Arsenal entered the season with high expectations of challenging strongly for the Premier League crown. However, inconsistent performances have left them trailing leaders Liverpool by nine points after 12 matches. While larger gaps have been closed in the league’s history, the question remains: is this deficit insurmountable for Mikel Arteta’s team?

When Dreams Crumble: Arsenal’s Recurring Premier League Heartbreaks

Title races can unfold in various ways: dominant champions, two-team battles, or unexpected contenders. Yet, it’s not always the winners who leave a lasting impression—often, it’s the teams that squandered their opportunities that are remembered most vividly.

Newcastle United’s dramatic collapse in the 1995-96 season remains iconic, as they let slip a 12-point advantage held in January after 23 matches. Similarly, Manchester United surrendered a 13-point lead to Arsenal in 1997-98 and later lost an eight-point cushion with just six games left in 2011-12, paving the way for Manchester City’s maiden Premier League triumph. Of course, City’s unforgettable final-day heroics against QPR, capped by Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time winner, stole the headlines.

When it comes to title challenges unraveling, few teams in the Premier League era have faltered as frequently as Arsenal, whose stumbles seem as consistent as a submarine radar’s blips.

The Gunners have mounted strong title pushes in the past two seasons, only to narrowly miss out on the ultimate prize each time. A recurring issue has been their tendency to falter at crucial points in the campaign, where a minor dip in form spirals into a prolonged slump, ultimately derailing their ambitions.

Signs of this pattern were visible during the latter stages of Mikel Arteta’s 2021-22 tenure, as Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification despite holding a commanding position. This same vulnerability has haunted their last two title bids.

Arsenal began this season with renewed optimism, poised to once again challenge Manchester City. Impressive results, including victories away to Aston Villa and Spurs and a hard-fought draw at the Etihad in their early away fixtures, suggested they were ready for a sustained title charge.

Yet, a recent run of poor form has already left them trailing league leaders Liverpool by nine points. With such a significant gap so early in the campaign, Arsenal’s margin for error appears razor-thin.

Arsenal’s Tumultuous 2024-25 Campaign: Defensive Woes and Missed Opportunities

Arsenal’s struggles this season can be attributed to a number of factors. A combination of three red cards and the subsequent suspensions, multiple injuries to key players, and a constantly shifting lineup have all disrupted the team’s cohesion and weakened their overall strength.

Defensive issues, notably the inability to keep clean sheets—especially at the Emirates—have compounded the situation. The attack has also faltered, with a lack of goals and a tendency to drop points from winning positions proving costly.

So far, Arsenal have dropped eight points from winning positions, matching the total from the entire 2022-23 season and just one more than last year’s total (7). Notably, they’ve lost points in matches against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool—three of their current top-four title rivals.

What’s even more concerning is that Arsenal’s overall performance this season, both in attack and defence, has regressed compared to the past two years. They’re not only creating fewer chances, but also failing to capitalize on the opportunities they do have. This issue is not limited to the Premier League, as Arsenal have scored just three goals in four Champions League matches this season, and they’ve failed to find the net in their last four away games in the competition.

Defensively, the team has been vulnerable, with a fluctuating backline and the ongoing impact of red cards. They are currently enduring their longest streak without a clean sheet since a similar run in April and May 2022-23, when the absence of William Saliba due to injury contributed to their title challenge faltering (seven games without a clean sheet).

Arsenal’s Slim Hopes: A Nine-Point Deficit and the Road to Redemption

Although recovering from a nine-point deficit is a challenging task for any team, particularly one that has struggled to find consistent form this season, there are a few positives for Arsenal to build upon.

Their fixture schedule has been demanding, with the Gunners already having faced five of the top seven teams from the 2023-24 season away from home, in addition to playing Liverpool at the Emirates. Many of these tough matchups are still ahead for their rivals, and if Arsenal can find their rhythm, they’ve demonstrated in the past that they are capable of going on extended winning streaks.

An interesting aspect to consider is that despite their sizable lead, Liverpool have earned the same number of points from their first 11 games as they did in the equivalent fixtures last season. In contrast, Manchester City have three points fewer, and Arsenal are four points down. If teams were to replicate their performances from last season, both Arsenal and City would still surpass Liverpool.

This isn’t the first time Arsenal have looked poised to mount a serious title challenge, only to falter and fall short of the Premier League crown. In many instances, catastrophic runs of form or moments of self-destruction have derailed their ambitions.

For those Arsenal fans with a nervous disposition, it might be time to look away now…

Arsenal’s Heartbreaking Title Failures Over the Years

2002-03

Arsenal enjoyed a successful 2001-02 season with a double win and followed it up with an unbeaten league campaign in 2003-04. However, the 2002-03 season was arguably the one where Arsène Wenger’s side should have made it a hat-trick of titles.

This was the season Wenger famously suggested his team could go through the entire campaign unbeaten—a prediction that was dashed in mid-October when Wayne Rooney’s goal secured a win for Everton against the Gunners.

Despite this setback, Arsenal reached early March with an eight-point lead over Manchester United. However, the strain of juggling FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League commitments took its toll. Arsenal went on a dismal run, winning only two of their next seven league matches, with three draws and two defeats.

The team’s misfortune worsened as Sol Campbell was sent off in the heated clash with Manchester United and missed the rest of the season, while Patrick Vieira also suffered an injury in the same match. The season ultimately collapsed with a self-destructive 2-2 draw at Bolton—who finished 17th—and a damaging 3-2 home defeat to Leeds, who ended the campaign in 15th. These results handed the title to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

2007-08

Arsène Wenger’s youthful reinvention of Arsenal reached its peak in the 2007-08 season. After Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona, the team was now centered around the talented Cesc Fàbregas, and they powered through the first half of the season with remarkable style.

By the time they had played 26 matches, Arsenal were five points clear of Manchester United and eight ahead of Chelsea. However, the challenge of competing across multiple competitions once again proved troublesome. Wenger opted to rest key players for an FA Cup match at Old Trafford, only to see his side thrashed 4-0.

Things went from bad to worse when they traveled to Birmingham, where Eduardo da Silva suffered a horrific injury, and a late penalty equalizer sapped the team’s confidence. From that point, Arsenal won only two of their next 13 matches, including just one victory in eight league games, and were eliminated by Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Injuries to Tomas Rosicky, Kolo Touré, and Bacary Sagna, combined with the emotional trauma of Eduardo’s injury, took a heavy toll on the squad. Arsenal ended the season in third place with 83 points, just four behind Manchester United and two behind Chelsea, both of whom would go on to contest the Champions League final as Europe’s two strongest teams that season.

2009-10

Arsenal were once again in the title hunt during the 2009-10 season. With just seven matches remaining in late March and only two points behind Manchester United, the Gunners seemed well-positioned for a serious challenge. However, a devastating injury to Aaron Ramsey—who broke his leg in a match against Stoke—sidelined the young star and had a significant emotional impact on the team.

Further injuries to key players like William Gallas, Cesc Fàbregas, and Thomas Vermaelen as the season reached its climax left Wenger’s side struggling for momentum.

The turning point came at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s, where Arsenal’s title challenge began to unravel. The team went on a dismal run, losing four of their final six league matches, with just one win. This period also saw another Champions League exit, this time at the hands of Barcelona, further diminishing their hopes for silverware that season.

2010-11

The 2010-11 season saw Arsenal once again in contention for the title as spring approached. On March 5, the Gunners were just four points behind Manchester United with a game in hand, and had recently triumphed over Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. However, Wenger’s side was undone once more, this time by Birmingham City in the League Cup final, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

A goalless draw at home to Sunderland marked the beginning of a poor run for Arsenal. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona after Robin van Persie was controversially sent off for shooting after the whistle, and they also lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

In the Premier League, Arsenal won just two of their final 11 matches, collecting only 12 points from a possible 33. Strangely, one of those victories came against eventual champions Manchester United, sandwiched between the two legs of United’s Champions League semi-final.

Once again, injuries to key player Cesc Fàbregas, along with a lack of consistency in selection and a loss of form at crucial moments, saw Arsenal’s title challenge falter in the final stretch.

2013-14

After the departures of key players like Cesc Fàbregas and Robin van Persie, Arsenal took some time to regroup, but by the 2013-14 season, they had emerged as contenders once again. In early February, the Gunners were two points clear at the top of the Premier League.

However, as they balanced the demands of the FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League, they struggled. A shocking 5-1 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool set the tone for a difficult period. Arsenal managed just two wins from their next nine league matches, earning only nine points from 27 available.

An exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich was perhaps expected, but one of the few bright spots during this run was a victory at White Hart Lane against rivals Tottenham. Yet, Arsenal’s form quickly dipped again as they suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss at Stamford Bridge in Arsène Wenger’s 1000th match as manager.

Injuries to key midfielders, including Mesut Özil, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, and Mathieu Flamini, further hampered their efforts. Despite winning the FA Cup, the poor league run left Arsenal seven points adrift of the top spot, and they finished in fourth place, unable to mount a stronger challenge for the title.

2015-16

On 14 February 2016, Arsenal claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Leicester City, with a last-minute Danny Welbeck goal, and momentum appeared to be swinging in the Gunners’ favor as they moved just two points behind the leaders. Many expected Leicester’s unlikely title challenge to eventually falter.

However, while Leicester remained focused solely on the Premier League after being knocked out of both cups, Arsenal’s ambitions were hampered by distractions from both the FA Cup and Champions League. A European exit to Barcelona was predictable, but the more significant setback came in the FA Cup, where they were shockingly defeated at home by Watford. This loss was compounded by a poor league run in which Arsenal earned just 16 points from a possible 30 over 10 games. In contrast, Leicester surged ahead, collecting 27 points from 33 during the same period.

Injuries to key players such as Mathieu Flamini and Per Mertesacker contributed to Arsenal’s struggles, but perhaps the biggest blow was the dramatic dip in the creative form of Mesut Özil. The German playmaker had been in dazzling form early in the season, with 16 assists in his first 18 Premier League appearances, making him a strong candidate to break Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a single season. However, Özil’s form waned as the season progressed, contributing just three more assists in his final 17 league matches. This drop in form coincided with Arsenal’s faltering title challenge, and Leicester eventually lifted the Premier League trophy, while the Gunners finished in second place.

2022-23

Arsenal’s 2022-23 season began with a thrilling and impressive first half, as they amassed 50 points from their opening 19 matches, putting them on track for their first Premier League title since 2004. However, their title charge encountered several obstacles in the second half of the season.

A brief dip in February, which saw them suffer a loss to Everton under new manager Sean Dyche, was followed by a controversial 1-1 draw with Brentford, where VAR failed to disallow Ivan Toney’s equalizer for offside, and a 3-1 home defeat by Manchester City. Despite these setbacks, Arsenal bounced back, winning seven consecutive matches, and appeared to be in control of their title pursuit.

However, in April, a series of costly draws began to unravel their campaign. Arsenal squandered two-goal leads in high-scoring draws against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton. These matches proved pivotal, reducing the gap at the top of the table to just five points, with Manchester City having two games in hand.

To quote Oscar Wilde, “to lose one two-nil lead may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” The inability to seal these victories ultimately allowed City to close the gap, and Arsenal’s momentum faltered. The title race effectively ended with a crushing 4-1 loss to City at the Etihad. Arsenal managed a brief recovery, but further defeats to Brighton and Nottingham Forest sealed their fate, as Pep Guardiola’s side surged to their third consecutive title, clinching the treble after winning 12 straight games to finish the season.

2023-24

Arsenal began the 2023-24 season on a high note, securing a thrilling 4-3 away victory over Luton in early December. This win left them at the top of the Premier League, with Manchester City trailing by six points in fourth place after their unexpected defeat to Aston Villa the following evening. However, Arsenal’s momentum faltered shortly thereafter, as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Villa in their next match at Villa Park.

Despite bouncing back with a win over Brighton, Arsenal were held to a draw by Liverpool at Anfield just before Christmas, and their form began to slip. A shock 2-0 loss to West Ham at the Emirates followed, despite having over 30 shots on goal. This was compounded by further setbacks, including a 2-1 defeat to Fulham and a 2-0 home loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup, which sparked doubts about their consistency.

A mid-winter break to Dubai seemed to reinvigorate Mikel Arteta’s side, as they embarked on an astonishing run of 16 wins and just one loss in their next 16 Premier League matches—a remarkable feat for any team. But the early damage proved insurmountable. Despite their excellent form, Arsenal’s once-comfortable lead over Manchester City had evaporated, and they found themselves in fourth place heading into this impressive run.

Meanwhile, as Villa handed Arsenal their defeat, Manchester City went on a 23-match unbeaten streak, securing 19 wins and 4 draws. This run propelled City to the title by a mere two points. Even Arsenal’s extraordinary haul of 43 points from a possible 48 during their unbeaten stretch wasn’t enough to keep pace with City, who clinched the title in the final stretch.

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