Arsenal take two steps forward, one step back

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Fulham put an end to any hope I had that the team could make a push for a place in Europe next season – a Europe that may be pointless anyway. Yes, VAR played its part in this match yet again, but enough is enough. You never know what you’re going to get from Arteta’s team on any given day, and that’s the problem.

One thing that can be said about Arsenal’s season is that they have been consistently inconsistent. The entire campaign has been one of two steps forward followed by one step back. The team has the ability to play scintillating football in one match only to be followed by uninspired and mistake-riddled performances the next. This pattern has been repeated all season long. Just when the fans begin to think that the Gunners have turned the corner, the hope soon fades.

Everything was looking up back in September. Arsenal came into the season as FA Cup holders and began the new campaign by defeating Liverpool in the Community Shield on penalties

The Gunners won their first two matches and defeated Leicester 2-0 in the third round of the League Cup. So far, so good. Then the team ended September losing 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield. OK, there’s no shame in losing to the Premier League champions on their home pitch.

Arsenal take two steps forward, one step back under Mikel Arteta as inconsistencies remain

October began with another meeting with Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. This time Arsenal came out on top winning a penalty shootout.

"Afterward, Arteta said, “It is the third time in about eight weeks we have played against the best team in Europe, in my opinion, and it is a step forward for my team.”"

After defeating Sheffield United 2-1 to start October, the Gunners were fourth in the table. Sadly, they haven’t been anywhere near the top four since.

November started brightly with a win away to Manchester United. Unfortunately, this was followed by defeats to Aston Villa and Wolves along with a drab 0-0 draw with Leeds.

December was a disaster with losses to Spurs, Burnley, and Everton along with a draw versus Southampton. Just when all hope had evaporated; the promise was restored when Arsenal defeated Chelsea 3-1.

The new year got off to a good start. The Gunners won three but also played two uninspiring goalless draws with Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

February was another mediocre month. Arsenal had two wins along with three losses. Following the season-long pattern, some optimism was restored at the end of the month with an inspiring 3-1 win away to Leicester.

March is the month that best represents this 2020/2021 Arsenal season. A famous 2-1 victory over Tottenham was sandwiched between an error-prone draw with Burnley and a 3-3 draw at West Ham which saw the Gunners come back from 3-0 down.

This month has been more of the same. The Gunners were manhandled by Liverpool, gave away a lead in a 1-1 home draw with Slavia Prague, easily defeated Sheffield United 3-0, and put in a stellar performance in Prague winning by four and 5-1 on aggregate.

So with newfound confidence, fans watched in disbelief as Arsenal bumbled and stumbled to seal a last-minute 1-1 draw with relegation candidates Fulham.

The one bright spot for Arteta’s side has been their overall play in the Europa League. The team won all six of their group matches and is set to face Unai Emery and Villarreal in the semi-finals. We’ve been here before. The difference is this time, winning the Europa League will be the only way to truly move forward.