The Gunners finished their campaign with some style by demolishing Aston Villa four goals to nil. Giroud grabbed a well-taken hat-trick to guide the side to a second place finish. The match saw farewells given to club captain Arteta and long term servant Rosicky who was given Guard of Honor by the players.
Spurs crumbled and Arsenal finished above their north London rivals yet again, and the fans celebrated as if they won the title. Arsenal fans took over Twitter to mock Spurs. But is finishing above really a big achievement? Was this season a failure for Wenger and co?
Arsenal was the only club in the Premier League to not buy an outfield player in the summer transfer market. Nevertheless, Wenger signed Petr Cech, who proved to be a brilliant signing. The experienced goalkeeper saved many points for his new side and helped the backline to remain solid. Bellerin and Monreal enjoyed good seasons and Elneny also showed promise in the ending matches.
Mesut Ozil was a revelation. The German magician was Arsenal’s player of the season and deserved this award. The midfielder registered 19 assists in the EPL, one short of breaking the record of Legend Thierry Henry. Only a world-class striker was missing in the team for Ozil to guide the Gunners to the EPL triumph.
It was all going well for the Gunners until injuries to Cazorla and Coquelin made them suffer. Ozil got less of the ball in the later part of the season with their absence, and the Gunners were struggling in the middle of the park and started to lack creativity and new ideas.
It was Arsenal’s season to grab the title and was even labeled favorites by the bookies when Wenger’s side beat Manchester City 2-1. But the poor form of Giroud and Theo Walcott saw a bad spell up front for Arsenal. The North London side found it difficult to find the net which ultimately cost them the title. Moreover, Arsenal dropped more points at home as fans were getting restless and players were finding it difficult to perform in such atmosphere.
Alex Sanchez didn’t have a really good season according to his usual lofty standards. The Chilean had a good start of the season but was a shadow of his real self after his injury lay off. Sanchez finished the season strongly but the forward would want to improve, and his behavior was poor.
Theo Walcott was awful as it seems certain that he would be leaving this summer. Theo found it hard to get starts under his belt and was hugely invisible in his appearances which led to his exclusion from the England squad for the Euros. Ospina had a season to forget with some costly errors. While Gabriel Paulista didn’t do any favors to himself with a mediocre season. The Brazilian made some errors and wasn’t stable at the back with his rash challenges.
Wenger guided his side to a 20th consecutive top four finish, and it’s quite a huge achievement for the Frenchman. It is extremely challenging to maintain this level of consistency.
Unfortunately, the fans aren’t happy and have argued that qualifying for the UCL isn’t a trophy. This was Wenger’s best chance to win the league as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City didn’t have good seasons. The fact that Leicester won the EPL with limited funds and resources ahead of the Gunners is what the fans can’t digest.
Many people would argue that Wenger has done a lot for the club but in my opinion, the coach owes Arsenal one EPL trophy and the manager has to do it next season with his contract expiring. Gibbs Walcott and Chamberlain will most probably join Rosicky, Arteta and Flamini to the exit doors and the club needs fresh blood.
Xhaka is almost a done deal as the Swiss all set to join the club. The holding midfielder will be a much-needed presence in the center of the park. A proven goal scorer and a decent center back are needed to be signed for Arsenal to give a serious challenge for the league next season.
