How Do We Approach The Rest Of The Season?

What is with this man.

Either we start the year out crap, but then have a strong finish.. Or we start strong and finish like crap. ffs

This is a long one, guys.

We are familiar with the narratives of recent Gunners campaigns. Arsenal either look very promising early on, but then implode, self-destruct, and disappoint in maddening ways. Or it's are a total shambles early on in the season, but with remarkable late season regularity to clinch a CL spot against all odds. But sometimes it can be helpful to disarticulate the team's results from the sense of a season-long narrative, just to have a picture of where we should be setting expectations. Here's how the team have finished the past five seasons.

2013 … 4th place (73 pts), 16 points behind champions, 5 pts off 2nd place
2012 … 3rd place (70 pts), 19 points behind champions, 19 points off 2nd place
2011 … 4th place (68 pts), 12 points behind champions, 3 pts off 2nd place
2010 … 3rd place (75 pts), 14 pts behind champions, 10 pts off 2nd place
2009 … 4th place (72 pts), 18 pts behind champions, 14 pts off 2nd place


-- So in the five seasons before this one, Arsenal have finished anywhere from 12-19 pts off the pace of the champions. Average of 15.8 pts off.

-- Comparing Arsenal's position (either 3rd/4th) to the 2nd place club, we've seen them finish anywhere from 3-19 pts off the runners-up pace. Average of 10.2 pts off. On two occasions, 2011 and 2013, they've finished within six points off the runners-up. On the other three occasions, they've been more than 10 points off the 2nd place team.

-- In the season where our boys finished closest to the champs (2010-2011), they still came in 4th place, not 3rd, and finished with their lowest points haul in the last several seasons (68 pts). They were also only three points off of 2nd place. So in some senses, that was both Arsenal's (and the PL's) most competitive season according to this way of interpreting the final stats, but also Arsenal's least impressive in terms of points won.


... There are 18 points to play for in the next six PL matches. We all expect Everton away to be the toughest match, but a win there is not impossible, nor are wins in all the subsequent matches.

If Arsenal can finish top 3/4 with below a 10-point gap with the eventual champions (whoever they are), and win the FA Cup, that will represent definite progress - both on the league front (even if it's very gradual), and on the trophy front.

That's probably the best we should realistically hope for.

Top 4 but miles away from the champions, just barely staving off Everton, would be just playing at recent par. No better, no worse.

Not winning the FA Cup in these circumstances would be horrendous.

On one hand, this was a "strike while the iron is hot" season in some ways and it's too bad Arsenal haven't just grabbed the season by the throat.

On the other hand, once Man City, Liverpool & Chelsea all started clicking, you know, they've done quite well. In a year of hilarious underperformance from Man Utd and Spurs, there are three teams that are making a good show of themselves. And Everton have been there like a wolf to pick off anyone who lags too far behind the pace-setters. So competition remains tight. It's disappointing but not destructive that Arsenal won't win the league this year.

16-18 points & the FA Cup is the target. And maybe some of our rivals will drop some more points along the way. Let's do this.

well put chumlum
lets try our best and see where it takes us[definite progress]

Will be an amazing game at Goodison Park next weekend. Really no idea how that one will pan out. So much at stake for Everton. Be interesting to see if they choke under pressure, or use the crowd and get at you early (something you clearly have a weakness at. First 20 minutes of games)

At least the kick off time is 1:30 PM, and not 12:45 PM, so that's a silver lining.

It's vital that we beat Everton. Although I feel we should get 4th, it will go down to the wire as it did last year- which promptly followed cringeworthy celebtrations at St Jame's Park.

If we just take the last 2 seasons alone, the failing are absolutely glaring. Nothing short of inept preparation by Arsene Wenger has put us in this situation.

It's imperative that we beat Everton- or at least not draw. I feel they'll drop a few more point regardless of the outcome on Sunday. But, my goodness, Wenger can't do another year at the healm.

Honestly, a draw would be fantastic (for LFC) as Everton still have to play City, and the more they have to play for in that match, the better. A draw would still see them behind Arsenal but it would at least make them more motivated to (try to) take points off of City in that match.

After the Everton game, all the rest of our matches are relatively(touch wood) straight forward. So a point at goodison won't be bad for us at all. I think top 3 is all but sorted and just a matter of where which team finishes. We need to distance ourselves to Everton a bit and 4th is done too.

As long as United don't win the CL

If we beat Everton, I think it's safe to say we've secured CL football next year, if it's a draw - we're the favourites and if we lose we still have a chance of making it so this game is not as important as everyone keeps saying. Winning the rest of the games however is.

It's football mate. Expect anything.

United will get knocked out at Allianz. Even miracles can only do so much.

Everton are only 4 points back and have a game in hand, so a loss to them would put Arsenal in a precarious position of needing Everton to drop points in order to secure a top 4 finish. That said, Everton do have some other tough matches so they will likely drop other points before the end of the season.