As we enter the final stretch of the Premier League season, Arsenal fans can be proud of their team’s performance. After two consecutive 8th place finishes and a dismal start to this campaign, few would have imagined that Mikel Arteta’s side would be challenging for a place in the top four. Reaching the holy grail of the Champions League would be an outstanding achievement, while maybe not quite up there with great underdog stories like Leicester’s title win, it would be quite the feat for the youngest team in the league. Once the campaign is over, one of the manager’s most pressing concerns will be deciding on a permanent captain. With Pierre Emerick Aubameyang leaving in January and Lacazette set to
What do Arsenal Need to Become a Serious Top-4 Team?
Arsenal has been going through a redemption arc over the past couple of years. The team has been in better form than the previous five years would suggest. Slowly and steadily, they’ve climbed the Premier League table, landing amongst the top four teams for the chance at their fourth win since the days of being part of the Top 4 in the early ’00s. It’s a long way to come, but it still brings about the idea of an underdog that is getting lucky. The team is still considered a contender rather than taking its solid place within the Top 4. So, what needs to be done to make that happen? What is the final push to make Arsenal a Top
Confidence in Arteta grows as Arsenal aim to end top four drought
“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” – The famous phrase that arguably suits those who called for the head of Arsene Wenger, before the most successful manager in Arsenal history called time on his tenure, at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. Before his two final seasons, the Frenchman had maintained the Gunners in the top four during twenty consecutive seasons, and he still delivered a seventh FA Cup win before departing. Unfortunately, the meme worthy “time to go” videos directed at Wenger were entirely unjustified, while the club itself and the teams on the pitch are still recovering from his exit. Unai Emery boasted an excellent CV of achievements at Sevilla, when he arrived at Arsenal, although
How Arsenal managed to defeat Wolves in the Premier League
You have to look quite far back to see Arsenal’s glory years. As one of the top London clubs, it has shown what it is capable of on many occasions, but it needs to do more if it wants to rekindle some of that former glory. After a disappointing start to 2022, the victory over Wolves means that Arsenal is at least in the running for European football next season. As Arsenal and Wolves came head to head, many were mulling over the sportsbet news section looking for where the smart money would be. Wolves had the chance to propel themselves to 4th in the table but, as we now know, that wasn’t meant to be. What was it about Arsenal
Can Arsenal’s Young Guns Seal a Top Four Berth?
For the first time since Arsene Wenger’s departure almost four years ago, Arsenal can taste the top four. The Gunners have been tipped to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League, a competition they haven’t qualified for since 2015/16. For a host of significant reasons, however, this campaign feels different from previous years. Three away defeats on the bounce at Anfield, Old Trafford and Goodison Park before Christmas, shipping nine goals in the process, seemingly had manager Mikel Arteta’s head on the chopping block. Demarai Gray's 92nd-minute winner for Everton on December 6th left Arteta’s side languishing in seventh in the Premier League table. Despite being just four points off fourth place, they looked a million miles away from being a Champions
Is it Time for Arsenal to Wave Goodbye to Aubameyang and Lacazette?
Issues within the Arsenal camp came to a head in December 2021 with disciplinary action taken against the skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. On Tuesday the 14th, the Gabonese International striker was stripped of the captaincy following a breach of protocols but this wasn’t the first time that he’d been in trouble. Late returns and unspecified rule breaking have punctuated his career to the point where the Gunners have clearly had enough. The club will move on from Auba in captaincy terms but is his future as an Arsenal player also in the balance? Misfiring Duo Arsenal sat in a respectable position in the Premier League table at the time of his latest indiscretion but sixth place doesn’t quite tell the full story. The list
Apprentice beats master: when Cesc humiliated Vieira at Highbury
The giant, round Champions League flag ripples between its legion of bearers in the centre circle just as the excitement does amongst the crowd of 35,472 fans. The familiar anthem by Tony Britten begins and the breaths of many around the world habitually grow slower and deeper just for a second. Then the heart rates raise as the shiny metallic Handel inspired majesty builds purposefully towards its crescendo. And then they raise. Die Meister. Die Besten. Les grandes équipes. The champions. Tuesday 28th March 2006. The final season at Highbury before Arsenal moved to the Emirates. Champions League Quarter Final. Two genuine European heavyweights going head-to-head. Arsenal v Juventus. The Gunners v The Old Lady. England v Italy. Tradition abounds. Patrick Vieira’s first return to the club where he
Abou Diaby – How Good Was He?
Injured. Probably the word most football fans would use to describe Abou Diaby’s career. He’s now announced his retirement at the age of 32. Diaby made just 198 club appearances in total during a 14-year career, and had been without a club since being released by Marseille in 2017. To contextualise that tally, James Milner has made 162 appearances for Liverpool in less than four seasons. The reason for Diaby’s restricted game time almost doesn’t even need to be told. His staggering total of 42 injuries while at Arsenal has been well documented, to the sad result that Diaby has become something of a joke figure for many football fans. This detracts from the quality that the former French international brought when
Roy Keane vs Patrick Vieira – The Premier League’s Greatest Rivalry
One of the most debated topics in football is the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Both players always show respect to one another and claim competition is healthy in pushing them to perform to their full potential. Their rivalry is rather tame in comparison to Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira's legendary battles against each other on the pitch. For much of the early 1990s Manchester United dominated the Premier League, winning four of the five titles between 93 and 97. Central to that success was their domineering and relentless midfielder from Ireland. Keane’s drive, determination and all-round excellence established him as the best midfielder in the country. When Eric Cantona suddenly retired in 1997, Keane was named United captain by Alex
David Rocastle – Remembering a True Arsenal Legend
On 31 March 2001, when Arsenal’s new No.7 scored a gem of a goal in the North London derby match with Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury, the crowd tearfully remembered one of their favourite sons, who used to wear the same No.7 jersey for the Gunners. Just before the match, more than 38,000 people observed a minute's silence without the faintest interruption after reports came in that David “Rocky” Rocastle had died in the early hours of 31 March 2001, aged 33. Born in Lewisham, south-east London, Rocastle, a fast, skilled, powerful outside right was one of three players from the same area who played a crucial part in the Gunners' success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Rocastle joined