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Arsenal in the Premier League - Stuck in Future's Past

Over the last decade, the Premier League has been graced with some truly outstanding moments that will live in the hearts of those who saw them for years to come; from Sergio Aguero’s 93rd-minute winner against QPR to Leicester City's incredible march to the peak of topflight football. However, whilst most teams have continued to build and progress (especially those inside the 'Big Six') Arsenal have been spending most of their time stalling and underperforming in a league they have been more or less irrelevant in since 2004. Now irrelevant may be a strong word, as Arsenal have had some decent finishes within the league table since they lifted the trophy; notably finishing in 2nd a year after their title triumph in 2005 and finishing 2nd again in 2016. But as a sports person (and a highly competitive one at that), I have the understanding that if you don't win or accomplish a goal that you set out to achieve, you've failed. This of course is relative to who you are as an athlete or who you are as a club, but in the case of Arsenal, irrelevant would be the perfect way to describe them. 

 

Going back to the heydays of the early 2000s, Arsenal seemed an unbeatable force, boasting a great field of players and arguably one of the best managers of all time in Arsene Wenger. This combination allowed them to produce simply beautiful football and brought them to the very top flight of both English and European football. Fast-forward to today and the story could not be more different; scraping into domestic trophy finals and Europa League qualifying places. So where did it all go wrong? 

 

In my opinion, the answer is fairly simple (and hopefully is where the title of this article will start to make sense): Arsenal buys players based on who they were in the past, not the player they want them to be in the future, and forces them into playing a system that died with Arsene Wenger over a decade ago. This causes these players to underperform and be labeled ‘bust’ before they’ve even had a chance to unpack their suitcase and learn what a “Gunnersaurus” is. 

 

So, what’s the solution? There is a term used in American League sports such as the NBA or NFL called “tanking”. Effectively teams that are in a rut and unable to see any peak in future performance, wipe the slate clean and start from scratch, using whatever young assets they have to build a new future. Fortunately for Arsenal, this is an option they should seriously contemplate, considering the young talent they have all over the pitch in players such as Gabriel Martinelli, Kiren Tierney, Bukayo Saka, and Thomas Partey. 

 

Although this strategy may result in Arsenal competing in the mid-table and fighting for Europa League places for the next few seasons, at least it will give players and fans a sense of advancement and progress within the club, which is something it’s fans sorely deserve.


 



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