May, 2018: After an inconsequential trip to Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town on the final day of the 2017-’18 season, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal were left wondering ‘what if.’ Looking back at the rollercoaster season Arsenal had, it is perhaps fair to say that a fourth place finish was creditable, but fans were left disappointed with the lack of ambition the club showed in the transfer windows. Especially given the late, late departure of their star striker Alexis Sanchez in August, that left the team unstable.
Wenger was confident before the season started though, as the man always is. Ahead of their first match against Leicester City back in August 2017, the man who has steered the club through many a turbulent season, sounded optimistic. After all, the club had just won the pre-season double, lifting the coveted Emirates Cup and Community Shield trophies.
He had said then:
“We are well prepared and ready for a fight, and of course ambitious as well. I think we have a good level of physical preparation. All our players got a decent number of minutes of good competition, so overall the preparation of the squad looks good. Then we need to transform the quality of the preparation into points and that is of course a pragmatic view, but what matters is we win the next game and start in a strong way, which we didn’t do last year. That’s what we want to achieve this season.”
Just a few things didn’t go Arsenal’s way from that pre-season prediction.
First of all, ambition. In a transfer window where most clubs spent on multiple star signings, Arsenal were content getting in French striker Alexander Lacazette for a club record fee of €53 million. With Olivier Giroud already in their ranks, and even the French National Team still trying to figure out who the better striker is among the two, it did not turn out to be the marquee signing that the club’s fan-base had hoped for. Unlucky with injuries, Lacazette did impress in bits but the club would be hoping for more from him in the upcoming season.
Secondly, physical state. It was unfortunate that Arsenal were without their best players for most of the season. The squad that looked deep on paper when the season began, succumbed to a glut of injuries in November, which saw the team pick up a solitary point against Huddersfield Town at home. The defeats against Manchester City, Tottenham and Burnley – always a tough place to travel to, as Wenger pointed out then – proved detrimental in their title charge.
Jack Wilshere, who started the season looking in great form, was left ruing another long term injury. Injuries to defenders playing the same position at the same time didn’t help either. In fact, the team would have struggled to finish fourth, if not for a late surge spearheaded by the returning Santi Cazorla in the spring. (Tomas Rosicky would have been so proud)
And finally, ‘transforming preparation into points’. In the big games against their closest rivals, Arsenal were left ruing their poor starts. ‘Little bit handbrake,’ as Wenger referred to, cost the team. He spoke about how mentally his team were a bit stifled as well – a problem that has existed longer at Arsenal than a star player staying at the Emirates. Of course, the team played some delightful football in games against mid-table opponents, but were often undone by the lack of a proper finisher. We have not seen that before.
Despite the fans’ being completely divided after a hopeful start to the season that promised some sort of change, Wenger managed to pull his team together for one final sprint to the Champions League spot. After the final game of the season, the board members of the club were visibly delighted when they announced that Arsenal will be back playing among Europe’s elite for their regular quota of six group games and one knock-out game from the upcoming season and urged the fans to renew their season tickets.
The board felt particularly encouraged by the club reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League this year, noting that it’s a clear improvement over their European performances in recent years. With the FA Cup final soon to come, it seemed like those running the club were more than satisfied with how the season panned out ultimately, despite reports of discontentment among a group of fans.
Well, they should perhaps be glad that their Arsenal did not, at least, lose to Bayern Munich in any competition. Things, they are a’ changing at the Emirates Stadium.