Mikel Arteta's side agonisingly missed out on Champions League football on the final day
In many ways, it's been a very successful campaign for Arsenal, despite the disappointment of losing out on a place in the top four to bitter rivals Tottenham on the final day of the season. The Gunners improved on back-to-back 8th place finishes in the Premier League by claiming 5th spot and will return to European football in the shape of the UEFA Europa League next season. Young players were developed, key signings exceeded expectations, and the harmony between the players on the pitch and the fans in the stand was greatly improved.
Of course the wounds are still fresh after losing the top four race to Spurs. Having looked like comfortably claiming 4th, fans would have been annoyed at giving that up in the final stretch against anyone, but against their North London rivals - it understandably hurts. Consecutive defeats against Spurs and Newcastle came at the worst time and ultimately cost Mikel Arteta's side a place in the Champions League. A win against The Magpies in itself would have seen them qualify, but it's easy to lament particular results in hindsight.
Despite that disappointment, there is a tonne of room for optimism. Arsenal were roundly mocked for their summer transfer business before the season started but they are the ones laughing now after Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Ødegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares all proved to be good signings. Some became huge fan favourites overnight - Ramsdale and Ødegaard come to mind, while others are showing lots of promise and will have fans eager to see them continue to grow.
The club will hope to take one more step next season, and to fight on multiple fronts they will need to bring in some more players. They are being linked every day with some very exciting options like Serge Gnabry and Gabriel Jesus but only time will tell how Arteta's squad will look heading into the 2022/23 campaign.
A Carabao Cup semi final and third round exit from the FA Cup will represent an underwhelming performance in the domestic cups, especially with no European distractions, but in terms of the league this would have to be described as a successful season and one which has at the very least met realistic prior expectations.
From the outside, it looks like a season of progress in terms of player development, cohesion and league finish - not perfect but very promising. We wanted to know what the feeling was inside the fanbase. Are we being too optimistic? Should Arsenal have done more? We caught up with Aaron Lerner from The Short Fuse, James from Pain in the Arsenal and Sam from Now Arsenal to get their insights into this season overall. Here's what they had to say.
Q. How would you rate the team's achievements this season compared to prior expectations?
Aaron: Arsenal overachieved this season. Before the season, most people, myself included, had them pegged to finish somewhere between 6th and 8th. They finished 5th. They did better than expected and got back into Europe. That's a successful season for a rebuilding squad! The way it happened - having Champions League football in their grasp and stumbling down the stretch - feels terrible. It could have been an even better season. But it was still a solid one.
Q. Which of the players signed last summer have impressed you the most this season?
James: Many have been proven wrong by our transfer haul, but each contributed to a season of progression. Martin Ødegaard came on leaps and bounds after signing permanently and was a POTS candidate, while Aaron Ramsdale was exceptional up until Christmas. Ben White, too, has massively improved our build-up and will be a staple of the defence for however long he decides to remain at the club. It’s a shame Takehiro Tomiyasu was as injury prone as he was, because he was on course to enjoy a brilliant season. He’s a specialist.
Q. Which players, in general, do you feel have progressed the most under Arteta this season?
Sam: Emile Smith Rowe and Granit Xhaka.
Q. How do you feel about Mikel Arteta and the job he's done at the club thus far?
Aaron: Mikel Arteta has done a solid job at Arsenal. He has a clear plan for how he wants to rebuild the roster, which was in dire need of an overhaul when he joined the club, and he seems to have the club moving in the right direction. There was a stretch in the second half of the season where the Gunners were playing title-winning level football if you measured on xG difference. Next season is the measuring stick, though. He'll have had another summer transfer window to strengthen his squad, and a Champions League place will be the expectation. If they fall short, it will probably have been because the attack didn't generate enough chances and score enough goals. That's my biggest concern about Mikel Arteta, his ability to coach the attack. We'll see!
Q. How excited are you about Arsenal playing in Europe again next season?
James: Some might find it tricky to get excited for the UEL, but the competition provides us with an opportunity to show off more of our exciting academy stars. I expect the likes of Charlie Patino & Omari Hutchinson to earn minutes in this competition and start making their way at a senior level. That’ll be exciting. Moreover, we’ve also got a genuine chance to go a win the tournament! I’d love to see this squad go on a deep continental cup run.
Q. To what extent does the core of this team have the potential to develop into a title challenging oufit?
Sam: I still think we have a long way to go until this team can challenge for the big trophies. The groundwork is there, now we just need more depth in quality to compete. I’d say we are four or five signings away.
Q. Who would be Arsenal's Player of the Season if it were up to you?
Aaron: It's extremely close between Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka. We saw how far Arsenal's level dropped when Partey went out of the lineup. He was a key piece for the Gunners, but he only manged 23 starts in the Premier League. Bukayo Saka played all 38 matches and was just as important. He had one of the best seasons of any U21 player in Europe from an advanced stats perspective. Arsenal don't have an attack without his threat from the right side, both in terms of what he created himself and the attention he drew opening up space for everyone else. He was the Player of the Season.
Q. In what areas do you feel Arteta and his team need to invest in the summer transfer window?
James: We’re still a few players away from where we want to be, the end of the season proved that. Nketiah’s extension means I only see us getting one out-and-out striker, discounting Jesus. A left sided centre midfielder, left centre back, and, ideally, another full back who is comfortable on both sides are the priorities.
Q. Based on the progress made this season, what are your realistic expectations for next season?
Sam: Champions League football one way or another - either by finishing in the top four or winning the Europa League.
Fans will have to wait around six weeks to see their team in action again when The Gunners complete a pre-season tour of the USA, beginning with a game against Everton on July 17 from the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is understood they will follow this up with games against Orlando City and Chelsea.
In the meantime, the only way for Arsenal fans to get their fix is to follow some of their favourite players on international duty. They can catch Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Bukayo Saka on England duty as they play four UEFA Nations League matches over the next two weeks. Several other star players will be turning out for their international teams this month.
We want to feature fans like you!
For more fan-centric content like this, please go ahead and follow Sporticos on Twitter. We want to interview leaders, influencers, representatives and most of all fans, to get their perspectives on the clubs they love. This content is really important to us and we hope you will continue to support it with likes, retweets and all that good stuff. If you want to contribute your thoughts about your club, please do get in touch.
Stay up-to-date with all things football at Sporticos
We provide data, stats and analysis of games from across the world; a comprehensive TV guide which tells you exactly when and where you can watch your favourite teams in action; trusted, legal sources of live streaming, breaking news and so much more.
Check out our football live streams and football predictions.
