On Christmas Eve, Arsenal were just six points away from league leaders, Liverpool. Now, in March, that gap has increased to 13. In the last two seasons, Mikel Arteta's men have finished agonisingly close at 2nd place, and this year looks to continue that unwanted trend.
While the league seems out of reach, the North London side are still fighting hard in the Champions League among Europe's best. A 7-1 thrashing of a first leg away win against PSV Eindhoven was a total blitz from beginning to end, but still, eyebrows were being raised to see if the Gunners could hold onto this fiery form and see the competition out all the way to the end.
Glen Johnson was speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes’ “Gaffer of all Accas" and is among those who are unsure if Arsenal have the edge to become a trophy-winning powerhouse once again.
I'd be very surprised if Arsenal ended up winning the Champions League this season. I think they're good enough tactically and technically. I just don't know if they've got that nasty side in them, which you need in competitions like this. Look, you're not going to play well in every game; you're not going to win every football match by playing good football.
It seems contradictory, but playing well is only half the battle. Having the mentality and the grit to maintain a season for 38 games and come out on top requires much more than playing well. It echoes the quote from Premier League record holder, Sir Alex Ferguson:
How many times have I said to you about 1-0? What does it mean? It means championship form. I don't mind the 1-0s, I really don't because it tells you we are determined, we're going to defend, do the right things and play as a team.
It is something that all trophy winning teams stand by. A more recent example is Leicester's famous league winning form in 2015/16 which was built on seven 1-0 wins.
Johnson continued@
There's going to be times where you're going to need to be nasty, maybe bend the rules a little bit and nick results. You can only really do that if you've been there and got that experience, and I just don't think it's there in this squad.
Arsenal have not won a major trophy since their FA Cup win in the 2019-20 season, which has since seen the club undergo a full revamp with many fresh faces and players, who are quality footballers, but who have never seen trophy glory.
Maybe Arteta's men will have to bring in a character who has that experience, and can initiate that change, and make the team become a bit nastier and start working towards those unglamourous, but vital results.
