Arsenal Review

Arsenal Mid Season Review 2020/2021

You almost feel sorry for Arsenal. What other fan base is so accustomed to being let down? The club appear to be in the wrong hands and lacking any direction under the current ownership. Any hope of getting back to their glory days will surely have to see a new owner take over.

Weaknesses

Where do we begin? Aubameyang, who lifted the FA Cup last season (just about; infamously dropping it), has been a shadow of his former self. Until this season, the former Dortmund striker had been incredible. Aubameyang reached 50 league goals in just 79 appearances, a club record. The same fans that were desperate he signed a contract extension last summer, now want him sold.

Surprisingly, they have significantly improved their goals conceded tally. They’ve been averaging just 1 goal a game. But this new found defensive solidity has come at the cost of scoring less themselves. The teams above them have scored a lot more. Just one goal from midfield and none from summer signing Willian is unacceptable.

January Transfers

Though they can probably boast the best transfer of the window in landing Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid, fans will be just as happy to be waving goodbye to seven players. Allowing the likes of Ozil, Mustafi, Sokratis and Kolasinac to leave London will improve the atmosphere around the club. The Ozil saga went on for way too long. While Mustafi overstayed his welcome for what seems an eternity.

Matt Ryan also arrived as a deputy to Leno. A vital signing, following Runarsson’s horror show earlier in the season.

Predictions

Currently in 10th place, if the Gunners even manage to finish higher than last season’s 8th, I’d be surprised. Another poor season would result in their 5th season finishing out of the top 4. Their atrocious form in November and December had them flirting with falling into a real relegation battle. A shock 3-1 win on Boxing Day against Chelsea was the start of a run that saw them escape that embarrassing possibility.

The awful run earlier in the season that saw them draw 2 and lose 5. This makes me fear that if they suffer two consecutive defeats again, they’ll seriously struggle to avoid that spiralling into a more.

“Arsenal FC Warm Up” by Kieran Clarke is licensed under CC BY 2.0