Arsenal are staring down the barrel again with Gunners fans feeling a familiar sense of déjà vu as they once again prepare to finish second in the Premier League.
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. This phrase perfectly sums up Arsenal’s current situation after allowing Liverpool to cruise away at the top of the EPL rankings this season.
Many fans felt at the start of the campaign that Mikel Arteta’s men were poised to end Manchester City’s dominance, but the only pattern that looks set to continue is Arsenal’s streak of second-place finishes, now at three in three seasons.
Former Manchester United defender and pundit Gary Neville, feels Arsenal have dropped a level from last season with expectations left unfulfilled.
“Their league performances have been a big let down, I thought if Man City weren’t going to win the league, which they’ve done in the last four seasons, Arsenal had to be the team in waiting,” Neville told NBC Sports.
“They’re not, they’re not even on the shoulder of Liverpool to put pressure on them in these last few weeks – Liverpool are going to win the title at a canter,
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“I think that’s a big disappointment, and based on where Arsenal have been in the last couple of seasons, you felt as though they were a team growing in Premier League title-races and getting better.
Neville also believes only UEFA Champions League glory can saved Arteta’s season from being a full-on disaster.
“I think they’ve gone backwards. From the start of the season in terms of their recruitment – they never covered themselves for their likely injury to Havertz who was their only centre-forward.
“He didn’t really fancy [Gabriel] Jesus as a centre-forward. Odegaard has been another big drop-off for them.
Odegaard has featured in 24 league matches in 2024/25, registering two goals and four assists. He had 18 goal involvements last season and 22 in 2022/23, so it’s a major drop off in output from the Norway international.
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