After the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle, Arsenal FC are facing their sixth season without Champions League football. The performance at the Magpies raises questions once again.
After the 2-1 win over Leeds on matchday 36, it still looked as if Arsenal FC would be able to quench their longing for the Champions League and finally return to the top flight after a five-season absence. The Gunners were four points clear of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The head-to-head clash followed, with Spurs, who had previously lost just once in eight games, winning 3-0 with relative ease. This weekend Tottenham added a win against Burnley (1-0) to move past Arsenal, who were forced to follow suit at Newcastle on Monday night.
Newcastle “a hundred times better than us “
The pressure was on for the Gunners, ultimately too much – even against the liberated Magpies, Arsenal failed to make a dent. “I just can’t believe how we performed today. We lost all the duels and second balls,” Bukayo Saka somehow tried to find the right words after the highly deserved 2-0 defeat. The performance in Newcastle could not really be explained, according to coach Mikel Arteta, the Magpies were “a hundred times better than us”.
By his own admission, the Spaniard found it very difficult to put himself in front of his team, to come to their defence. Granit Xhaka, meanwhile, did not mince his words after the match: “If someone can’t handle the pressure, let him stay at home,” said the Swiss, who added. “If you perform like we did today, you don’t deserve to play Champions League. “
Tottenham must stumble
And in all likelihood neither will Arsenal next season. Tottenham have a two-point lead with one game remaining, plus a 15-goal better goal difference, so they only need to pick up a point at Norwich City on the final matchday – the Canaries have been relegated for weeks. The Gunners, meanwhile, host Everton, who have yet to secure their relegation at the hour mark.
“We missed twice to put ourselves in a good position,” Saka mourned the past few games, while Xhaka admitted they were not as far as some had thought. Still, the Gunners are clutching at the last straw, with Saka saying anything is still mathematically possible. “On Sunday we will be ready and hopefully things will go our way. That’s all we can do now. “
