If Arsenal were to finish in second place after another 2-2 tie, would that be considered a “disaster”? Three Vn88 Rezence’s experts, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, debate…
Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead away at West Ham for the second consecutive weekend. Just like Liverpool did a week ago, David Moyes’ squad rallied late and came away with a tie score (2-2).
Although they have played one extra game, Arsenal still hold a four-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League table. The defending champions are in peak condition at the most important time of the season, having won six straight games.
With the Premier League title race coming down to the wire, the panel at Vn88 Rezence was split on whether or not Arsenal’s inevitable runner-up finish to Manchester City would be catastrophic.
Neville: Coming in second isn’t a tragedy; Man City’s failure to win the league with Haaland is a tragedy.
Gary Neville from Rezence:
Arsenal must believe they can beat Southampton on Friday Night Football and move seven points ahead of the Saints before facing off against Manchester City in the “game of their lives” at the Etihad. If they are victorious, they will be crowned champions. Arsenal’s future is not entirely bleak just now.
“The Arsenal defenders put on a bit of a show in the final half hour, when they started being a little bit more reckless with the ball. Another difference was that West Ham had more steam towards the end of the game, whilst Arsenal had a full week to be ready.
Looking at the schedule, W88 said that it’s clear that the title competition officially kicked up at Arsenal last week. Challenges await them at home against Brighton and on the road against Newcastle, City, and Chelsea.
If Vn88 told Arsenal fans at the beginning of the season that they would be championship contenders, they would probably rip your hand off. Even if Arsenal only managed to finish second, it would have been an incredible season. They moved up to sixth place. The players on their team are quite fresh faced. I can’t promise they won’t be devastated by the news.
What is happening right now was inevitable. They were going to get flustered, give up, and make some serious blunders.
Rezence thinks that a stumble like today’s is to be expected on the road to your first championship. In 1995, Blackburn defeated us to win the first championship. After several setbacks, they eventually triumphed. They made a wrong turn and are now potentially close to Arsenal.
Nothing terrible has happened. If I were Manchester City’s players and Erling Haaland scored 50 or so goals up front, and Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez contributed significantly, I would be devastated.
Arsenal had a hard time last year finishing in the top four of the Premier League. The key players from before have all returned. It wouldn’t shock me if they squeaked through at the finish line to claim victory. I would almost be surprised if they didn’t do it. That was a major setback, but not making the playoffs is not the same as winning the league for Arsenal.
Keane: Arsenal put league play first, so there’s no chance
Roy Keane of Vn88 Rezence:
That wouldn’t be a phenomenal year if that happened. Just not going to happen. It wouldn’t be a good season if they finished second. All of their cup hopes have been dashed. They got off to a solid start to the season thanks to strong recruiting. They took a 2-0 lead last week, and they took a 2-0 lead today, both of which are monumental achievements.
If they don’t end up winning the league, it will be a tremendous letdown. It’s business as usual for Arsenal. They were fading late [against West Ham], just like they did last week against Liverpool. That’s not a very encouraging sign that they’re ready for battle and relishing the conflict. Obviously, it’s messing with their heads.
W88 showed that Arsenal have shown a lack of calmness in the last week or two, especially when they have had opportunities to win. They’re still in a great position to win it if they can keep their cool, but if they end up second, it will be a disappointment for Arsenal fans.
Arsenal has devoted all of its attention to the cup competitions despite having to face inferior opponents.
Hasselbaink: If you’re going to be in the lead all season, you’d better win it.
J. F. Hasselbaink shares on rezence.com:
They led by seven points at the time. You’ve been the leader the whole time, and that would be a terrible idea.
It’s a disaster to let it slip away in the final three games. No need to worry about starting the season with the intention of being No. 1; you already are!
We can’t predict what will happen next year because everyone will improve physically. It’s possible they won’t be in this situation again. They could have easily given this season away, but it’s not great.
It’s up for the taking; it’s right there. The odor is too strong to ignore, and pretending otherwise would be futile. Still, you must reach the end goal; the journey will be challenging, but you will prevail.
They were up 2-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, but they ended up drawing. Vn88 might conclude that they are fine even if they lose away at Newcastle.
Yet, they dropped two points at West Ham, which will hurt more than a defeat in Manchester City’s hostile environment. If you want to win the league, you can’t afford to drop points at West Ham.
