When the sadness passes, Arsenal will realize that they can still go further after a season of fair competition with Man City.
Arsenal overall had a successful 2023-2024 season. Photo: ARS
Arsenal finally finished the 2023-2024 Premier League season in second place like a year ago, but this time it felt very different.
The “Gunners” entered the final match against Everton, 2 points behind Manchester City and still had a chance to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004. But the truth is that since Phil Foden scored the opening goal number for Man City against West Ham after 78 seconds, Emirates painted a sad color.
There were brief rays of hope that suddenly lit up for The Gunners. They tried to come back and beat Everton 2-1 thanks to goals from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz. However, parallel to that at the Etihad, West Ham was powerless to stop Man City.
Even though they couldn’t win the championship, Mikel Arteta’s team still deserves praise. And in fact, warm applause appeared at the Emirates after the final whistle. Arsenal did their best, it’s just a shame that The Citizens were so excellent.
Arsenal fans still have strong faith in the team. Photo: ARS
Last season, Arsenal ran out of steam in the sprint, winning only 3/9 of their final matches. Pressure and fatigue have weighed heavily on Arteta’s young army.
Entering the 2023-2024 season, the home team at Emirates Stadium has made clear improvements in mentality. Since the beginning of 2024, they have won 16/18 matches, scored 54 goals and conceded only 9 times.
If anything, Arsenal were only overcome by a winning machine called Man City, when they won their sixth championship in 7 seasons. This is also the fourth consecutive time that Guardiola’s team has won the tournament.
For Arsenal, the 89 points achieved this season is the second highest number in their history in the Premier League. In the 2003-2004 championship season with an unbeaten record, The Gunners only reached 90 points.
Arsenal also set a record with 28 wins in the Premier League in one season. They have only had a better record once in the entire history of the league, with 29 wins in the 1970-1971 season.
They also scored 91 goals, another club record in the Premier League era. Arsenal is unbeaten against traditional “Big Six” teams, winning 22 points after 10 matches against Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham. Meanwhile, the number of points Man City won in such matches was only 15.
Besides, the “Gunners” defense also conceded the fewest goals this season.
Clearly, Arsenal has come very close to Man City’s level, just like Liverpool did before. And if the current momentum continues, Arsenal winning the Premier League is only a matter of time.
Man City was comfortable letting Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal two years ago. However, according to British media, The Citizens were really wary of Arsenal last summer. This is clearly shown by the fact that they refused to allow Joao Cancelo to join Emirates on loan.
In short, disappointment and regret are inevitable for Arsenal fans after this season. But Arteta’s team can still go further and even if we have to wait, it will be worth it.
Mikel Arteta sent the message that Arsenal will not give up. Photo: ARS
“Fans don’t be satisfied, because Arsenal want more and we will get it (the Premier League title).
The players will progress to another level with another year of playing together. We have great confidence that the club will advance to any tournament.
We experienced the Champions League for the first time in 7 years. Arsenal was also close to winning the Premier League championship. Now we have to continue to maintain our form,” Arteta said.
