ARSENAL OFFICIALLY BOTTLE IT! Arsenal fans now backtracking....2nd will be a great season for us! Surely that has to be seen as a failure??

[RedPed]

I can't believe how the Arsenal fans and now quite a few pundits are letting the club off easy if they fail to win the league this season. They were all full of themselves when 9 points clear a few weeks back and constantly taking the piss out of United and others. There was all the talk about no team being in their position at the turn of the year and not going on to win the league. All the chants and social media crap about them bagging the title and Fraudteta being the best thing since sliced bread. All the constant talk about them cooking something special this season.

Yet now that they're having a bit of a wobble and now suddenly finishing 2nd is a great season for them, signs of real progress and they weren't expecting to win the title at the start of the season anyway. The ironic thing is United would end up having a better season than them if they do finish 2nd.. They're not accepting that this would be a massive bottle job if they blow it now.

I can't see how it would be anything else but. Their fans are so deluded.

 

[cyberman]

If they bottle the league it won’t be by a few points and a close second, there’s every chance they’re looking at 3rd or 4th

 

[acnumber9]

If they bottle the league it won’t be by a few points and a close second, there’s every chance they’re looking at 3rd or 4th

They need 9 points to guarantee 2nd. Of course they’re finishing top 2.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Neh 2nd is a great season for them. Although yes we still get to banter them.

 

[Pexbo]

If they bottle the league it won’t be by a few points and a close second, there’s every chance they’re looking at 3rd or 4th

wat

 

[DOTA]

It doesn't really matter whether 2nd is a great achievement by their standards or not, this is their chance to win a league title and they are unlikely to get another for a very, very long time.

 

[dwd]

Arteta has done it

 

[hobbers]

Cant really blame them, this is arguably even worse than bottling the title vs Leicester.

 

[Samid]

They've been celebrating and parading since August. If they bottle it they'll claim that none of them at any stage expected to win it which would be a blatant lie.

 

[rimaldo]

wat

lose at the weekend and they’re looking at relegation.

 

[Wengerista]

It would be both a disappointment and a successful season. Objectively we've made massive progress this season, but short-term emotions would be disappointment around how we fell away during the business end of the season.

I think you'd be lacking a heart (or just lying) to not feel disappointed at finishing second after leading for so long, but you'd be lacking a head if you believed something like ''This means the project has failed, it's an unacceptable rate of progress, get rid of Arteta'' etc etc

 

[mu4c_20le]

Top 4 was always the aim lads

 

[romufc]

This is a difficult one, Its a good season in terms of performances but with nothing to show for it, its not a good season.

They cannot say its been a great season because they gave up every other competition to focus on the PL, they were also 8+ points ahead of City, so regardless of how good City are, its a failure. They should have tried to win one of the other cups, if they are so good.

 

[RedPed]

Neh 2nd is a great season for them. Although yes we still get to banter them.

I can't argue that yeah, finishing 2nd will be a great season for them. But that is not the topic for debate, these are two separate things.

1. Blowing the lead and finishing 2nd is bottling it, considering the position they've been in practically all season.
2. Finishing 2nd in the table is ultimately a decent season for them.

 

[Solius]

They've been hounding Gary Neville for not calling them favourites. Would be quite funny if he turned out correct.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

It doesn't really matter whether 2nd is a great achievement by their standards or not, this is their chance to win a league title and they are unlikely to get another for a very, very long time.

The same was said of Liverpool after 13/14.

As much as Arteta is an annoying cnut, that’s a great young team he’s built and they won’t completely fall away, if at all. Depends on the level of investment obviously, but I think they will have another crack at it in the next few years.

Whether 2nd is a great season for them is subjective. You can argue that watching great football week in week out and securing CL football is great, taking into account them bottling it last season, and you can also argue that it’s disappointing because they end up winning feck all despite all the excitement.

 

[duffer]

2nd, 3rd, 11th. They're all losers.

If you ain't first, you're last.

I'm not saying they've had a similar season to Chelsea if they don't win the league, that would be insane. Chelsea also made it to the quarters of the Champions League.

 

[WeePat]

It's like when a team like Bournemouth goes away to City. They expect to get battered but unbelievably find themselves 2-0 up in the middle of the second half. They end up losing 3-2 in a late game collapse. A Bournemouth fan would probably feel bitterly disappointed given the incredible position they worked themselves into, could argue they bottled it despite the huge gulf in class with their opponent, but ultimately they would be proud of the team and the effort they put in.

 

[RedPed]

They've been celebrating and parading since August. If they bottle it they'll claim that none of them at any stage expected to win it which would be a blatant lie.

100%. My point exactly. They're really quite shameless.

 

[Edwards6]

Not so long ago they were crying about disrespect if anyone suggested City would win it

 

[Irwin99]

It will be a failure in a way because they had (have?) such a great chance to win it and I very much doubt United, Liverpool or City will go backwards next season. Of course Arsenal fans will say that they will improve with signings next year but it's not always the case. I just think this could be a very real opportunity for them and they look like blowing it.

 

[RuudTom83]

Football is never a straight line, finishing 5th and then 2nd does not mean you will finish 1st in the next campaign...everyone knows this is the year for Arsenal, if they fluff it then its not coming around again for a long time.

Pressure is on and the thought of failure has dawned on all the fans this weekend. Now we start hearing the excuses.

 

[Irwin99]

They've been hounding Gary Neville for not calling them favourites. Would be quite funny if he turned out correct.

To me that was such an uncontroversial and sensible take to say that City have the know how to win a league and go on a run that i can't believe it got such criticism. City beat Liverpool twice in title run ins over the past few years and that Liverpool team was better than this Arsenal one. It's just ...common sense to say Arsenal will find it tough.

 

[Name Changed]

From the position they were in, it's a disaster if they don't win the league.

 

[Wiltord02]

I wouldn't say we bottled it if we do finish second. We haven't had a 10+ points lead and totally fallen off. Unfortunately, the City juggernaut appears to have come into its full stride whilst we have dropped points. Also, the sheer consistency to win a Premier League title these days since Pep took over City is crazy.

As people have said, It will be disappointing if we do finish second as these seasons don't come along very often. What we need to make sure is that we get the investment right in the summer. We look short now and this is before the demands of European football next season.

 

[lex talionis]

At the beginning of the season, a second place finish for Arsenal would have been a triumph. But here we are now and if they land second place, it will have been a bottle job of the highest order.

 

[Fridge chutney]

I hope they win it but if they finish second it will still be a successful season.

 

[WeePat]

It will be a failure in a way because they had (have?) such a great chance to win it and I very much doubt United, Liverpool or City will go backwards next season. Of course Arsenal fans will say that they will improve with signings next year but it's not always the case. I just think this could be a very real opportunity for them and they look like blowing it.

I can understand the hesitation to call it a failure given the expectations going into the season.

What was the biggest lead they had over City? I remember them being 8 points clear but not sure if City had a game in hand the entire time.

 

[CM]

Failure would be overstating it slightly. Arsenal haven't qualified for the Champions League in 5 or 6 years, so just getting back there is progress in some form. Still, it would be funny to watch them feck it up having sacked off every cup competition in order to focus on the league.

 

[crossy1686]

Considering where Arsenal have been, 2nd is good for them, just like it would be good for us, but it doesn't mean shit if you don't kick on next year, we'd fecking know, we've done it enough times.

 

[SER19]

Would be a major collapse given they sacrificed everything else and also winning a title would help them more in the summer market to try ensure it wasnt a one off.

 

[Nickelodeon]

Quite a small time thread tbh. In a season where we’re finishing behind them and calling it progress, why shouldn’t they call theirs the same?

 

[romufc]

I wouldn't say we bottled it if we do finish second. We haven't had a 10+ points lead and totally fallen off. Unfortunately, the City juggernaut appears to have come into its full stride whilst we have dropped points. Also, the sheer consistency to win a Premier League title these days since Pep took over City is crazy.

As people have said, It will be disappointing if we do finish second as these seasons don't come along very often. What we need to make sure is that we get the investment right in the summer. We look short now and this is before the demands of European football next season.

Ofcourse it is a bottle. Arsenal have led since matchday 3, had a 8 point gap at the top too.

Arsenal gave away other competitions to concentrate on the PL, whereas City have taken every competition seriously.

I dont understand why Arsenal want to play CL when they cant handle Europe this season.

 

[SoCross]

They’d still be a point ahead even if they lose to City; it’s entirely in their hands.

 

[WeePat]

They’d still be a point ahead even if they lose to City; it’s entirely in their hands.

City have a game in hand.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

It doesn't really matter whether 2nd is a great achievement by their standards or not, this is their chance to win a league title and they are unlikely to get another for a very, very long time.

That's how I see it. To a big extent, this season was a bit of a perfect storm for them - lots of big teams in transition/being completely shit, and City having a very late awakening, which meant they were really in the driving seat. They've thrown that advantage with pretty poor tactics and game management, and though they might still win it (I don't think they will anymore though), they've made it so much more difficult than it needed to be. Sort of reminds me of that season where we threw a comfy lead away, notably with that weird 4-4 draw at Everton.

 

[DOTA]

The same was said of Liverpool after 13/14.

As much as Arteta is an annoying cnut, that’s a great young team he’s built and they won’t completely fall away, if at all. Depends on the level of investment obviously, but I think they will have another crack at it in the next few years.

Whether 2nd is a great season for them is subjective. You can argue that watching great football week in week out and securing CL football is great, taking into account them bottling it last season, and you can also argue that it’s disappointing because they end up winning feck all despite all the excitement.

Their results have already dropped off badly from the first half of the season. I think it's more likely they will fail to finish in the top four again under Arteta than that they will win the league under him if they fail this year.

 

[theballisround]

Did you see Jose finishing 2nd as a failure?

Of course they will backtrack as they will go back into obscurity for years to come.

 

[ColvaleGoa]

I don't care how deluded their fans are, I still want them to win it. Imagine the scenario where Arsenal win the league or City win the treble!

Now choose your poison!

Whoever wins we lose!

 

[Oranges038]

I thought they got the trophy months ago.

Be really cruel to make them hand it back.