Arsenal: 4 biggest disappointments this season

Arsenal still have time to right five years of wrongs if they finish in the top four this season, bringing to an end a torrid period in the club’s history away from Europe’s elite.

Ten matches remain before the curtain closes on an eventful 2021/22 campaign, one that saw Arsenal claw their way back from the depths of despair into genuine Champions League contenders.

If they were to miss out on the Premier League top four it would constitute a huge disappointment.

Granted, it wasn’t even considered plausible before the season began, but objectives and targets are allowed to change and having got themselves into contention it would feel like a massive opportunity missed if so.

Arsenal: 4 biggest disappointments this season as Mikel Arteta’s side keep pushing for a spot in the Premier League top four

A season full of ups and downs has also had its fair share of talking points. The unsavoury end to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s time in north London was added to with the bizarre outrage at Arsenal for having one match postponed, which even prompted Antonio Conte to call Mikel Arteta out.

It’s all happened, and that’s without even mentioning the football.

But among all the highs and lows have been some disappointments. The majority of them will be forgotten about, never to be spoken of again if this season’s remaining targets are met, although some either leave a slightly unwelcome feeling or class as missed opportunities. Four in particular stand out.

The Defeat at Goodison Park

Prior to a 99th minute winner in another game they were poor in, Everton had won just two of their last 21 Premier League matches. That is absolutely atrocious form, not least for a club of their stature with the obscene amount of money they’ve blown.

What is even worse is that Arsenal handed them one of those wins.

Off the back of a disappointing loss at Old Trafford, facing an Everton side in dire straits with a manager on the brink was the ideal opportunity to right some wrongs. Whether or not a midweek game away from home and under the floodlights may have set the stage for the Toffees, the bottom line is that they were, and still are, a horribly average football team.

Like giving out sweets at Halloween, any side in need of a pick-me-up just had to call Arsenal. A performance that was drab from start to finish even saw the visitors hold the lead until the 80th minute, one they would let slip through their grasp by the 92nd courtesy of Richarlison and a thunderous strike from Demarai Gray.

While Arsenal had the chances to level the tie or even go back in front, the whole game was a gigantic black spot on a Premier League record that had shown strength against sides in the lower reaches of the table.

How crucial may that defeat be? We’ll have to wait to find out. But it still frustrates.

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