The Gunners saw their hopes of a first league title in 19 years all-but extinguished on Wednesday, and focus now must switch to bridging the gap
Arsenal’s title bid may be over, but it must be remembered that the journey to take the club back towards the top of European football has only really just begun.
Mikel Arteta said last month that the club was only at ‘phase three' of his five-point plan to turn things round in north London, and Manchester City proved to the world on Wednesday night that he was right.
What Arsenal have done this season has been remarkable. No-one even mentioned them in the possible debate around the title when all the runners and riders were being discussed last summer.
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But had it not been for the Gunners, there wouldn’t have even been a title race this season. City would be sitting with their slippers on right now, focusing on nothing but the Champions League.
Getty ImagesA tale of what could have been
So Arsenal deserve a lot of praise for what they have achieved this season. And had things panned out differently, they could have got the job done.
Had Lee Mason done his job properly against Brentford, had Bukayo Saka put his penalty inside of the post rather than wide of it against West Ham, and had Leandro Trossard’s wicked shot against Southampton dipped just a couple of inches lower, the conversation on Thursday could have been very different.
Arsenal didn’t lose the title against Manchester City; Pep Guardiola’s side just cemented it.
Arsenal lost the title in those three games leading up to the match at the Etihad. Their safety net had vanished, their momentum had been killed. City, meanwhile, were just hitting top gear.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesPunished for imperfections
You need perfection to finish off Guardiola’s side. Arsenal have been great, but they haven’t been perfect. And therein lies the challenge to Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy.
If they ever needed a reminder of the heights they have to hit to be the best, they were given it in brutal fashion on Wednesday. City were exceptional and Arsenal couldn’t get near them. It was 4-1, but that scoreline didn’t even reflect the true gulf in class between the sides.
“It’s clear the better team won the game,” Arteta said afterwards. “They were probably at their best, especially in the first half and we weren’t at our level. The gap then becomes too big.
“In the first 30 minutes, in terms of the basics you have to do against an exceptional team in terms of competing, in terms of winning duels, in terms of understanding what the game required, we didn’t do it.
“We got punished and we could have been punished even more.”
Getty ImagesA relentless opponent
There’s no shame in losing to Manchester City. Most teams do. The big challenge is building a squad that at least gives you an opportunity to try and take advantage of any slip-ups they may have.
Arsenal have done that to a point this season. They got their noses in front and managed to stay there for almost the entirety of the campaign.
But City are relentless. They are so strong all over the pitch and they just always just keep going. They have got stronger just as Arsenal have run out of steam, and a third successive title now looks inevitable.
GettySeason objective reached
For Arsenal though, there has been a lot to like about this season. It went under the radar a bit given the result at the Etihad, but they actually qualified for the Champions League on Wednesday thanks to Brighton’s loss at Nottingham Forest.
When the season started, that was the target – both internally and with the fans. That’s a target that’s been achieved with five games to go.
Arteta has always kept his cards close to his chest when it comes to the make up of his five-point plan. But it feels like after steadying the ship and remodelling the squad, phase three would have been returning to Europe’s top club competition.
And now comes the final two steps, kicking on again and truly competing with the best of the best.
That’s what City are, and Wednesday was a clear indicator of the work Arsenal now need to do.