Premier League 2012/2013: Race for the Top-4

[redwhiteAustrian]

In the end, we've finished just five points off the second placed team, that's quite a good return. Also, we've improved our total points tally for the third successive season (third highest since we moved stadiums), as well as our GD, goals conceded and clean sheets, compared to the last two seasons.

And we've again finished ahead of Spu*s.
Heh.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

Were the celebrations slightly over the top or was it just me? It genuinely looked like we had just won the Champions League. There was even a 'Arsenal qualify for CL' headline floating around the bottom on Sky

... I'm absolutely delighted if it seems I'm being negative btw

No you're spot on I feel like we've just won the CL myself and its just a mark of how standards have dropped over the last few seasons. However, we are now in a fantastic position to push on for bigger and better things. We've signed some very lucrative commercial deals and combined with the increased TV revenues we will finally be able to generate healthy cash flows and profits without selling players. Management need to invest most of that money back into the playing squad and we'll be serious contenders next season.

I was delighted to see us getting 4th (obviously) but just felt it was an anti-climax to see how much we were celebrating qualifying for the CL, it just made me think about how low our standards have dropped as a team, but maybe I'm just being odd and need to brighten up
I agree though we do look in a good position, all the talk that we have funds to spend this Summer, the new sponsorship deals, the fact that no key players should be leaving this Summer - This should be the time we make the transition from a club squeezing into the top 4 back to a team challenging for the big silverware.

 

[VancouverCanuck]

I feel the same way, Curry.

I was really glad that we won the match. However, that kind of celebrations from the players seem a bit embarrassing to me. In the end, we have accomplished what was needed after that loss at WHL. And not even the most optimistic gooner could have predicted 26 pts out of 30 to finish the season. So perhaps the celebration were well deserved.

 

[jerome2158]

what bothers me is the circumstances surrounding our above tottenham finishes lately.


last season-huge Sp**s collapse, decent run for Arsenal.

This season-decent run for tottenham, amazing run for Arsenal.


We can't keep on like this. We need that consistency all year to avoid the top 4 run in altogether. We can't start playing like it matters once it looks unlikely that we'll be in the champions league.

But in the meantime, I'm definitely enjoying the pictures of the players and coaches with the 4th place trophy. I'm glad we retained it.

 

[Vela]

I thought it wasn't embarrassing, the majority of the season all journalists, tv pundits etc have been saying Sp**s will finish above Arsenal, they have a better squad and Arsenal won't get CL football this season etc. Arsenal proved them all wrong.

 

[Chappers]

what bothers me is the circumstances surrounding our above tottenham finishes lately.


last season-huge Sp**s collapse, decent run for Arsenal.

This season-decent run for tottenham, amazing run for Arsenal.


We can't keep on like this. We need that consistency all year to avoid the top 4 run in altogether. We can't start playing like it matters once it looks unlikely that we'll be in the champions league.

But in the meantime, I'm definitely enjoying the pictures of the players and coaches with the 4th place trophy. I'm glad we retained it.

It took half a season to get the new players to gel and to find consistency after losing RVP and Song. Nothing happens over night but we finished strongly and keeping this squad intact will most likely show in our performances at the start of next season.

 

[redanddread]

I thought it wasn't embarrassing, the majority of the season all journalists, tv pundits etc have been saying Sp**s will finish above Arsenal, they have a better squad and Arsenal won't get CL football this season etc. Arsenal proved them all wrong.

Anyone saw the jubilation of Milan players, management when they won their game today and qualified for the CL qualifiers-nuff said. And they didn't have to do it at the expense of their most hated rivals.

It means something to the players because they all want to be playing in the CL...it's a big thing and particularlly when you are in a tight race for that last pot.

 

[k24bfan]

what bothers me is the circumstances surrounding our above tottenham finishes lately.


last season-huge Sp**s collapse, decent run for Arsenal.

This season-decent run for tottenham, amazing run for Arsenal.


We can't keep on like this. We need that consistency all year to avoid the top 4 run in altogether. We can't start playing like it matters once it looks unlikely that we'll be in the champions league.

But in the meantime, I'm definitely enjoying the pictures of the players and coaches with the 4th place trophy. I'm glad we retained it.

It took half a season to get the new players to gel and to find consistency after losing RVP and Song. Nothing happens over night but we finished strongly and keeping this squad intact will most likely show in our performances at the start of next season.

Yeah I agree it took longer than expected for the players to gel and get that defensive shape down. Attack we haven't been good all season but our good defensive record has gotten us to 4th. Only City allowed fewer goals in the EPL.

 

[DanDare]

Even Fergie said we've built a good squad and better than the media thinks.

A few additions now without losing players key to our structure will only see us get better...

 

[redanddread]

@K242bfan-our attack, whilst not flowing was still potent. Only MANU & Chelsea scored more than us and we also spread the scoring around. We generally always have a potent attack and are amongst the leagues top scorers. However, for the first time in a while our defense has matched and bettered our attack.

What we didn't ever really seem to find apart from on a few occasions was the right blend between attack & defense. Our run in was dominated by our impressive defensive record and our attack, particularly away from home, looked anemic but yet we still scored a lot of goals whilst never looking totally convincing.

Credit to the players and management for developing and executing this rugged and miserly defense and hopefully we can use this as a foundation to build something special for next season

 

[goonerwarsh]

Shearer giving it large on MOTD last night, couldn't bring himself to give credit to Arsenal even at the end of the season. These pundits are paid a substantial amount of money and are on these shows supposedly because they've been at the top of the game and their opinions should carry weight. What with Arsenal getting top four, after these pundits telling us all year how bad we are they've been made to look stupid and you could tell they didn't like it.

Gary Neville has left them all behind. What a brilliant brilliant pundit he is, and I was so against him getting a job at Sky when Andy Gray was sacked.

As a 'football man', Shearer should realise what yesterdays game meant in the bigger picture. Tottenham had their best squad probably in thirty years - and in that squad have a player of absolute world class quality, were seven points ahead of us, and yet we still managed to pull ourselves above them. Our players deserved to celebrate like that at the end of the game because they performed under intense pressure.

Winning that game yesterday has kept our rivals down and put us in an extremely strong position to have a massive summer. We've layed the foundations and now it is time, after eight hard years to start putting ourselves back amongst the elite and finally realise the potential of why we moved from Highbury in the first place. I've felt all along that this season, more than any other, was absolutely pivotal for both Arsenal and Tottenham and our teams resilience deserves respect not only from our fans but so called pundits as well.

 

[Jasard]

Am I right in thinking we have finished with more points than with RVP and with RVP and Fabregas? I guess the league quality dipped but still...

 

[Azeem Khaja]

I am not so sure why some of you guys think our celebrations were over the top or embarrassing. What they have experienced from season start through till February was disappointment and despair in all competitions. Credit must go to Arsène Wenger who, we are sure have been in their ears all season long that they are a quality bunch, and they are indeed a quality bunch.

Away win at Bayern was enough to give the boys the belief and confidence to go on and complete the job. Stringing wins and being the top club in the PL from February till season end means they have achieved something spectacular, which no one had thought of. All we including the squad have read in print or heard on TV is we will be on C5 next season, negative spiral, etc.

I can guarantee you the celebrations we have seen last night by the playing bunch were more to do primarily with their achievement (26/30) than the CL qualifier, which was on Arsène's and our mind.

I would like to highlight that Arsène Wenger gets the stick for winning nothing in 8 seasons, securing CL berth 16 seasons in a row and as Gary pointed out on '£9m net spend' in the last decade, and on the other hand, new manager in place at man u receives glowing praise for winning nothing since whenever and securing Europa on a shoe-string budget.

 

[Godsend_Gooner]

I think the fundamental point that the pundits are missing here is that seasonal goals do not remain constant throughout the season. They change based on the performances during the course of the season.

Our goals were recalbirated again from contending for the title to securing a CL berth due to our performances at the start and mid season. The team worked hard to achieve the recalibrated goal and it was genuine excitement and happiness that was expressed last evening.

Yes, in the bigger picture you have still not achieved what you set out for at the start of the season and stock will be taken against that internally by the board/Wenger (Unless their aim is the CL berth).

You wont see Wigan wearing a dejected look if they had avoided relegation just because they had targeted European places at the start of the season. That tosser Pardew went nuts once his team was safe from relegation. He was vying for the CL a season back.

So I think its either that they have missed this point completely or they are too biased to show any kind of appreciation for Arsenal.

 

[goonerwarsh]

I think it's the latter. Bob Wilson tweeted yesterday basically saying that it's a middle finger up to all the football pundits who had written us off. Word travels fast around the football industry, particularly these days with social media and the like, you can be sure that got to Shearer etc.

The funniest was watching Jamie Redknapp having to sit there and watch us claim fourth place yet again. He's another one who's all to quick to put the dagger into us.

I loved what we did yesterday, fourth place or not because it was exactly what the media didn't want. They wanted the romantic Bale and Tottenham story, we we're the unfashionable choice. Not very very pretty but functional, very George Graham like. This is the one time in recent history where I actually agree with Wenger when he says that we showed unbelievable spirit.

 

[WengerFaithful]

The brilliant finish to season is down to three things IMO

The partnership of KOS & Metzs at the back
The balance of Arteta and Ramsey in the deep role
The change of tactics from Gun Ho Goal Play for 90 mins to being tight and patience esp when we had the lead.

Bould had his influance no doubt in all three things and Wenger listened and it may have opened his eyes for next season.

 

[squallkid]

2011-12 last 10 games of the season- 18/30 points

2012-13 last 10 games of the season- 26/30 points


Massive improvement from last season. Lets not forget that we came pretty close to blowing it last season in our last 5 games with 3 draws and a loss to Wigan before we won at West Brom. St. Totts should have been secured much earlier than the final day.

This season Sp**s pushed us much harder and we kept our noses in front all the way.

Back in December I told a friend that we'll finish fourth because that's what we do.

The sun will rise in the morning and Arsenal will finish in the CL places.

If we put this kind of effort into making a league title push next season then I can't see anyone stopping us.

 

[Bigbludfire]

Were the celebrations slightly over the top or was it just me? It genuinely looked like we had just won the Champions League. There was even a 'Arsenal qualify for CL' headline floating around the bottom on Sky

... I'm absolutely delighted if it seems I'm being negative btw

I thought so too. I'm happy and all but we're one of the biggest clubs in the world and this shouldn't be our level. It's an achievement no doubt, but it should be the start of better things.

 

[TheCourier]

Im a very proud fan today of our arsenal team. They have not looked like the teams gone by but neither have we bowed to the spending splurges of the teams below us (spuds, Liverpool). Look at the money chavski spent and they only managed to finish 1 point better (and yes before you bite at me I know they have won back to back cups). Our guys gave commitment and deserve to cherish what many thought was not only beyond them but not deserved. It rankles that pundits out there are saying that spuds deserved it more - HOW? they have been awful to watch the past couple of months and have had fortunate sendings off and Bales left boot to thank for keeping them in it this long.

A team that springs to mind that has had to cut their cloth for a better tomorrow is in the final of the champs league this Saturday as well as winning the bundesliege last season. Our time for glory will come guys

 

[redanddread]

Not sure where to put this-but here you go


Enjoy all the goals.


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