How The Mighty Gunners Have Fallen…

Joydeep Narayan Deb

“And if unfit for tombs and hearse

Our legend be, it will be fit for verse”

Manchester City is on the way to amass their third consecutive Premier League title under Pep Guardiola’s management. The mastermind created a team that finished top of the Premier League table for three consecutive years now. The past three years are nothing but the Odyssey of King Odysseus’s (Guardiola) journey after the Trojan War. The Trojan War was won in the 2020-21 season. When Manchester City topped the Premier League table under Guardiola’s guidance, it was crystal clear to other clubs that the Trojan Horse had entered the city of Troy. It was only a matter of time till Guardiola found his Archer, Cavalry, Infantry, and Chariot for the War. The preparation was completed with the signing of the flamboyant Norwegian Erling Haaland. 

But, it was not Manchester City who led the table throughout the season. It was the mighty Gunners who sat on top of the table for a record-breaking 284 days yet lost to Guardiola’s army at the very last. Arsenal’s own superheroes Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, all bottled up at the final stage when it mattered the most. However, Bukayo Saka was an exception here. The young Gunner delivered 14 goals and 11 assists this season. Completely flexible, Saka can play in full back, right midfield or even in right wing with his great pace. The young gun delivered what he promised in the last two seasons by extending his stay at the club for another 8 years. Arsenal has found its right midfield and partial wing. But who will toll the bell for the wingman? The tragic lack of a finesse striker drowned the club at last.

What tears the fans the most is the fact that Arsenal bought striker Gabriel Jesus for 45 million euros from Manchester City which baffled the fans. In the 2020-21 season, Gabriel Jesus only scored 9 goals in 29 games, which was an impoverished statistic for a striker.

But this wasn’t always the case. Although dead men tell no tales, you can always ask the one who came back from the war. Arsene Wenger managed the team from 1996 to 2018 by becoming the longest-serving and one of the most successful in the club’s history. The North London club has won three Premier League titles under Wenger. In 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2003-04. With this Wenger became the first non-English manager to win the Premier League and FA Cup in less than two years of joining. In the 2003-04 season, Arsenal were unbeaten throughout the whole season, creating another Premier League history and becoming the "Invincibles". Under Arsene’s guidance, the Gunners have won 6 FA Cup titles and reached the Champions League final in 2006. The whole tale of Arsene and Arsenal is not less than a saga of the forgotten past. However, the club has failed miserably to nurture the legacy.

It is the first time that any club topped the table for such a long period and yet failed to hold the trophy at last. This Arsenal team became the first team to reach 50 points at the half-way point of the season (19 games) however Manchester City chased the tally and hunted the gunners down. However, in an astounding context, few of the prominent sports illustrations pointed a finger towards the Fifa World Cup for Arsenal’s disaster. Bukayo Saka had a good run in the World Cup and shared a major contribution to push England to the Quarter Final. Saka seemed exhausted after returning from the national team yet had a fair share of contribution to the club. On the other hand, the whole team failed miserably to bring dinner to the table.

The long-awaited dream has to wait for another season. The result was decided on 20th May 2023 when Arsenal surrendered in front of Nottingham Forrest shamelessly. The Gunners had a long run this season, from finishing fifth on the table last season to have a reign at the top for 93% of the season is an enormous success in bird’s view but how long till the wagon reached its destination amidst clubs who spent almost a billion to reach the top?