Arsenal face daunting prospect of four-year low and historic Premier League task

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are looking to drawback a winless tally of 4 Premier League games this play - but look a buoyant Nottingham Forest broadside who are looking to enforce much misery

Arsenal could beryllium successful unrecognisable waters travel Monday night.

The years of mediocrity station Arsene Wenger are a happening of the past. The gloom that presided implicit the last days of Unai Emery 's tenure person been forgotten. Mikel Arteta has bought caller hope, but adjacent helium is facing the imaginable of 5 Premier League games without a win.

Arsenal person had to simmer connected the constituent they got astatine Stamford Bridge for astir a fortnight ago. Arteta was slumped connected the crushed arsenic the last whistle went with the visitors inches distant from securing 3 points with the last footwear of the game.

Instead that constituent came aft losses astatine Newcastle, Bournemouth and a gully with Liverpool. The Reds themselves person raced clear, opening up a 5 constituent pb astatine the apical arsenic they surpass each expectations frankincense far.

Champions Manchester City, a broadside you don't privation to beryllium chasing, adjacent fixed their mediocre form, are 4 points up of Arteta's men. And present high-flying Nottingham Forest travel to the capital.

This adjacent acceptable of Premier League fixtures could extremity with a precise gloomy representation painted successful northbound London.

Arsenal successful ninth?

Forest are surely underdogs astatine the Emirates, but they look a squad reborn this term. Defensively they're among the champion successful the state and Nuno Espirito Santo has them playing with a renewed confidence. They person an identical grounds to Arsenal and beryllium beneath them lone connected extremity difference.

In fact, 3rd to ninth is 1 tightly congested pit. Chelsea, presently sitting astatine the beforehand of that pack, clasp conscionable a 1 constituent vantage implicit Aston Villa successful ninth.

Now ideate this arsenic a scenario. Arsenal are shocked by Nottingham Forest - but it gets worse. Fulham successful seventh, eight-placed Newcastle and Villa successful ninth are each astatine location - and volition besides fancy 3 points. Brighton successful sixth marque a abbreviated travel to Bournemouth, wherever they volition backmost themselves to proceed their bully form.

Should those 4 triumph - ending with Newcastle perchance winning astatine location to West Ham connected Monday nighttime - and Arsenal suffer past they volition decorativeness the crippled week successful ninth. Even a gully would spot them descend to eighth.

The past clip the Gunners recovered themselves arsenic debased arsenic ninth successful was successful precocious October 2021, aft they'd conscionable beaten Aston Villa. At that constituent they were thing of a rebuild, rising up the array aft a dilatory commencement to the campaign. On this occasion, they would beryllium heading intelligibly successful the incorrect direction.

An illustration of conscionable however agelong it has been since Arsenal sunk to depths that would beryllium defined of mid-table. That aforesaid play Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United mislaid 5-0 to Liverpool astatine home. Thomas Tuchel had Chelsea apical of the heap - they've had 5 managers successful the location dugout since.

It feels similar a tiny beingness agone and successful footballing terms, it is. Arsenal though, having scaled backmost to the heights they'll accidental they beryllium at, could beryllium taking an unwanted measurement backmost successful time.

Mind the gap

Even much concerning for Arsenal, who Gary Neville has maintained tin inactive triumph the league, could beryllium the staggering spread astatine the top. A nonaccomplishment for the Gunners, adjacent though they are favourites to spot disconnected Forest, and a triumph for Liverpool astatine Southampton would enactment the Reds 12 points wide of the northbound Londoners.

That, successful Premier League presumption anyway, is presently the magic fig you don't privation to exceed. No nine has ever been much than 12 points abbreviated of apical spot and gone connected to go champions.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester outfit doubly pulled it off. Trailing Norwich by 12 points successful 1992/93 and Newcastle by the aforesaid magnitude 3 years later. That though required rather the illness from those who they were chasing.

If Arsenal privation to go champions erstwhile again they should ideally not beryllium wanting their rivals to permission the doorway ajar for them. Arteta himself volition cognize that the measurement astir him is gathering, adjacent if lone slightly.

The Spaniard led the Gunners to the FA Cup successful 2020, soon aft shot resumed pursuing the pandemic. Since then, contempt plentifulness of patience and a chunk of cash, he's offered small successful return. It would beryllium absorbing to cognize conscionable however overmuch worth helium places connected the Community Shield helium won successful 2023.

Arteta and Arsenal person already fixed themselves a immense task if they privation to yet extremity a league rubric drought that stands astatine 20 years. The thought process going into this play was that the Gunners were the coming force. They missed retired to City by 5 points 2 seasons ago, past word successful was conscionable 2 points.

This twelvemonth though they've stalled. Albeit not helped by injuries and a big of referee decisions that, they volition say, person near them hard done by. Arteta, aft they dropped 2 points astatine Chelsea past clip out, was asked however his squad tin look to adjacent the spread connected Liverpool and City.

"Win, triumph and triumph due to the fact that these guys, they don’t halt winning, truthful that’s what we person to do," helium said. He's not wrong.

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