Last season it was five points, this season it was two points. Progress, right? Of course. Alas, Arsenal have missed out on the Premier League title for a successive season.
In short, this has been a remarkable campaign for the Gunners, one that so nearly vindicated all of the backing the board have given to Mikel Arteta throughout his first venture into football management.
It's incredibly hard to believe it's his first job as a manager. This is one of the finest football brains on the planet, a coaching marvel, but he is still missing the sole thing you get judged on in football; trophies.
Arteta does have an FA Cup triumph in the bank but what he really craves is the Premier League. It's now 20 long years since the Gunners last tasted league success but the agony will have to be endured for another year.
They are getting closer but up against the juggernauts of Manchester City, you can only do so much.
This term has seen Arsenal walk away with 89 points, more than a host of seasons in which Manchester United won the league under Sir Alex Ferguson. They also recorded 29 league wins, the most they've ever secured since the division's inception in 1992.
So, how can you say it was a bad year? It wasn't, honest.
There will be a tinge of regret after the way things ended on Sunday, of course there will be, but we shouldn't be drawn into thinking of the bad and the ugly; let's just savour how far Arteta has taken this team. They are back at the top table and they're not going anywhere.
That said, there could be somewhat of a summer clearout once the dust settles on this truly wonderful campaign.
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ByJack Salveson HolmesMay 8, 2024