’t dislodging Pool from the summit.
This is so obvious for everyone to see but as usual we will skirt around it and hope for miracles.
As long as the manager,the owners and a majority of the fan base agree that winning silverware is not important then let’s enjoy the ride and be contented with top 4.
Even if Liverpool drop points we are obliged to drop more points. Our quality of football is not like last year and our performance against big team this season has been worse. We are just going backwards as other teams are rising so top 4 is the the only possibility as of now.
We are suffering the consequences of bad planning of he squad by Arteta and Edu.I am glad that the latest one had gone.
Finding internal solution to the problem, as Arteta said is totally delusional.
The eyes on the test
Just watch us this season and can you honestly say we are good enough to go on the run needed to catch Liverpool.
At moment no
It’s true we have much better fixtures compared to Liverpool but still have Liverpool, United and forest away. If Liverpool drop points and we drop points in those then it equals out.
We just need to focus on every game as it comes.
But Daniel we have to play all those teams as well, so where is your logic? Do you think Liverpool are going to drop points but Arsenal will make a clean sweep picking up maximum points in all games? Because it doesn’t matter what Liverpool does, I have no confidence that on present from our team won’t drop more points than them.
Look after Liverpool also dropped two points to a poor Manchester United, I still live in hope. Not so deep down I know it’s wishful thinking but that’s what being a supporter means. But as a reality check you only have to look at the cards Arteta has dealt himself to know that it will take some kind of epically fake Hollywood finale for us to win the League.
If you think we can win the league then you are either a fool or an idiot