Out of two cup competitions already, Arsenal’s hopes for a successful season rests on two of the toughest competitions in the world, the Premier League and the Champions League.
Their Carabao Cup journey has come to an embarrassing end, crashing out with a 4–0 aggregate defeat to Newcastle – a humbling exit that leaves little room for consolation.
At the start of the week, fresh off a stunning 5–1 victory over Manchester City, it was easy to assume Arsenal had the wind at their back.
Overturning Newcastle’s two-goal advantage seemed like a realistic possibility.
However, if anything, it was Newcastle who came out firing, piling on the pressure early and leaving Arsenal with no room to breathe.
In just the third minute, the visitors received an early warning from Newcastle as their defence was effortlessly bypassed by a brilliant line-breaking pass from Anthony Gordon.
Alexander Isak latched onto it and produced a spectacular finish, seemingly putting Newcastle ahead.
However, VAR intervened, ruling Isak offside by the finest of margins, offering Arsenal a brief reprieve.
Despite the early scare, they failed to take heed. Once again, a defence-splitting pass found Isak in open space, and this time, the warning turned into punishment.
With a 3-0 deficit on aggregate, Arsenal’s mental fortitude crumbled, and the sense of urgency faded. At this point, qualifying for the final seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream.
Arsenal’s Hopes Hanging by a Thread: Doubts Over Their Champions League and Premier League Ambitions
With Arsenal now left competing only in the Champions League and the Premier League, the prospect of a trophyless season looms larger than ever.
Liverpool stands as clear favourites in the league title race, holding a six-point lead with a game in hand.
However, if Arsenal can chase them down relentlessly without dropping points, the clash between both teams in the second week of May could become the decisive showdown.
Then there’s the problem – consistency.
Arsenal’s Achilles’ heel in the title race for the past two years has always been that – closing the gap is one thing. Sustaining the fight until the very end is another.
The Champions League remains the ever-elusive trophy for them, always just out of reach.
While they have already secured automatic qualification for the knockout stages after finishing third in the league phase, the road ahead is anything but easy.
Right now, it’s even harder to envision any real success for the North London club, especially considering they couldn’t even make a mark in the latter stages of their domestic cup competitions.
If they struggled to compete locally, how far can they truly go on the grand European stage?
The Champions League demands resilience, consistency, and a winning mentality – qualities they have yet to prove when it matters most.
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Can Arteta get Arsenal Over the Line?
The moment has finally arrived when doubts about Mikel Arteta’s ability to deliver silverware for Arsenal are growing louder.
Since taking charge in 2019, he has secured just one major trophy – the FA Cup in 2020.
While Arteta values the two Community Shield triumphs as significant, many fans see them as little more than glorified friendlies.
There’s no denying that Arsenal have transformed under his leadership, playing beautiful, progressive football and securing back-to-back second-place finishes.
But the lingering question remains: when will they finally take that final step from contenders to champions?
Great performances and an impressive style of play mean little if they don’t result in trophies, and this is where Arsenal’s struggles lie.
Despite the plaudits and brilliance displayed on the pitch over the past 2 to 3 seasons, the one thing consistently missing is the silverware, with last season being a prime example of this.
The Gunners defied all odds, mounting a genuine challenge for the Premier League, but by the end of the season, despite their brilliance on the pitch, there was no trophy to show for it.
Meanwhile, even a struggling Manchester United side, finishing 8th in the table, ended their season with silverware. Arguably, one could say United had a better season.
It’s starting to feel all too familiar, much like last season.
Arsenal just can’t seem to cultivate the winning mentality every title-challenging team must have, and once again, they find themselves on the back foot.
The lingering question remains – should Arteta be given more time to instil a winning mentality in his young team, or is it time for a change?
His tenure at Arsenal is starting to resemble Arsène Wenger’s latter years, with doubts creeping in about whether he can take the club to the next level.
While I believe Arteta is still the right man for the job, the clock is ticking.
The pressure to deliver results is mounting, and time may soon run out if he can’t turn Arsenal’s potential into tangible success.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Xinhua
Recording Date: 07.01.2025