Is Champions League qualification a realistic target for Arsenal this season?

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For a team that got off to the worst possible start for a side of their calibre, Arsenal have done well to somewhat spare their blushes throughout the course of the season.

Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit sixth in the Premier League table after 23 games, with three matches in hand over fourth-placed Manchester United.

Despite initial concerns on how much they spent in the summer transfer window and the level of quality possessed by these fresh signings, the Gunners have slowly but surely worked their way up the table in the hopes of securing a top-four finish.

With around three months left of the season, there is still time for them to significantly improve on their overall finish from the previous campaign and spark some belief into their fanbase going forward.

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Due to their poor eighth-placed finish in the league last season, Arsenal missed out on Europe for the first time since the 1995/96 campaign. They reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in April last year but were knocked out by eventual winners Villarreal 2-1 on aggregate.

Such an absence from continental football means they have had fewer fixtures to compete in compared to previous seasons and have therefore been allowed more of a focus on the league and domestic competitions.

However, Arsenal’s season got off to a dreadful start as they lost their first three games in the Premier League. An embarrassing loss to newly-promoted Brentford was followed by a poor performance at home to Chelsea and a 5-0 thrashing by reigning champions Manchester City.

They beat West Bromwich Albion 6-0 in the Carabao Cup Second Round prior to their trip to the Citizens but that was not enough to cover up the fact that they were bottom of the table after just three matches, with zero points and zero goals scored.

Soon though, Arteta’s side began to find their rhythm with crucial yet unconvincing wins against league strugglers Norwich and Burnley that sparked a run of 10 games unbeaten, including a mighty performance at home against their bitter North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Defeats to Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton soon put an end to this impressive run before they picked up five consecutive wins in all competitions as they approached the end of 2021.

The turn of the new year however was not kind to the Gunners. A last-minute winner from Rodri saw Manchester City take home the three points at the Emirates, just a week before Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest. Liverpool soon knocked them out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage, meaning all that is left for them to compete in now is the Premier League.

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While domestic cup exits are disappointing and mean Arsenal will end the season without a trophy once again, they could prove to be beneficial in their hopes of finishing in the top four and therefore competing in the Champions League next season.

Due to games being postponed as a result of COVID-19, the Gunners still have 15 games left to play until the end of the campaign. Upon looking at their remaining fixtures, a top-four finish is certainly not out of the question.

They have matches against teams who are all struggling at the bottom end of the table with Watford, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Everton still to play. The latter three are, as of now, their final fixtures of the season, meaning that on paper they have one of the easiest run-ins of all the 20 Premier League teams.

However, they will also have crucial games against some of their fellow top four competitors.

Arsenal’s next game is at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers. They were victorious in the reverse fixture just two weeks ago but Bruno Lage’s side have become one of the toughest teams to beat in the league this season. Come the middle of March, they will host the now potential title contenders Liverpool at the Emirates, a side they have failed to beat on three different occasions already this season.

The Gunners will also face both Manchester United and West Ham in April, with the postponed fixtures against Spurs and Chelsea still yet to be rearranged.

While these tough games could see them drop points and effectively rule them out of the pinnacle of European football for next season, victories against those competitors will be massive in their quest to compete in the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

Arsenal’s games in hand will also give them an advantage especially with no continental football to play during the week so it could be argued that they are the favourites to claim that highly contested top-four spot. However, they have only won once against the rest of the traditional top-six this season as those upcoming fixtures could end up being stumbling blocks for the Gunners.

With just the one competition left to compete in, Arsenal have one focus for the remaining months of the season and Champions League football is definitely an achievable prospect. A win against Wolves on Thursday followed by victories against Watford and Leicester City could generate some good momentum and put them in a strong position, especially if the other teams around them are unable to do the same for themselves.

However, should they not qualify for the Champions League, then their season could be seen as a failure, especially when you consider the money they spent on new talent in the summer and their lack of silverware once again.

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