Gooners or Goners?

Ivaney Vuonit writes:

As the English Premier league reaches the final stages yet another season’s hopes evaporate for Arsenal. You have to go back to the early part of the season to find a string of successive wins, 27 August they began their best run against Watford followed by wins against Southampton, Hull, Chelsea, Burnley and Swansea. Apart from the win against Chelsea there was nothing particularly outstanding about the other victories. Since the 15 October win against Swansea the best they have managed is beginning 27 November three consecutive wins against Bournemouth, West Ham and Stoke; and two consecutive wins 26 December and 1 January against West Brom and Crystal Palace respectively. This only serves to highlight how soon their season was going into free fall.

Against the next six teams around them at the top of the league, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham, their current season record makes for poor reading. At this stage of the season they have played 9 games against these opponents and from a possible 27 points have managed to collect a grand total of 6; a home win against Chelsea and two home draws against Man City and Tottenham and a point away at Man Utd. Given the current form of Tottenham it is highly unlikely they will be able to get much from their away game there. Everton and Man Utd have both got to visit the Emirates Stadium but won’t be all that fearful of Arsenal who have scored 61 goals but conceded 39.

Inevitably the conversation has gotten around to Wenger and whether he should go or stay. This is actually a tricky dilemma for Arsenal. If he somehow manages to get into the Champions League 2017/18 which is highly unlikely there will be a reluctance to move him on. If they finish up in the Europa League or not the pressure to part company with Wenger will increase to the point where the board will have to act and therein lies the dilemma. How will Arsenal attract quality players if they are not in the Champions League, if they have a new untested manager (at least untested in the Premier League), if some of their best players have moved on and as a club they do not have a history of splashing the cash?

This season is proving to be a severe test of Arsenal’s ability to demonstrate they have a plan for the years ahead. If they don’t or if the plan doesn’t work out then Arsenal’s glorious run on annual appearances in European football and status as a Top-4 Premier League team will pretty much be history for a while to come. 

The Gooners will be Goners!