%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
How Worried Should Arsenal be about Swansea City Loss?
By Josh Sippie
There’s nothing like a late defeat to the likes of Swansea City to make Arsenal fans remember just how frustrating this can be. We had been putting down any opposition thrown at us and proving to be the best team in the Premier League in 2015 and suddenly we lose 1-0 to Swansea City and we’re no longer in control of our own route to second place.
The loss puts Arsenal so far behind Manchester City in goal differential that points is going to be the only way we overcome them. Unfortunately we’re a win behind with only one game left in hand.
So the question is how worried are you about this loss?
There were some major factors of worry. Arsenal created so many chances, they controlled the game and were able to pass freely but were often stymied by a stout Swansea defense. The problem with the chances we created is that most of them were straight at Lukasz Fabianski, who will be painted as a hero but who, in fact, had very little worrisome shots sent his way. Take for instance Theo Wacott, who had a grounded Fabianski to beat, so he hit it on the ground to Fabianski.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
It was a frustrating game and as mentioned, puts us out of control of winning second place. But overall, the worry factor is pretty small. The main source of concern is probably just that we forgot that Arsenal could lose and this loss typifies the old way Arsenal used to drop games.
In the grand scheme, third place may not be as glamorous as second place. And there’s still time left to snag second place seeing as how Manchester City have been up and down all year. Second place would be a morale victory, it’s actual impact is inconsequential.
That being said, it’d be the highest finish for Arsenal in the past decade, so we should still be gunning for it.
But again, we’re still in control of a playoff-free Champions League spot. We’re still one of the hottest teams in the Premier League. We’re still set for the FA Cup final. If anything, this game may do us a favor by reminding us of our own mortality and tightening our resolve the slightest bit.
There were moments in the game that should have turned into goals for Arsenal. It’s not like we were outmatched, we controlled the game. The loss is unfortunate but it’s not going to set Arsenal back too much.