Can Arsenal Salvage Their Season?

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With their midweek win over Southampton, there’s a chance that Arsenal’s season might actually turn out to be pretty decent. Despite all the doom and gloom that has surrounded the London club this season they now have a really good chance of finishing in the top four and  could well add another FA cup to their collection.

For all the fan unrest and #WengerOut memes, it seems Arsene Wenger has steered the ship back on course and all of a sudden the idea of him signing another two year extension doesn’t seem that insane.

One thing Wenger deserves credit for was having the bravery to implement a three at the back system which he was not accustomed to. He made the change because he believed it would give them more defensive stability, which, given they were leaking too many goals was obviously needed. Since that change at the back they have only lost once in six games, unfortunately that one loss was the humbling defeat to Tottenham.

Throughout this run they have only conceded more than one goal once. In contrast, in the last four away games they played before the switch to three at the back they conceded three goals each time.

It’s clearly working and their new found defensive strength hasn’t come at the cost of their forward play. They still have enough attacking wise to win games. Some might call it a master stroke from the 69 year old Frenchman, others would put it down to luck but rest assured statistically they have improved defensively over last month or so which has given them the chance to sneak into the top four.

It’s also true however that the inconsistent form of the teams above them has helped Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for next years Champions League. Both Manchester clubs and Liverpool have all dropped points recently against teams you would expect them to beat but credit to Arsenal, they have slowly been grinding out results and getting closer to that top four. So much so that they are now only four points off Liverpool in third with a game in hand and three behind City.

The top four race is still well and truly alive and with Liverpool away at West Ham, where Tottenham were recently turned over, it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Merseyside club will be taking maximum points away from the London Stadium.

Not that it’s going to be easy for the Gunners, they also have a tough away fixture against Stoke to contend with, a fixture that has historically never been easy for them. But with the momentum from their last two results I can see them finding a way to get the right result.

Looking back over the last ten years, Arsenal have always finished the season strongly to maintain their top four status. From lasagne-gate with Tottenham to dramatic winning runs to pip teams like Everton and Newcastle respectively to top four finishes.

It’s understandable that this year will be harder due to the calibre of teams that are above them their history of Champions League qualification should give them confidence going into the last couple weeks of the season. They have shown time and time again that when the pressure of a title race is off they can really flourish and put together runs. Would I be surprised if Arsenal made it into the top four this year and won a trophy?My answer to that question is no, so write Arsene and Arsenal off at your own peril.


Written by Adrian Addai, follow him on twitter @AAddai1




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