Arsenal's Premier League Title Drought Looks Set to Continue Next Season

When the Emirates Stadium opened in 2006, Arsenal decorated the perimeter of the top tier with images of all the major honours they had won throughout their history. 

There was plenty of space left for an expected raft of new trophies, but the club had to wait eight years to add to this roll of honour, and even then it was for last season’s FA Cup triumph and not the Premier League title.

Another FA Cup might soon be added if Arsenal triumph over Aston Villa in the final at Wembley at the end of next month.

But having won three Premier League titles in the eight years before relocating to the Emirates, it was expected Arsenal would regularly host title-winning celebrations in their new stadium. 

In the aftermath of Sunday’s goalless draw against the champions-elect Chelsea, it is clear this won’t happen this season.

And ominously for Arsenal, they also appear to be nowhere near to winning their first title since 2004 next season.

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Sunday’s draw with Chelsea was classic Arsenal; hype, expectation and misplaced optimism ultimately followed by intense disappointment.

Before this game, Arsenal had been on a run of eight straight wins in the Premier League, but you would not know it looking at the table now.

For all their huffing and puffing, this surge has brought them to third place in the table 10 points behind the leaders Chelsea.

At the final whistle, Arsenal’s fans mounted their high horses and piously chanted, “Boring, boring Chelsea.”

In his post-match press conference, via the BBC, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho gave the perfect riposte to these chants.

"I think boring is 10 years without a title, that's boring. If you support a club and you wait, wait, wait for so many years without a Premier League title, then that's boring.”

He was actually being kind—it is now 11 years since Arsenal won the title, and though Arsenal do play the more attractive football, it has not brought them a title.

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When Chelsea become this season’s champions, possibly as early as this weekend, it will be the fourth time the Premier League trophy has been paraded at Stamford Bridge since Arsenal were last champions.

While this was Arsenal’s chance to keep the title race alive for this season, it was probably more an opportunity to make a statement ahead of next season.

As Arsene Wenger said in the buildup to the game, as reported by The Independent, “We have three targets, and the third is to close the gap on Chelsea, which is important psychologically for next season. 

By that measure, Arsenal will now start next season burdened by the same psychological baggage they have carried for the last decade.

Wenger’s record against Jose Mourinho is woeful and now stands at seven defeats and six draws from 13 games.

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Arsenal have failed even to score in their last five games against Chelsea and have managed just six in total over these 13 games.

Of course, Wenger’s Arsenal would still be able to win the title without beating Chelsea next season, but it would certainly help.

If they had recorded two wins against Chelsea this season rather than a defeat and a draw, they would now be one point behind them rather than 10.

Wenger’s failure to defeat a team managed by Mourinho neatly symbolises Arsenal’s ability to always hit a glass ceiling.

They can impress, but when it really matters, they stumble, which has been repeated in both the Premier League and Champions League every season for the last 11 years.

There is also scant evidence this will change next season.

The old adage that if you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same results is relentlessly proven at Arsenal.

Arsenal have an abundance of creative talent but lack the focal point up front to take advantage against the very best teams.

Olivier Giroud is a fine striker but neither prolific nor ruthless enough in front of goal to lead this Arsenal side to the title.

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The Danny Welbeck experiment has so far been a failure. Recruiting strikers from Manchester United’s bench seemed a risk, and a poor return of four Premier League goals this season, the same amount scored by Chris Smalling, does nothing to dissuade those who thought it was an unambitious and foolish mistake.

This was made glaringly obvious when in added time, Welbeck, on as a substitute, fluffed his shot in front of goal that would have won all three points against Chelsea.

In the last two summers, Arsenal have invested heavily in their midfield with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. It is now time for Wenger to spend the same sort of money on a proven world-class striker.

The purchase of a more reliable goalkeeper, possibly the available Petr Cech, and further reinforcements to the defence would also help.

Arsenal will feel a lot better about themselves if they enter the summer having celebrated another FA Cup win at Wembley at the end of May, but they don’t aspire to be a cup team, they need to win titles.

It was during last autumn at the club’s AGM when the Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick memorably said, as reported by the Express, “We back Arsene when he has a plan. We stay quiet when he doesn’t.”

If Wenger’s plan is more of the same next season, then Arsenal's long wait for the title will continue for another year.