{"id":633956,"date":"2024-01-18T11:37:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T16:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=633956"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:38:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T16:38:44","slug":"arsenals-mid-season-break-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2024\/01\/18\/arsenals-mid-season-break-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Arsenal’s Mid-Season Break Prevent Another End-of-Season Collapse? – Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time ever, English football is experiencing a mid-season break in January. Although it is staggered, with different teams enjoying a break at different times, it is still long overdue. Internationally, it is hoped that it will improve England\u2019s chances of winning the Euros in Germany this summer. Domestically it might help struggling clubs to refresh themselves after a difficult first half of the season. And arguably, no Premier League club needs a break more than\u00a0<\/span>Arsenal<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mid-Season Break for Arsenal<\/span><\/h2>\n

Could a Mid-Season Break Prevent Another End-Of-Season Collapse for Arsenal?<\/span><\/h3>\n

It is an old truism of football that a good team does not lose three games in a row, no matter the opposition. That is why Arsenal\u2019s recent slump, losing three matches in succession in league and cup, has been so alarming. It has revived fears that Arsenal are not strong enough and that they will ultimately be unable to compete with\u00a0<\/span>Liverpool<\/span><\/a>, the current league leaders, and\u00a0<\/span>Manchester City<\/span><\/a>, who are trying to win a fourth league title in a row.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has made this slump so surprising is that it seemed to come out of nowhere. Without ever matching the exhilarating form showed in the first half of last season, Arsenal had put themselves in a position over Christmas where they could go back to the top of the league with a win. Indeed, they were in that position twice, against both West Ham at home and against Fulham away, and on both occasions, they failed. Then, to complete an unwanted hat-trick, they spurned numerous chances against Liverpool in the FA Cup before finally succumbing to two sucker punches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More<\/span><\/strong>:\u00a0<\/span>Declan Rice Is Already Arsenal\u2019s Most Valuable Player \u2013 Opinion<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Yet on closer analysis, perhaps this downturn in form is not so surprising; in fact, most surprising is its timing, coming in the middle of the season rather than at the end. Throughout his tenure at The Emirates, Mikel Arteta has often exhibited a worrying inability to arrest slumps in form, which may be down to his relative lack of managerial experience. That was most evident at the end of the last two seasons, when Arsenal effectively collapsed twice in succession, first to surrender a Champions League place to Tottenham and then to surrender the Premier League title to Manchester City.<\/span><\/p>\n

The hope among Arsenal fans now is that Arteta can use the current mid-season break to “<\/span>reset<\/span><\/a>,” as he himself put it after the Liverpool defeat. But how can they do that, especially if, as Arteta also suggested after the Liverpool game, they are unlikely to bring in any new players<\/a> in January?<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch<\/strong>: Last Word on Football discuss football fans being lied to<\/p>\n