With the top 4 race in their hands, Arsenal have mentally collapsed this month, losing 4 of 5 matches to sides that you’d expect them to beat.
If you told me before the season that by April, Arsenal would be favourites for top 4, I probably would’ve let out a bit of a chuckle. The Gunners squad isn’t nearly as balanced or talented as the likes of United, Chelsea, and Spurs, and they really did not seem good enough to qualify for the Champions League through the Premier League. However, Chelsea, United, and Spurs have all been underwhelming in their own regard, and Arsenal were given a fantastic opportunity to seal their own Champions League fate this month rather than rely on others. However, the Gunners once again revealed their deep-rooted mentality issues, by losing multiple matches in embarrassing fashion to lesser opponents, to ruin their chances of top 4. It can be argued now that Arsenal don’t even deserve to make top 4, after the horrible performances they have put in this month.
https://twitter.com/WhoToBeAFC/status/1122761355130437633
It all started at Goodison Park, where Arsenal fell 0-1 to Everton through a Phil Jagielka goal. Arsenal had really prominent issues away from home last year, and while it seemed that Unai Emery had mended this issue in the first half of this season, it has since re-appeared and seems set to stay. 4 of the Gunners’ last 6 matches came away from home, but many expected the chance to qualify for top 4 to spur on the players and inspire them to success. This has not happened, as they’ve lost 3 of 4 away endeavors in their final stretch, with their only win coming against Watford, in a match they probably would’ve lost had Deeney not been sent off.
The most disappointing thing however, is that Arsenal had only lost 1 match at home all season till Crystal Palace came to the Emirates for an important match. Arsenal, who rarely ever put in poor performances at home, crumbled under the pressure of the top 4 race and lost 3-2 to Palace. This was the main sign that the away losses weren’t solely down to the team struggling away from the Emirates – the team was struggling to cope with pressure. This issue has persisted under 2 managers now, which means that the players are heavily to blame. Many of them, such as Mustafi, Elneny, Kolasinac, Mkhitaryan, and Iwobi have failed to produce under 2 managers now, and their futures should be uncertain.
The Gunners’ top 4 hopes may be finished, as they sit in 5th with just 2 matches to go, but they still have the Europa League to focus on to achieve the same goal of reaching the Champions League. Many have predicted that they will win the Europa League, including myself, but with their current form this is genuinely unlikely, as Valencia will pose a very difficult test, and of course so will either Chelsea or Frankfurt should they get past the Spanish side.