“Na this Arsenal wan win the league?”
Arsenal had an exhilarating 2022/23 season which only dipped at the end. The Gunners spent 248 days at top of the Premier League (the longest time any team has spent at the top of the league without going on to win the league) only to allow Manchester City snatch their dreams of winning their 14th PL title in 19 years — I honestly think this should have been enough motivation for them to win the league last season.
It was a surprise that they were even title contenders to start with, their style of play, the mentality, the comebacks — surprising to say the least. Many of their fans would have been contented with top 4 and qualifying for the Champion’s league after a 7 year hiatus, but the team gave them so much hope, hope that for the first time in almost 20 years, The Arsenal was THAT club again (also the opportunity to banter Chelsea & United fans for at least two seasons).
While I think the club did amazing last season and could have done better, I also think they could have done better with handling the mental and emotional demands that came with being on top for that long , a skill their rivals have developed over the years (case in point — Manchester City). Losing points at Anfield can happen to anybody but also losing points to WestHam battling to stay afloat from the relegation line and even worse, finished Southampton, was a disaster.
There were also a couple of VAR errors that made the team and even fans believe that the VAR rulings have mostly been against making them lose points, like the draw against Brentford and their 3–1 loss against Manchester United (I don’t think there would have been any difference).
2023/24 Season.
Getting Declan Rice, in my opinion, has been one good decision made by the club this season. The 24 year old English midfielder has been an important addition to the team — only God knows why they got Havertz. Arsenal are now 4th on the league table after failing to win three out of their last five matches, drawing one, losing one and also spending a couple of game weeks at the top of the table. Have Arsenal learnt from their last season ? So far in this season, asides the VAR faulty rulings, Arsenal has failed to take chances when it mattered the most. Losing to Westham (14th last season, now 6th) yet again, wasn’t something I expected from a team that should have learnt from their last season. Is it overconfidence? Is it the pressure from the last season? Na this Arsenal wan win league?
Finishing top of their Champion’s League group and heading to the round of 16, playing Porto first at the Emirates was an astonishing feat. Hopefully, they continue being this impressive.
Expectations from Fans (in their own words)
I asked a couple of Arsenal fans what they think their club can do better and here is what some of them have to say:
Y: Get full backs. Arteta should stop that Pep CB gimmick, he’s not Pep.
O: Get a more consistent forward? Osimhen?
J: Get a proper 8 that can progress the ball on the left for me. Just like Ødegaard on the right hint: it’s not Kai Havertz. I love the man but he’s not HIM.
S: Saka needs to cut that his hair or change the colour, it is disturbing him.
L: For one, line breaking passes and progression. We need a striker too that will help with our conversion & we’re not creating well enough.
It is an interesting time to be a Arsenal fan, and I hope the fans can enjoy without so many expectations.
Happy New Year!
