Yes, that dreaded phrase comes back to haunt us once again. The dreaded process taking centre stage as Mikel Arteta winds up his reasoning for Arsenal’s failure to finish outside the Champions League places should no miracle occur later today.
Arsenal were not tipped to be in a race for the top four, and the aim seemed to be to get the side back into the Europa League for next season. A top-four finish is seen very much as an overachievement by the club, but certainly not by the entirety of the fan base, especially with the position that the Gunners were in with so little time left.
It can be a sensitive topic and certainly with the potential to be a volatile one. Supporters on either side of the managerial divide can be seen on many forms of social media locking horns over whether this season will be a failure should top four be missed.
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Ultimately, for me, I see there being two key reasons why Arsenal might fail to reach the top four. One was taken out of the club’s control, and the other is a mistake on the part of the decision-makers.
Beginning with the former. The key injuries to players Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Ben White at key times has cost Arsenal.
Had these players, the starting fullbacks in particular, been fit for the games against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton, you could predict the Gunners perhaps picking up at least one win from those games. Three extra points would have taken Arteta’s side into the Everton match in fourth place.
The margins have been that fine. However, the mistake that the club will be held accountable for at the end of the season perhaps could have mitigated this issue.
The combination of allowing five players in the senior squad to leave and then not bringing in anyone in the window has proven a dire choice. Comparatively, Arsenal’s top-four rivals Spurs brought in two starters in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.
Granted, Arsenal didn’t panic buy. But with the loss of Partey, watching Bruno Guimaraes have such an impact at Newcastle was a frustration. Hammered home even more so by the Brazilian scoring the second last Monday.
That said, fans should be encouraged by the season overall and the potential of this young side. It needs reinforcement and certainly requires some more experienced quality heads to inspire the group.
However, the work done to the club has set it up to continue to progress. Improving the defence so that the EPL clean sheet total is at its peak for more than five years. Although when the side does concede, they need to respond better and lower the overall goals conceded tally.
The quality of recruitment has improved with the sales division still needing to recover after the impacts of selling so much deadwood. The overall wage bill has been dramatically reduced without hindering progression.
Most importantly, thought, his Arsenal side is on the up. As soon as that halts, then fair questions can be had, but for now, Arteta deserves to continue this project and I, for one, am excited about what’s to come.
