EPL Endgame: Arsenal Look To Right the Ship at Blackburn's Ewood Fortress

Will Arsenal end their season on a high note or continue the disheartening run of form that has finally ended their yo-yo-like title hopes?

Arsenal need two points in their final two matches to formally lock up third place in the Premiership; however, one point would likely be enough to secure their position due to their plus-13 advantage in goal differential over Harry Redknapp's plucky Spurs.

Visiting Blackburn and finishing the season at home to Europa League semifinalists Fulham should not prove a serious obstacle to obtaining a point.

The true test Arsenal face in traveling to Ewood Park on Monday is to salvage what, until their recent run of two losses and a draw, looked like a promising season for Arsene Wenger's young and maturing squad.

In a year when many picked the Gunners to finish out of the top four behind the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa, or even Spurs, Arsenal kept pace with Chelsea and Manchester United, three times battling back from seemingly insurmountable deficits to reach or approach the top of the table.

United and Chelsea did not have seasons characteristic of the usual runaway title winners of recent memory, but given the doomsday predictions in the preseason run-up and the hobbling of Arsenal's front and back lines, Wenger's boys did well to keep themselves in serious title contention as late as mid-April.

If Arsenal had finished second or third after chasing the Red Devils and the Pensioners down to the wire, their summertime outlook would be dramatically different than it is now.

As it stands, a mix of hysteria, impatience, and despondence echoes about Ashburton Grove.

Media and fans alike clamor for a massive overhaul at the club. There are cries for the young roster to be gutted, for experienced outsiders to be brought in, and for Wenger to come back from the World Cup holding hands with some big-money signings.

The extent to which Arsenal need to splash their cash and turn over their roster is subject to debate and will remain so come August. What is not debatable is that the Gunners have something to prove.

More than they need to show the media and the fans that they are winners, Arsenal need to give themselves something to build on for the summer. They need to be able to look back on the end of the season and glean a few positive points from the wreckage.

A victory at Ewood Park, where neither Chelsea nor Manchester United were able to earn three points, would reinforce one of the most overlooked success stories of the season for Wenger's young club: their consistent form against almost everyone except the league's two top finishers.

One of the reasons the consecutive losses to Spurs and Wigan were so demoralizing was that it took till April 14 for Arsenal to experience such a collapse of form against teams generally considered inferior.

Take away Arsenal's four matches against Chelsea and Manchester United, and take away the two matches that the current leaders played against each other, and Arsenal would have been seven points clear of Manchester United and nine points clear of Chelsea heading into White Hart Lane.

This is not an argument for Arsenal deserving the title, though. There is none.

In a league with a definite pool of elite contenders, the best team distinguishes itself by playing in top form against top competition. This season, in the biggest games, when it mattered most, Chelsea got the job done in convincing fashion. They have earned their current perch atop the Premiership.

What Arsenal's form through early April does show, however, is that they have the mettle, maturity, and resilience to make their future prospects bright.

Over the previous three seasons, the biggest sign of Arsenal's immaturity as a young team was their inconsistency: They dropped way too many points against teams they should have beaten.

This season, without a real center forward for months at a time, Arsenal took some gritty points in tough situations, especially after the return of Nicklas Bendtner.

From February until the beginning of April, it was still obvious that Arsenal missed their star striker, Robin van Persie. However, they never dropped points for lack of effort, which will be an important factor in any postseason analysis.

The finish was anti-climatic and disappointing, to be sure, but that should not obscure the fact of a season in which the club made serious strides.

Despite their recent pitfalls, a big win at Blackburn coupled with a satisfying finale at the Emirates would give Arsenal and their supporters a chance to go into the summer with pride and optimism.