This upcoming season feels like it is the most important season for Arsenal in quite some time. It has been clear to see that the Gunners have declined in recent years from the once “Invincible” club they once were. The signs of decline started with the move to the Emirates Stadium which forced the club into selling some of its best talents.
That was followed by some of the most embarrassing defeats in the club’s history. The 8-2 scoreline to Man United, 6-0 to Chelsea, 6-3 to Man City, the 10-2 aggregate embarrassment to Bayern Munich, and a few beatdowns from Liverpool as well, started to show that the north Londoners were no longer able to consistently compete with the elite clubs domestically or in Europe.
The Emirates club then started to lose games to mid-table sides on a consistent basis. Sure, in the past they would lose a game or two to a mid-table team that would derail a title charge, but they would still make the top four with ease.
Now, fans are not sure of an Arsenal win in most games they play, whereas a decade or so back, they would be favored in most of the matches they played in a 38 match campaign. The Gunners have definitely lost their fear factor as teams in the mid-table now fancy themselves to pick up points.
An obvious sign of the diminished respect is evident from the fact that Aston Villa are aggressively trying to poach Emile Smith-Rowe away from the club. They feel an approach makes sense because the Gunners are not the club they once were, but now as a direct rival, they feel they can convince the player that their project is better.
As fans, think about this, would Villa approach Man City for Phil Foden, would they approach Man United for Mason Greenwood, or how about Mason Mount or Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea. Chances are that they wouldn’t. Arsenal’s slippage in recent years has given teams like Villa the incentive to think they are at least on par with the Gunners and in all honesty, we can’t blame them for feeling that way.
This decline has seen the club slide further and further down the table, from Champions League places to a couple of fifth-place finishes, a couple of sixth-place finishes, to a couple of eighth-place finishes and ultimately out of Europe. It has been five years since they have been in the Champions League and that’s something very few fans thought would happen when they missed out on the League by a point to Liverpool five seasons ago.
This decline has to stop ASAP and the ship has to be steered in the right direction. This season has the feel of being an important one because it is following a season where Arsenal will not play European football for the first time in 25 years. The turnaround has to start with this summer’s transfer window, which hasn’t had the best of starts but there is still time.
If the transfer window is a success, that must be followed up by a strong season and probably a top-four finish is needed to truly stop the rot. Arsenal have arrived at a crossroads this season because this is where they can start heading back in the right direction or continue to decline.
If the club gets to a point where they can’t attract some of the better players, then they could find themselves battling in mid-table for years to come. Hopefully, the Gunners have a successful transfer window, a strong season, and the club starts to move back towards the top and regain some of the respect they once had.
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