After a shaky start to the season, Arsenal managed to steady the ship and go on an impressive 10-game unbeaten run, though a recent dip in form has left fans worried about their chances of finishing in the Premier League top four.
The Gunners currently sit at sixth, two points behind fourth-placed West Ham and one position above local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. However, Spurs have two games in hand over Arsenal and could leapfrog them.
Both the club and its fans are desperate for Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League, something they’ve failed to do since the 2016-17 season. This season is also the first that Arsenal have had without any form of European football since the 1994-95 campaign.
The last time Arsenal were in the Champions League they made it out of the group stages but were eliminated by a formidable Bayern Munich side in the round of 16, Munich are the current second favourites in the Champions League betting markets. That ended a run of 19 consecutive Champions League seasons for the Gunners, dating back to 1998-99, which remains an English football record.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League but they did make the final in 2006, becoming the first team from London to ever do so. Despite taking the lead over Barcelona before half time, two late goals from the Spanish giants crushed Arsenal’s dreams of lifting the trophy.
Since 2010, the north London side have failed to make it beyond the last 16 of the Champions League. Their overall record in the competition is decent, though, with 101 wins, 43 draws and 57 losses.
The Champions League is one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of football, and brings with it enormous levels of revenue for the clubs involved. It pits the best teams in Europe against each other, generally meaning the best teams in the world are involved.
Now, Mikel Arteta’s side have work to do if they want to get themselves back into the top four and stay there. During September and October, they produced an unbeaten run that raised some eyebrows and suggested they have what it takes, beating the likes of Leicester City and Spurs in the process.
However, prior to that they had been beaten 2-0 by Chelsea and smashed 5-0 by current league-leaders Manchester City. A few weeks ago they also suffered a one-sided 4-0 defeat to Liverpool and have since lost to Manchester United and Everton.
That’s not to say Arsenal have been terrible – far from it – but the side has displayed some of the weaknesses that have plagued them for years now. Namely, they start games well – sometimes taking the lead – but then sit back and allow their opposition to take over. When they’re in front, Arsenal become a lot more passive and fail to press their advantage; against the top teams, this becomes very costly.
After that defeat to Everton at the start of the month, Arsenal had lost three of their last four games, however a comfortable 3-0 victory over Southampton in their most recent outing helped stop the rot.
It’s clear that Arteta needs to nurture more cohesion from his players if they are to qualify for Europe next season. Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of the Southampton game for disciplinary reasons, and other players – such as Nicolas Pepe – have been underutilised this season.
The Gunners’ next few games to close out the calendar year are all very winnable; they’ll face Leeds, Norwich and Wolves in the league, all of whom sit below Arsenal in the table. Norwich are particularly struggling at the very bottom of the table, with just 10 points.
So, if Arsenal can end 2021 with some momentum and points in the bag, their chances of finishing in the top four will be much stronger. Without any European games to worry about, Arteta can also focus his efforts on the Premier League, something other top-four contenders don’t yet have the luxury of.
While Arsenal will need to get themselves some big results, they’ll also be hoping some of their peers begin to slip up. The likes of West Ham, Manchester United, Spurs and Leicester are all vying for fourth place, with the top three having separated themselves from the pack already.
West Ham have had an excellent season so far while United and Spurs have been disappointing. However, the latter two have found some form in recent weeks.
Arsenal will face City and Tottenham in the early parts of 2022 and it’s games such as those that they need to get points from if they want to finish in the top four. Taking points off of Spurs in particular will do wonders for their chances.
The squad has the depth and talent to challenge for that top four position, but so far Arsenal have not been able to maintain the sort of consistency that is needed to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners may be out of the European qualification places at the moment, but of they can rekindle the form that saw them go 10 games unbeaten just a few months ago, then there’s no reason they can’t land themselves in the Champions League next season.
