Freddie Ljunberg, “I hope this is rock bottom.”

Our worst nightmare has come true. With just four Premier League matches remaining on our schedule, Arsenal Football Club’s only hope for salvation is a top 10 finish in the league table. That’s where we have fallen.

Thursday’s match v Villarreal was nothing short of a disaster. Not only did we crash out of the Europa League one step short of the final, we also crashed out of European competition for next season. This hasn’t happened in 25 years! Oh my! This, by itself, is a disaster for the club, on many levels.

Here’s where we are, in the words of those who matter…

Lee Dixon, “Every one of those players should look at their performance and ask themselves whether they did enough, and if they are honest with themselves the answer is no. I hope they’re in the changing room hurting, but I’m not sure if they are.”

Martin Keown on Thomas Partey, “We thought we were singing the next Patrick Vieira. We haven’t seen that.”

Freddie Ljunberg, “I hope this is rock bottom and it can change from here. But it needs investment to ensure that. It really hurts but there needs to be a change in how they invest into the club and change the pattern that we get worse and worse every year.”

Mikel Arteta on the Villarreal result, “We are devastated. We are really disappointed, but we have to congratulate Villarreal. We tried everything until the last minute. I think over two legs and what happened today in the second half, I think we deserved to win the game, but the details defined this tie.”

Mikel Arteta on if the team has improved, “Obviously, looking at everything now is going to be focused on that. I understand that and I leave it to you guys (the media) to speculate.”

Has the team improved under Mikel Arteta? Defensively, I would say yes. Offensively, I would say a resounding no! I would also say Arteta doesn’t, or can’t, consistently get his squad ready for these big games. When they came out yesterday, it looked like a preseason friendly performance from the get go. This starts from the top, and works it’s way down. Besides Arteta not having his team ready for the match, where was the leadership on the field? Where was Aubameyang’s voice, Leno’s, Bellerin’s or Partey’s? The senior players on the pitch should have played harder, and should have been inspiring the squad. Instead, they looked tired and defeated, and basically clueless on how to breakdown the Villarreal defense. Yes, Auba missed a couple of chances, and so did Smith Rowe and Holding. Once again, Arsenal players can not find the target, no matter how close they are to it.

I, for one, am sick and tired of hearing Arteta claim in his post-match comments how we deserved to win the game. How many times have we heard that? If you added all of them up we would easily be in the Europa League final and in the Premier League top four.

Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about this season, courtesy of arsenaltroll…

*Equalled club record for losses in a 38-game PL season.

*Eliminated from European competition for first time since 1995/1996 season.

*Worst record since 1995 for games without a goal at home.

*Arsenal beaten away from home by Burnley (46 years), Leicester City (47 years) and Aston Villa (92 years).

*And finally, beaten by the manager that was sacked by the club two years ago, and the defensive midfielder (Francis Coquelin) sold by the Gunners for not being good enough to play at
Arsenal.

These are some painful stats to digest.

This has been a very hard season to be a supporter for Arsenal. We always maintained hope before each and every match. We gave the club a clean slate, match after match, only to go away heartbroken following so many games this season.

Losing is one thing. I can accept defeat, however, losing when there is poor effort, planning, execution or spirit is simply another matter all together. When I looked at the Arsenal players’ faces following the match yesterday, sure I saw defeat and frustration, but only in the eyes of Tierney, Saka and Smith Rowe did I see the real pain of losing.

For me, it’s time to clean house, to find a new owner, a new manager, and build a club around the likes of Tierney, Smith Rowe and Saka. Bring in a few fresh, young faces that have that youthful desire. Sure we might struggle again next season, but that’s okay if we see a club that is progressing and improving, and a club that gives us hope once again that Arsenal is coming back.

This storied franchise has reached a low not seen in north London in many years. There needs to be a lot of soul searching and self-examination, top to bottom.

As it stands right now, Arsenal Football Club is not good enough.

Only tears today.

Gunner1953