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Arsenal Must Prove West Ham Was a Fluke
Arsenal, fresh off winning the ‘pre-season treble,’ were shut down by a stronger, better, and more eneregetic West Ham team on Sunday. Though the Gunners were hoping to start off their title-hyped 2015/16 Premier League campaign with a rather simple three points, the side was deservedly beaten on its home turf.
West Ham effectively put the game away by the end of the first half after Arsenal arguably gifted the Hammers two goals, courtesy of goalkeeping errors and instances of lazy defense, and the North Londoners can only hope a performance like this won’t rear its ugly head again this season if they want to viably challenge for the league title in 2016.
It was what some pundits might call a “classic Arsenal performance-” one of those stereotypical mundane Arsenal meltdowns.
If Arsenal is to challenge for the EPL title this season, the club must make a mental change. For the past several years, Arsenal has been following quite an alarming trend. Too often do the Gunners gain momentum, play beautiful football, and completely wow opponents, fans, and critics alike with dazzling skill and performances only to let themselves and supporters down with a catastrophic outing – like yesterday’s – the next week.
Let’s look at last year for instance.
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Nearly a year ago, Arsenal began their 2014/15 campaign with an unconvincing last-minute win at home against Crystal Palace – who the Gunners face next. Similar performances ensued, and by Christmas – halfway into the season – the Gunners hadn’t even strung three consecutive EPL wins together. What’s more, the trend continued.
Arsenal was ineffective against Southampton on New Years, versus Tottenham and Monaco in February, and while facing Swansea City in May. Moreover, all of those sides that Arsenal lost to – and West Ham can now be added to this list – are notably weaker squads than the average Arsenal 11, and real title challengers can’t afford to be as listless as Arsenal has been in the recent past.
To put all this into some perspective, eventual title-winner Chelsea lost only three EPL matches last season, and to challenge for the title this year, a season just as successful as the Blue’s previous might be required come next May. After all, Arsenal isn’t the only club that has been strengthened with incoming transfers this summer.
The point is, Arsenal must hope and then prove that yesterday’s performance against West Ham was indeed a fluke. In fact, the Gunners have looked strong overall since the beginning of 2015 and have won two trophies that truly matter.
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Arsenal was lethal throughout this pre-season, too, and seemed like a legitimate title-caliber side against Everton, Lyon, Wolfsburg, and even Chelsea as of late. Thus, the inopportune West Ham defeat yesterday could have only been a rare, bleak showing that Arsenal will not display again much this season.
Now is the time for the North Londoners to step up if they are to mount a credible title challenge this campaign, though. If Arsenal can’t suppress its alarming trend of showing up listless – and without any apparent urgency to threaten on goal even when behind in the second half – a title challenge will be out of the Gunners’ furthest reach.
If the club’s performance Sunday was not a fluke and the side ends up as the inconsistent Arsenal everyone has become familiar with in the recent past, another measly, unambitious fourth-placed finish will be all that the Gunners can achieve.
Next: 5 Things Arsenal need to Win EPL