Arsene Wenger and Arsenal Gunners Are Trophy-less but Not Without Silver Lining

Five years without a trophy!

That is what Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger will have to face come the end of the season. After losing to local rivals Tottenham and suffering a shocking 3-2 defeat to Wigan last week, Wenger witnessed his side all but mathematically end their title hopes.

Arsenal are currently sitting in third, six points behind league leaders Chelsea, with three games remaining. For Arsenal to win their first trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2004/05, they would have to win their three remaining games and see both Manchester United and Chelsea lose all their remaining games.

It is not impossible, but unless Wenger can conjure up some divine intervention, Arsenal fans will be going empty-handed for yet another season.

Since Arsenal suffered their humiliating defeat to Wigan, where they gave up a two-nil lead with 10 minutes remaining to lose 3-2, Wenger's side have came under heavy scrutiny on a daily basis. Despite another year without a trophy, though, Arsenal fans and football fans alike need to look at the bigger picture. There is a silver lining to Arsenal's silver-less season.

Arsenal have exceeded everybody's preseason expectations. All the "experts" had Arsenal dropping out of the top four and falling victim to Manchester City or Tottenham's progress into the Champions League.

Instead, Wenger managed to drag his team up the table and maintain a title challenge for the majority of the season. Arsenal have also managed to secure more victories in the league (22) with three games left, than compared to all of last season (20).

Despite a catalog of injuries, including the loss of their main striker, Robin Van Persie, the Gunners have scored more goals in the league this season than in their previous four league campaigns.

Overall, Arsenal have made a steady improvement on last season. They have moved up a position in the league, sustained a title threat for a greater extent of time, all while winning more games and scoring more goals than in the previous year. 

Arsenal have shown this season how depth is a major strength of their team. They have dealt with a constant string of injuries to key players, including a horror injury to Aaron Ramsey, reminiscent of the injury suffered by Eduardo. And this depth is more potent because of its youth: Arsenal have the youngest team in the Premier League, with an average age of just under 24 years old. Arsenal have only four players over the age of 30, three of whom are defenders, and the fourth is goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Aside from the improvement made by players still on the roster, Wenger's decision to allow Manchester City to purchase both Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor for a combined £41 million was an inspired piece of business because Arsenal have remained competitive this season without their services while gaining a hefty profit.

And the one summer signing Wenger made turned out to be a one of the transfers of the season. Thomas Vermaelen cost Arsenal just £10 million and in his first year he has become a rock in the centre of defense for the London side. He has also shown his ability to carry the ball forward and has contributed in attack with eight goals.

Nicklas Bendtner is somewhat toward the target he set for himself at the start of the season, of "becoming the best striker in the world in five years," but he has certainly improved and scored some very vital goals for the Gunners. Bendtner scored 12 goals this season, five of which were in the Champions League, making him Arsenal's top goalscorer in the competition.

Arsenal can also be very happy with the progress that their young talent Jack Wilshere has made. He has played superbly while on loan at Bolton Wanderers, so much so that Bolton manager Owen Coyle suggested that he is worthy of a place in the England squad for the World Cup. Even if Wilshere does not fit into Arsenal's plans next year he has definitely increased his value greatly.

Wenger also received positive news that both William Gallas and Cesc Fabregas plan to play their football at the Emirates Stadium next season. Even if disaster was to strike and Arsenal's super Spaniard was to depart for home, Fabregas' contribution and excellent performance this season—Fabregas has scored 15 times and also leads the Premier League with the same number of assists—has raised his stock drastically also.

In January, Wenger brought Sol Campbell back to Arsenal in a move that raised more than a few eyebrows. He has played remarkable since rejoining the Gunners and has proved Wenger's decision to be correct.

Arsenal do have some issues to address, such as who their No.1 keeper will be, but Arsenal's cloud has a very thick silver-lining and they are definitely a team on the rise with plenty to be hopeful for.