After last season’s highly disappointing campaign, Arsenal had to bounce back strong to regain the confidence of their supporters. The Gunners had finished 8th in the 2020-21 season and were out of European action for the next season.
The fans had displayed clear contempt towards their team’s performance and were vocal in expressing their desire to see out their manager before their next season.
A Poor Start to the 2021-22 Season
The opening day 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Brentford was a shocking result, and the subsequent week’s 2-0 loss to their London rivals, Chelsea, worsened their situation.
The devastating blow came against Manchester City on Matchday 3 as Pep’s team dismantled Arsenal with a 5-0 victory at the Etihad.
There were no places to hide for Mikel Arteta and his men. They were 20th in the league table after 3 successive losses in their first 3 games and the worst ever start in the football club’s history.
Board’s Confidence in Arteta’s Process
Though there were adamant protests from fans and critics alike to sack the Spaniard coach, the board stuck with him and showed their faith.
Arteta had already spent big money in the offseason to acquire the services of Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Still, Arsenal’s management dispensed further finances before the transfer deadline to sign the likes of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United and right back Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna, believing in their former player’s tactics.
A little late, nevertheless, Arteta’s plans with his new recruitments started showing results as they jumped places each week and we’re already in the top 6 after Matchday 10.
After Arsene Wenger’s departure in 2018, Unai Emery had a season-long stint at the helm of the team before Mikel Arteta took over in December 2019. The midfielder, who was at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s deputy, clinched onto the opportunity to manage the club he had captained in his playing days.
It has been exactly two years since he took over, and he has been in charge of 107 games at Arsenal with 60 wins, 29 losses and 18 draws.
Arsenal back to the top 4
With 18 matches and almost half the season complete, Arsenal is 4th in the table with 32 points. They are 4 points clear of West Ham (who have a game in hand) and 6 points adrift of Chelsea, who are in 3rd.
Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Martinelli have all been in top form, with Smith-Rowe finding the back of the net 7 times so far in the league.
Ramsdale has been in tremendous form this season after joining the Gunners from Sheffield and has already replaced Bernd Leno as their first-choice goalkeeper, while Martinelli scored a brace in their latest 4-1 win over Leeds United.
Will they finish in the Top 4?
A return to the Champions League would be an excellent result for Arteta and his men, as City and Liverpool are hardly dropping any points at the top. The last time Arsenal finished in the top 4 was back in 2016, and they’ll be hoping to get back there after 6 long seasons.
But with 20 games still to play and key players in form, fans at the Emirates might have set their eyes on something more than that. After all, football is a funny game; what say Gooners?
Read More: Manchester City demolishes Newcastle to retain the Top Spot
