Arsenal suffered heartbreak for the second year running as they were beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City on the final day. Despite a 2-1 win against Everton, the Gunners missed out on the trophy due to Manchester City’s win against West Ham United on Sunday. City and Arsenal finished just two points apart with a similar goal difference. A draw or a defeat for the team from Manchester would have sealed the deal for Arsenal, but that was not to happen.
Having finished second two years in a row, the team from North London are certainly proving to be the title challengers for City. However, they have always had a patch of disappointing results which has resulted in them missing out on the Premier League trophy. The signing of Declan Rice elevated the team to a different level. Performances began improving and it looked like the Gunners had enough to win it this season, but City once again came from behind and went on an incredible run in the second half of the season to win the title.
Arsenal had the top spot for the majority of the time, but City had games in hand and they made sure to get the maximum points of those. Aside from the PL, the Gunners also had European football to compete for this campaign. They breezed their way past opponents in the group stages and defeated Porto on penalties in the Round of 16. They then went on to face Bayern Munich in the Quarter-Final and this proved to be a tough test for them as the German side defeated them 3-2 on aggregate to move into the next round.
Arsenal have no trophies to show for their development
Mikel Arteta’s time at Arsenal has helped the club go from a Top 6 contending side to PL title challengers. Arsenal has been playing really good football under him, but all they have to show for that is an FA Cup and two Community Shields.
Every year, Arsenal have looked better, but it finally is the time to ask if the Arteta experiment is succeeding at Arsenal or not. While the atmosphere at the Emirates has been incredible, the team needs to make sure that they deliver trophies for the fans in the coming seasons.
Arteta certainly deserves credit for bringing the Gunners to a level where they can compete against City, but it is now time that they cross the line and topple Pep Guardiola’s team. This season the title race was between three teams, but there were signs that some more sides could join in next season. This would make things more difficult for Arteta, but he certainly has the tools to overcome those challenges and deliver the PL trophy for Arsenal. After coming close two years, the Gunners will be looking to go all out and bring in more players with quality in the summer. If that happens, they could be the team to beat next season.
