Arsenal fought back from 3-0 down to draw their previous Premier League match 3-3 against West Ham United but in the end, it was another two points dropped.
The Gunners have now dropped points in 17 of their 29 league matches, 11 of which have ended in defeats. And this lack of stability means they are just about holding onto their spot in the top half of the Premier League table.
While Arsenal’s have overall performances have gone up in the past few months but they are dropping a whole lot of points at crucial interjections. And according to pundit Paul Merson, this very reason could force them to remain a mediocre side next season as well.
Merson told Sky Sports: “It was exactly how Arsenal are in a nutshell, in that 90 minutes of football [against West Ham]. They’ve just been so inconsistent all season. Last week, they were great against Tottenham, they looked really good and looked like a team.
“Then they go out and put in a 45-minute performance like that and then come back and get a result. It summed up everything about their season in a nutshell in the last week. If you want to be successful, you need consistency and if you don’t have it, you’ve got no chance.
“I thought they made mistakes and the first 45 minutes was a bit lackadaisical, if I’m being honest. West Ham came and pressed them, they tried to win the ball high up and Arsenal just didn’t get it right. He went with [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang on the right instead of the left. For me, Aubameyang is best out on the left and he changed that back after 20 minutes
“For the players, as soon as the shackles are off and they have nothing to lose, they can play. But at the same time, I think West Ham helped with that because they sat back so deep, that they invited Arsenal onto them. And if you give them that much time and defend on the edge of your box, they will open you up by the end of the game.
“They’ve got the players, they’ve just got to find consistency, but they’ve got to be fighting for the top four. Arsenal is a big club and middle of the table isn’t good enough. Until they can get their consistency right, they will be middle of the table again next season.”
Mikel Arteta has made a lot of changes to his starting line-up over the course of this season but his defensive line still remains a big headache.
Every other game, the Arsenal defenders make one mistake or the other and eventually, undo all the good work which their forwards have done. He will need to bring in some serious reinforcements in the summer or else the Gunners will miss out on Champions League football yet again.
Since the start of February, Arsenal have played in 12 games across all competitions but have managed to win just five – three of them coming in the Premier League.
