Mikel Arteta endured another disappointing night as Arsenal lost to Bayern Photo: Getty Images/Odd Andersen
Mikel's Arsenal Arteta in danger of becoming Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs; a team to admire because they are almost great.
If Arsenal don't quickly shrug off their Champions League disappointment and win the Premier League, the north London rivals may exchange views on how brutal maybe football.
With mild praise, it can be said that Arteta, like Pochettino during his time at Spurs, deserves more respect and praise for becoming a contender for Arsenal than the critics if he fails . Recognition for such good work will be no consolation if history judges Arteta's reign without a Premier League or Champions League title on his resume.
The harsh reality is that any Arsenal team that does not win one or more of the biggest prizes will never be more than an afterthought, spoken of almost patronizingly in comparison to the double winners or the 'invincibles'.
< p>Naturally, Arsenal's remaining six games are important in terms of defining this season. The players' reaction in the coming weeks and the club's reaction in the summer will be crucial in defining this era of Arsenal.
This weekend's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers was one of Arsenal's biggest tests of the year for the team. to ensure there is no hangover after the defeat to Bayern Munich.
They are still fighting for the title, teetering on the brink. Three defeats in a week means the season is effectively over in terms of trophies.
This raises the inevitable question: “What next for the Arteta project?”
We discuss a lot about the 'next step' in football and generally moving forward. The next step is most often backwards. Spurs only managed to go this far between 2015 and 2019 before collapsing without a trophy. No matter how much promise there is, the window of opportunity is quickly closing.
Arsenal have made progress in the last 12 months, building on the giant leap they made in the previous season.
The problem is how to maintain this progress when you have already “made it big” in the transfer market. The signing of Declan Rice was a statement and — from a balance sheet perspective — it had the desired effect.
Declan Rice made a big contribution to Arsenal, but they still need more. Photo: Shutterstock/Ronald Wittek
Arsenal now need a player of Rice's caliber in attack. They are the top scorers in the top flight but have not scored a goal in five league matches and failed to find a way at the Allianz Arena in midweek. A superstar striker could score in the two games against Bayern or pick up an extra five or six points, which would mean Arsenal, not Manchester City, are in the lead heading into the final stretch. Arsenal have lost 1-0 in eleven matches in all competitions this season, losing eight.
Without significant sales, will Arsenal have the money left for such a purchase until next season? I suspect they have been worried about profit rules and sustainability over the last few transfer windows and took a calculated risk in doing the Rice deal, seeing him as a possible game changer. The fact that goalkeeper David Raya was brought in on loan this summer with the sole intention of making a permanent move highlights the juggling of resources.
Whether Arsenal win the title or not, big decisions are needed to ensure that Arteta can inject his team with the necessary level of class to continue to compete with City next season, without getting rid of many of those has taken the team this far so far.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, due to the age composition of the Arsenal squad and the quality of their squad, I don't see them going away anytime soon. They should feature regularly in the Champions League as long as Arteta can keep his team together, and they will be City's most likely contenders next season as well.
The problem they and everyone else with title ambitions faces is how to beat City in 38 games. Arsenal and Liverpool have shown that their preferred starting XI can match City's performance this season. The problem is that City have assembled a squad which means they don't suffer when the big names are missing while their rivals cling to the top spot in the race for top spot.
This should come as no surprise to City watchers. the most recent of the three title contenders at the moment, given that Pep Guardiola can change frequently without sacrificing quality.
Arteta doesn't have Guardiola's luxury. He tends to stick to his favorite starting line-up and needs those players to find a second or third wind to win the title this season. In the short term, Arsenal seemed to be doing well, helped by avoiding too many serious injuries. But the pressure to play more minutes throughout the season eventually takes its toll, and in the last few weeks Arsenal have seemed to run out of steam because the same players are being used over and over again.
Just like It is wrong and unfair to say that Arsenal «failed» by finishing second to City last season. The same thing will happen if they are immediately behind them again.
Such is the standard set by City, the months of August to March have almost become a warm-up for the main event, when the season really gets going and unless you have the physical and mental ability to win every game you are charged with. «diluted» by rival fans who revel in the disappointment of others.
Arsenal still has many positive aspects
It's a crazy situation where Arsenal could suffer their first league defeat of 2024 in mid-April and it looks like the sky is falling on their title hopes. This has more to do with City's dominance and the expectation that they will win all their games than with any of Arsenal's deep flaws.
I also have to say this; If Arsenal and Liverpool are «stocking up» in April and May, what does that tell us about Manchester United and Chelsea for the rest of the season? These are clubs that have made so many bad decisions that they are nowhere near where they need to be, even though Pochettino is trying to correct previous mistakes.
Arteta and Klopp are being rated to the highest standards against Guardiola. City are incredibly well resourced beyond Arsenal and Liverpool, and the fairest benchmark is especially United and Chelsea, who have spent mega-millions briefing the race for the top four at this stage of the season.
When the season's efforts do not produce the results that seemed achievable for so long, a feeling of despondency and disappointment arises.
It is not the end. One bad result for City, combined with wins and good performances from Arsenal and Liverpool, could change things again.
Arsenal still have a lot to improve on. City will have to deal with the setback that followed their defeat to Real Madrid. They are title favorites but look more vulnerable than they did during their flawless runs to the finish line in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Whatever happens, they will go toe-to-toe with Guardiola until the finals take place games. definition of failure. But the inescapable truth is that unless Arsenal win the title, no one can truly call the season a success.
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