Arsenal’s run-ins – a look back

Arsenal’s run-ins – a look back

Arsenal currently find themselves in 5th position in the Premier League, one spot outside the coveted Champions League qualification places. The race for the top 4 looks set to go down to the wire, with 7 points separating Spurs in 2nd place and United in 6th. Both Arsenal and United have a game in hand on the their rivals due to cup commitments, and so can squeeze that gap even more.

Arsenal thrashed Lincoln City last Saturday to make it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but it is just this competition, along with the Premier League that the Gunners have left to focus on. The North-Londoners crashed out of the Champions League last week, having been annihilated by an impressive Bayern Munich over the 2 legs of the round of 16 tie.


It’s often said that in recent times Arsenal finish the season very strongly after they are knocked out of the Champions League. The feeling is so strong that many see it as almost a given that Arsenal will finish in the top 4, as they always do, despite the increased competition this year. So let’s take a look at how the Gunners concluded their last 4 Premier League seasons following Champions League heartbreak.

Last season is fresh in the memory, having been knocked out by eventual champions Barcelona, Arsenal then went on a 9 game unbeaten streak in the league, taking 19 points from 9 games finishing in second place, one point above arch rivals Spurs.

The 14-15 season saw the Gunners finish reasonably well, after defeat to Monaco in the Champions League they ended up in 3rd spot, taking 18 points from their final 9 games. It should be noted that the season was capped off in style, demolishing Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup.

The 13-14 season again saw Arsenal end the season in good form, finishing 3rd with 20 points from the last 10 Premier League games, after having been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in March. Arsenal also defeated Hull in extra time of the FA Cup final to win the clubs first trophy in 8 years.

After Bayern Munich knocked them out of Europe in the 12-13 season Arsenal finished the season in style. The Gunners went unbeaten and took 26 points from the last 10 games (8 wins and 2 draws). This led to them finishing in 4th spot, one position and point above rivals Spurs, a sweet end to the campaign.

It’s clear that Arsenal tend to step up their game once they get knocked out of Europe. If they want to qualify for the Champions League again this season they’ll have to step up once more to ensure they finish above any two of Spurs, City, Liverpool and United. With 12 games remaining it’s still all to play for; the club could really do with one of those long unbeaten runs right now.