Let's face it here, when this season started no one could've predicted Arsenal will still be in with a title shout by May. As a matter of fact, no one gave them a chance to make the top three not to talk of being the main challenger to that winning machine residing on the blue side of Manchester. Most sports pundits predicted Arsenal's best chance will be the fourth position, some even omitted them from the top 4 picture completely.
The season has gone quickly and we are definitely at the tail end of it now. Manchester City will be crowned EPL champion again. Newcastle will qualify for the Champions League for the first time since God knows when, Chelsea will finish outside the top 10 despite spending more money than some leagues, Liverpool will play Europa League next season (whether they like it or not). The only unknowns right now are the two teams that will follow Southampton to the Championship and whether Spurs will play in Europe next season or not.
So, is Arsenal's season a successful one or not? As far as I'm concerned, Arsenal's season has been a successful one though a lot of people will disagree. I'm making this conclusion based on the team goals they started the season with. I'm 99.9% sure the season objective would've been to qualify for the Champions League after being away from the prestigious competition for about six years. Did they achieve that objective? Hell, yeah, they did. Understandably, the objective changed when they went eight points clear at the top, what they achieved can't be understated; Arsenal grew faster than anticipated.
The Premier League is such a crazily bizarre league. The only constant when starting a season is the fact that Manchester City are the strong favourites. Other than that, nothing remains the same. Liverpool pushed City till the last day of the last campaign. This season, they've fallen way off. Chelsea? From 3rd to 11th, there is no simple explanation to that massive flop. Considering this haphazard nature of the league, it's understandable Arsenal fans feel incredibly disappointed after missing out on such a good opportunity. The big question now is, will Arsenal compete strongly like they did now next season?
The easiest answer to that will be a yes, of course, but caution has to be taken. Liverpool already had six wins in a row. Man United looks exhausted towards the end but they have enough money to add extra quality in the summer. Those two will probably improve to make the competition stiffer. As for Chelsea and Spurs, their case is in the hands of God - no comment! Even though Arsenal suffered a late heartbreak to relinquish the title they desperately desire, that doesn't nullify the fact that they've had an absolutely amazing, unexpected season.
They now have the template for success. Let's see if they'll build on it or will return to their mediocre ways of solving football problems.
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