As Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes dwindle, the focus shifts to the lessons learned from this season’s impressive campaign.

Can the Gunners use this experience as a catalyst for future success?

Arsenal may feel pain but it could be bump on road to greatness The Daily Telegraph15 May 2024By Luke Edwards So near, yet so far? Arsenal have been within touching distance of greatness and yet it seems all but certain it will escape their grasp. Mikel Arteta’s side, like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool before them, have pushed Manchester City as hard as anyone could but are still, surely, going to come up short. It is difficult to beat perfection and Pep Guardiola’s side are arguably as close as we have seen to that in the English game. They have not lost a match, other than on penalties in the Champions League to Real Madrid, since Dec 6. They have lost three league games all season. No team have been champions of England four years in a row, but that is what City are on the brink of becoming. All they need to do now is beat West Ham at home and there is nothing Arsenal, who host Everton, will be able to do to stop them. If Arsenal are to come so close and fail then it will hurt, with Mikel Arteta now looking likely to go four seasons without a major trophy. There will be furrowed brows and sadness. But sport is littered with stories of valiant failure that became the fuel for future success. Arsenal have had a really good season, the best since the glory days of Arsene Wenger in the early 2000s. They have progressed at the sort of speed that was not thought possible when Arteta took over as manager in December 2019. They could have won the title this season, and there is no disgrace in coming up short – not against the beast that is Manchester City and the genius that is Guardiola. There will be a temptation to poke fun at Arsenal, to suggest they have choked and they will not get a better chance than this to become champions again; that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United will be better next season; that the competition will be even more severe. This has been a huge chance but that does not mean they will not get another one. If they do come up just short they can learn from this and come back even stronger. If they can add another striker and more reliable source of goals to lead the line in the summer, they could well be back in this position again next year. If they can find another midfield player and possibly a world-class goalkeeper, this is not going to be the end of Arteta’s journey to the title. It will merely be a bump in the road on the way to their final destination. Liverpool were pipped to the Premier League title more than once, but they also won one, ending their own long wait to be crowned champions again. They are the side who provided the bump in the road for City’s history-makers, a team who write new chapters in their story of enduring, persistent triumph with the ease of a best-selling author penning another novel. They are the scriptwriters of their generation and the story is becoming an all too familiar one: The top-flight clubs play 38 games and City win the title. Those of us who think that is bad for English football; that City’s ability to hoover up domestic trophies like a Henry vacuum cleaner is damaging the Premier League’s claim to be the most exciting and competitive league in the world, have wanted Arsenal to win their first top-flight crown for 20 years. For all the talk of the Big Six in England (which has perhaps turned into eight with Aston Villa and Newcastle snapping at their heels) is it now just a case of the Big One? An Etihad coronation on Sunday will make it feel like Manchester City and then the rest. The message from Arteta will be that it is not over, but presuming Arsenal do finish second then they can head for the summer break with their heads held high and, if they have the right mentality, with renewed inspiration and hope that the long wait to be champions is almost over. Arsenal were accused of bottling it a year ago but nothing could be further from the truth this time. They have not let themselves down or their supporters. They are probably going to finish two points behind the best side the Premier League has seen. It is agonising to come so close and fail, but they can go again. Arsenal have improved every season since Arteta arrived. They can do so once more, even if the final step is always the hardest to take. But still, maybe it is not quite over yet. For those among us old enough to remember, Arsenal’s most famous title triumph came on the final day when they went to Liverpool needing to win by two goals and did so. It could still happen this time – but if it does not it feels like that success may not be all that far away. Article Name:Arsenal may feel pain but it could be bump on road to greatness Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Luke Edwards Start Page:3 End Page:3
Luke Edwards, writing in The Telegraph, Wednesday 15 May 2024

While Arsenal‘s Premier League title hopes may be fading, their remarkable season could serve as a catalyst for future success, argues Luke Edwards in The Daily Telegraph.

Despite pushing Manchester City to the brink, Arsenal‘s likely second-place finish will undoubtedly sting. However, Edwards suggests that this “valiant failure” could fuel future triumphs, drawing parallels to Liverpool‘s journey to their long-awaited Premier League title.

Edwards acknowledges that competing with Pep Guardiola‘s near-perfect City side is a monumental task, but emphasises that Arsenal‘s progress under Mikel Arteta has been significant. The team’s performance this season, their best since the early 2000s, demonstrates their potential for future glory.

He refutes the notion that Arsenal have “bottled it,” a term we are likely to hear a lot over the coming days,  emphasising that they have not let down their supporters and are merely falling short against an exceptionally talented Manchester City squad. It’s hard to argue with that.

Edwards suggests that with strategic summer signings, such as a prolific striker, a reliable midfielder, and a world-class goalkeeper, Arsenal could return even stronger next season, something most fans expect. He views this potential setback not as the end of their journey, but rather a “bump in the road” on their path to ultimate success. A road they weren’t supposed to even be on at this point.

The article also raises concerns about Manchester City‘s dominance in the Premier League, finally questioning whether their consistent success is detrimental to the league’s competitiveness. Edwards expresses hope that Arsenal‘s challenge will inspire other teams to step up and prevent the Premier League from remaining a one-horse race.

While the final outcome of the title race remains uncertain, Edwards urges Arsenal fans to remain optimistic. He believes that if Arsenal can maintain their upward trajectory and learn from this experience, their long wait for another Premier League title may soon be over.