How Arsenal came so close, yet so far in their failed title bid

Arsenal ended up finishing second in a title race in which supporters had real hope they would end their 19-year title drought… what were the key moments resulting in their collapse?

Winning the Premier League is the pinnacle of English football. Arsenal are regarded behind Manchester United and Liverpool as one of the biggest clubs in the country, but the Gunners have not won a league title in 19 years.

We saw a cohesive, tenacious and energetic Arsenal side for most of the season. But when push came to shove, the pressure mounted with the young Arsenal team seeming to have faltered in the crucial moments.

9/24 points in the run-in is simply embarrassing, and it’s okay to admit it

‘The run-in’ portrayed a different Arsenal side. A lethargic one, with their minds somewhere else. Static football, with the synonymous feeling among them being the avoidance of a mistake. What happened to the free-flowing football? The flair in the front three, with Gabriel Jesus complimenting Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, allowing Martin Odegaard to roam around the final third with his sexy flicks making everyone including the rival fans stand up and applaud. What happened to all of that?

April is when the tension rises as every single player knows it’s make or break. We saw Arsenal establish 2-0 leads at the dreaded Anfield visit, and again at West Ham, but then we also so them break, as both leads disappeared before their eyes. I don’t know about you but cast your mind back to that Jesus header at Anfield.

“It’s happening”.

Or, his second at the London Stadium.

“Sweet, sweet football.”

Four points dropped at a crucial stage, and even though Arsenal were STILL top of the table at that moment, we saw the ultimate collapse. 1-0 down to Southampton, the worst team in the league before you could even sit down in your seat. Even though it ended 3-3, this was a stark reminder that this may have come too fast for this team. But if that wasn’t enough, let a 4-1 dismantling defeat to your title rivals do it instead.

This was a collapse that coincides with this Arsenal team since that top four crumbling last season. Apologies for that reminder.

Injuries had their part to play…

When William Saliba was taken off against Sporting CP way back in March, Arsenal fans had their hearts in their mouths. One week out became two, and two weeks out became ‘not training’. That led to ‘no progress in training’. Talk of surgery was a thought that many didn’t allow into their heads during this time. A time in which the fans had to accept the inevitable: Arguably their best defender this season was set to miss the remainder of it. 

Arsenal also sawTakehiro Tomiyasu fall to injury, ruling him out for the season meaning that two of Arsenal’s right-sided centre-back options were out injured for the season. Rob Holding had to play, and the performances evidently dropped, and that’s not entirely on Holding, but it was clear the confidence at the back was wiped away.

Further down the line, Oleksandr Zinchenko also sustained a season-ending injury with a few games to go. The Ukrainian had brought a different dimension to this Arsenal side, and losing the technician from left-back hurt the Gunners, especially against Brighton which put the final nail in the coffin. So, Arsenal did get unlucky on the injury side, particularly because there was a lack of depth in quality compared to their title rivals.

Phase 4 commences…

“We know what is in our destination, which is to bring success, joy, and trophies to this club, but in the meantime please enjoy the journey.”

The words of Mikel Arteta after the final game of the season. A packed 60,000 seats an hour after full-time to hear the motivational speech for 2023/24.

He famously once mentioned that Arsenal were only in “Phase 3” of his five-point plan which was briefly spoken about in the ‘All or Nothing’ documentary. It’s still ambiguous. What is Phase 3? Champions League qualification? Challenging for the title? Or is it where the squad is at the moment?

All these questions will remain to be unanswered but there is still quite the journey to go. There could be light at the end of the tunnel, with strong links to Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo emerging ahead of a busy summer.

The pressure took its toll on this young side, and even though Champions League qualification was the aim before the season started, being top of the tree for 247 nights, the most of any other Premier League team without winning the title, will always come back to haunt these players.

Unless, of course, something clicks next season. Another gear, another phase, another chapter in Mikel’s novel.