Arsenal: A history of results after bad starts to the season

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea shoots past Bernd Leno of Arsenal to score the first goal as Rob Holding looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on August 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

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5. Arsene Wenger ends his run as Arsenal manager

The 2017/18 season would be the last with Wenger at the helm.

The Gunners won their home opener 4-3 over Leicester in a mad-cap encounter, with Alexandre Lacazette netting on his Premier League debut. They then went on to lose the next two matches, 1-0 at Stoke and 4-0 at Liverpool.

At the end of September Wenger’s team had ten points and were seventh in the table. A mixed campaign saw the club finish in sixth place.

The fans experienced further disappointment as Arsenal was defeated 2-1 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals.

The saddest thing about this season was the way Wenger was treated. Despite the legendary manager’s successes with the Gunners, he was hounded by a section of supporters. Enter the term #WengerOut on Twitter and you’ll see how badly many of these Tweets have aged.

Freddie Ljungberg said it best last May when he was asked about Wenger and the club’s decline:

"“The fans were complaining about him at the end of his term. Now maybe they are regretting how they behaved towards him. He’s so big at this club.”"

Things have not improved in the three years since Wenger’s departure. The fans are still waiting for a return to competing for a league title.