West Ham 3-3 Arsenal – Arsenal’s title hopes are all but gone
If Arsene Wenger stated Arsenal still has a chance to win the league, he can reconsider his statement after a 3-3 draw against West Ham on Saturday. Starting with 2-0 lead, Arsenal conceded consecutive two goals, just before the first half whistle.
Andy Carrol equalised for West Ham in under three minutes when he opened the scoring for the Hammers in the 44th minute. The second half started and Andy put further dent in Arsenal’s little chance of winning the league. Laurent Koscielny equalised in the 70th minute but that was about it. There was no further comeback from the Gunners and they returned home with a single point in their pockets.
This sums up Arsenal’s current season. Where they started off so well and claimed the status of being title favourites, but eventually slipped struggling to keep a hold on a top four position. The issues that stop Arsenal from winning are a creation of their own. Arsene Wenger has long been stubborn about not spending on a quality striker, and yet again the club has suffered. Unwillingness to further strengthen the squad is what Wenger has been found guilty of season after season.
The team is also to be blamed, which mostly falters and become incompetent in the second half of the season when it matters the most. It is a never ending cycle that Arsenal is a part of every season where the fans are left disappointed after a hopeful start to a season.
Speaking post-match, Wenger could not hide the disappointment of a 3-3 draw as the Premier League approaches the end of the season.
“Third in the league, 59 points – that’s not where we want to be,” Wenger said. “We make it much more difficult to win the championship but we have to keep going and hope.
“You never know what can happen. You have to look behind us, clubs are chasing us and we have to be serious and focus. When you see the game that’s one of the places you feel guilty you dropped points.”
What Arsenal needs to learn is to stop getting into a position where they have to hope other clubs’ demise in order to be successful. They wouldn’t be in this position if they had kept a strong stance and worked hard at winning the games that followed their home win against Leicester in February.
Instead, Gunners are trailing 13 points behind leaders Leicester City and it is time Arsenal bids goodbye to their first chance in 12 years of winning the Premier League title.