Heading into the 2024-25 campaign, there was optimistic belief amongst Arsenal fans that this would finally be the season for them. Fresh off two back-to-back title races with Manchester City, all signs pointed to a third-time lucky title charge for the Gunners, especially with Jürgen Klopp leaving Liverpool and 115 FFP charges looming over Manchester City. Then, following a strong start to the season, most bookies made Arsenal the new title favourites in October, capped off by a 10-men Arsenal team holding City to an impressive 2-2 at the Etihad. However, just a couple of months later and Arteta is in a tough spot, with Arsenal suddenly falling out of the title race and looking a shadow of their attacking selves from before.
Arsenal Are Out of the Title Race — For Now
Following a disappointing 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Everton, Arsenal’s title dreams have been hurt. What stings most for Gunners fans is that Arsenal have collapsed at the worst possible time. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are currently on the worst run of form in the club’s modern history — having won just once in their past 11 games — which has opened up a rare opportunity for another team to clinch the title. That team is likely going to be Liverpool, who are in inspired form under new manager Arne Slot and sit five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.
Prior to this season, Arsenal had been playing some of the most exciting front foot football the Premier League had seen for years. This style of football had enabled them to push Manchester City to the absolute limit, despite ultimately coming short in both title races. That didn’t matter too much, though, as Gunners fans appreciated that the club was on the right track and playing great football. But all of that progress is in danger of being lost, with Arteta now opting to prioritize defensive structure and set pieces over the free flowing attacking football of old, much to the frustration of fans.
With the second half of the season now upon us, Arsenal’s biggest issue is scoring non-set pieces. The truth is that they are still capable of scoring from open play, although there is definitely too much of a reliance on corners and freekicks. This has hindered the Gunners and caused creative stagnation, leading to points getting dropped. While this has been happening, Liverpool and Chelsea have taken over the top two positions in the Premier League table, leaving Arsenal in the dust and Manchester City struggling in fifth place, something no one saw coming at the start of the season.
Could Arteta turn things around and get Arsenal back into the title race? It’s certainly possible, but it’s going to be extremely hard work closing the 9 point gap that Liverpool are likely going to open. If Arteta is to somehow pull this off, it will absolutely have to start with him fixing the lack of goals from open play. Clearly, Arteta believes that the reason he fell short of winning the title in the previous two campaigns is because of defensive frailties, but this has unfortunately caused him to focus too much on ‘parking the bus’. As a result, the attack has fallen apart, so it needs to be addressed — and fast.
Arteta needs to focus on getting the most out of his current squad. It’s fair to say that Gabriel Martinelli has massively underperformed this season, with the likes of Declan Rice also struggling to reach expectations. You also have loan signing Raheem Sterling, who has so far failed to impress and hasn’t shown much to gain the trust of Arteta. Simply put, Arteta’s to-do list is arguably the longest in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal Need to Win a Trophy This Season
Despite falling out of the title race for now, Arteta needs to win Arsenal a trophy this season. Otherwise, pressure from both the fans (and the board) is going to mount. This is Arteta’s fifth full season in charge of the Gunners and he’s splashed over £700 million on a half-decade rebuild. During this time, Arteta has won an FA Cup — which came during his first season in charge after inheriting Unai Emery’s previous squad — and two FA Community Shields. In the eyes of a growing number of Arsenal fans, this might not be enough. Therefore, it’s approaching make or break time for Arteta, who himself has admitted that this season must finish with some type of silverware for the Gunners.
As things stand, Arsenal are extremely unlikely to win the Premier League title, with the Gunners currently being 7/2 outliers with most bookies. Instead, Arsenal’s best shot at winning a trophy this season rests with the Carabao Cup, where Arteta’s men are currently 5/2 favourites. You can bet on them to win the Carabao Cup this season with a £5 minimum deposit. There’s also a small chance that Arsenal go deep into the FA Cup later this season, but the overriding belief amongst fans and pundits is that the Carabao Cup should be Arteta’s main focus for now. As for the Champions League, Arsenal have once again struggled in the competition this season and look unlikely to make it further than the round of 16, although crazier things have happened.
Summary
If Arteta falls even further out of the title race as the season progresses and also misses out on the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, huge questions will be asked of his suitability for the role moving forward. For now, most Gunners fans are still by his side, but there is definitely a sense that the tide is turning now that Liverpool and Chelsea have flown ahead of them in the Premier League table. It’s a case of waiting to see what happens — so the next few months will be a tense period for Arteta himself and the millions of Gunners fans around the world.