Arsenal, perennial fourth spot champions, came into this season with a particular arrogance about them. The fans screamed for more attack. The fans laughed as they predicted difficult seasons for Manchester United and Liverpool, two of their main contenders for that fourth placed trophy. The fans even mocked how Spurs will fall under yet another manager.
All of that has indeed happened. Congratulations. The season is over right? Alexis Sánchez was pinched from under the noses of Liverpool, just when they believed the loss of their novelty snappy teeth couldn’t be compounded anymore. Mathieu Debuchy felt more at home in Arsène Wenger’s French arms than Alan Pardew’s sweaty grasp. Danny Welbeck was snatched for a relatively cheap £16m (cheap once you consider he is English; a premium tag that may as well read “organic, free range, grade A and vegan to boot”), much to the howls of detriment coming from the Old Trafford faithful.
So where were we? The season is certainly over now. Nothing can stop this march to glory – third place is in the bag! Not quite. Does anyone remember the calls for another striker? Indeed they were necessary, with the affectionately named Yaya Sanogoals still considered second choice striker by Wenger. However, whilst Le Professeur pored over countless defensive units, the fans got angry. What the fans enlightened the world to is that Wenger is clueless when it comes to managing Arsenal. Which fool left him in charge? His inexperience clearly showed. Does the board not realise that letting a manager pick his own transfers will only end in disaster? Bring in a director of football!
Now, come November, the defensive frailties in the squad have been laid bare. Calum Chambers, another summer recruit, has been the saving grace of the team. With the Arsenal injury curse continuing, rumour has it that the club have opened talks with a Ghanaian witch doctor in regards to a vacant head physiotherapist role.
So, Arsenal are sixth. Sixth? This wasn’t in the plan. By now, there should be clear daylight between the top three (Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal) and the rest. Well at least they’re above Tottenham. Spurs are 12th so everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. Laugh at the team six places and erm… three points below. Suddenly this season has taken a turn for the worse.
Never mind. As long as Arsenal win their Champions League gr- oh look, Bayern Munich are already licking their lips in anticipation of the annual last-16 matchup. The League Cup is now a distant memory, too, but it’s not like the team need trophies (already got that Community Shield bling) so it’s water under the bridge. The club weren’t even trying anyway. Honest!
But, in returning to the league, fans can sleep well knowing other teams are slipping up just as much as Arsenal. Or can they? The Sanchez one-man-show can only last so long. Eventually Aaron Ramsey needs to rediscover the scintillating form of last season, Wojciech Szczęsny needs to find consistency and everyone else needs to stop getting injured!
A huge game awaits this weekend. United – the team that has been hounded by the media for their awful start – need just a win to leapfrog Arsenal, and it could be a season-defining moment for both sides. If Arsenal can win, they can pick up the scent of the ever impressive Southampton and West Ham again.
If the season so far could be defined in just three words it would be: Not. This. Again. After falling out of contention for the title before Christmas for much of the last decade, a decent title run was/is [delete where appropriate] necessary. It would not be okay to admit defeat before Christmas (once again). At least Wenger is keeping his mouth shut and hasn’t even come close to saying that Chelsea are unstoppable.
So, a brief look at transfers will tell you that Arsenal bought some nice new socks, when really their current pair would have been fine if they’d bought some better shoes. Where the blame lies is up in the air. Does Wenger get the blame or does the board? Do the fans have to take their share? May will be the time to judge, but for now, the signings have been great, if only lacking in particular departments.
Admittedly, breaking through the doom and gloom are cracks of hope. Theo Walcott has returned to the fold and could offer the direct pace that Arsenal have lacked on the counter at times this term. Add to this that Arsenal have got several other key players returning before mid-January and you could argue that Arsenal are doing well to be sixth with a threadbare squad, even suggesting that a revived title bid could come with a Christmas winning streak.
Remember in August how no one was too bothered about that Community Shield? It could be the flashiest thing in North London this season, besides the array of new motors piling into London Colney each day. Remember when it was “nothing less than a trophy a season now”? Arsenal haven’t hit the dizzy heights of automatic Champions League qualification and now could have to reassess their season goals. Remember that stadium debt that stopped Arsenal competing for trophies? That’s not there now and everyone else has moved on. Remember when Arsenal finished outside of the top four? The league is at its most competitive in years, so this Arsenal side need to buck up their ideas, or risk becoming the famine that kills the Wenger era.
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