2014 will go down as the year the Gunners finally ended their long trophy drought, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield. However that fact aside, it has been an all too familiar 12 months for the club as they had to settle for 4th in the Premier League and a last 16 exit in the Champions League once again. To put it bluntly, despite silverware being won, Arsenal haven’t really progressed or improved a great deal. There have been glimpses but nothing substantial.
The year started with relative optimism in the air as they began 2014 as genuine title contenders alongside Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Having qualified 2nd in their Champions League group, they were handed a daunting tie against Bayern Munich. Many fans believed that having spent a lot of time at the top of the division, they had turned a corner and this would finally be their year. However Arsene Wenger’s inability to strengthen in the January transfer window would cost the club ultimately. It was blatantly obvious to most that Arsenal needed a striker but the Frenchman neglected the idea, signing Kim Kallstrom on loan in a peculiar and highly unspectacular signing. The Swede proved to be injury prone and ineffective as Arsenal really missed a trick.
They started the second half of the season well enough, winning 4 of their first 5 league games in 2014. Although in traditional Arsenal fashion, it soon all fell apart at the business end of the season. Just when they needed to put their foot down and keep on winning to assert their place near the summit of the division, they began faltering as they seem to annually. It began in a horrific trip to Anfield in early February. Going into the game they were on a run of impressive form but were blitzed in the early stages and found themselves 4-0 down within 25 minutes. They simply caved in and all the age old deficiencies were highlighted in the process as Sterling, Suarez and Sturridge led their defenders on a merry dance all afternoon. Liverpool ran out eventual 5-1 victors and Arsenal’s title challenge never recovered from that day on.
They failed to win 6 of their next 8 Premier League games – losing against Stoke, Chelsea (6-0) and Everton. This horrific run saw their title challenge finished and serious doubts were raised as to if they would even finish in the top 4. A disastrous 3-0 defeat at Goodison Park meant that Roberto Martinez’s side leapfrogged them with just 5 games remaining. Fortunately the Merseyside club choked, losing to Crystal Palace and Manchester City to see Wenger claim his seemingly beloved 4th place once again. The Gunners finished the league campaign well, winning their last 5 games, albeit against modest opposition on all occasions.
Having been knocked out of the league cup by Chelsea and the Champions League by Bayern Munich, the FA Cup was left as Arsene Wenger’s last chance to break his long trophy drought. Wins against Tottenham, Coventry, Liverpool and Everton set up a semi-final clash at Wembley against competition holders Wigan. On the day they didn’t play well but eventually ran out winners on penalties in a close encounter to make the final showpiece back at England’s national stadium. Only Hull City stood between Arsenal and glory. Surely even they couldn’t mess this up? Well they certainly gave it their best effort, as in a start that nightmares of, they found themselves 2 goals down in the early stages of the game. Another capitulation on the big stage was on the cards for the Gunners. However a superb Santi Cazorla free-kick put them back in with a shout, before Koscielny equalised in the second half. The game subsequently went to extra-time and an Aaron Ramsey strike saw Arsenal win the FA Cup in dramatic fashion. They had finally succeeded in lifting a trophy for the first time since their triumph in the same competition in 2005 and had shown great character in the process. Would this be the start of a revival and a return to the success laden years of the past? Many fans seemed to think so but sceptics remained more cautious.
As the season started expectations and morale at the Emirates were high as the arrival of a world class player such as Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona gave the whole club a massive boost. On the whole fans seemed reasonably happy with their business which also included the purchases of Calum Chambers, David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchy and Danny Welbeck. A 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City gave more hope that Arsenal were on the right track. However, holes in the centre-back and defensive midfield areas were still very much there, as was a lack of physicality within the side. Only 1 win in the clubs first 4 league games provided a disappointing start. More poor results followed against Tottenham, Chelsea and Hull to mount the pressure on Wenger once more.
Arsenal seemed the same as before – not up to winning titles and weak in big games. The feel good factor around the club from the FA Cup victory and the signing of Alexis Sanchez, was now gone. The most frustrating aspect for the fans is the lack of improvement as this season has mirrored so many of theirs in the past. In the Champions League they were awarded a fairly routine group but were outclassed in the opening match day against Borussia Dortmund and ultimately missed out on top spot by throwing away a 3-0 lead against Anderlecht at home in the second half. Fortunately by drawing Monaco, finishing second didn’t affect them this time but they know they were very lucky indeed to get away with it.
Recent defeats in the league against Stoke, Manchester United and Swansea have left the club at 6th heading into the festive period. Despite Sanchez’s stellar form the general performance levels of the team haven’t been good enough and this is threatening to be the season in which Wenger finally misses out on the top 4. The title is obviously long gone and they won’t win the Champions League, so Arsenal’s only chance of silverware is now the FA Cup once again. So after a year in which change seemed to be on the cards and optimism for the future finally there, the club have actually gone backwards if anything. The Cup victory provided some joy and a much needed trophy in the pot but 2014 has for the main part, been another frustrating year for Gooners. They need to strengthen badly in January if they are to enjoy any real success in the second half of the season you feel but with Monsieur Wenger at the helm, don’t bank on it.