It’s funny, I was sat at my desk on Thursday evening writing up about how the defeat to Olympiacos was most likely Arsenal’s worst performance of the season.
Quite spectacularly, the outfit have managed to outdo themselves in the first 32 minutes of the game against West Ham as the Jekyll and Hyde form continued. From the superb to the downright awful, Mikel Arteta’s men have shown off everything during a season which has shown exactly why the club sit in 10th place.
Across the last nine league games, the Gunners have won three, drawn three and lost three of their encounters and it’s the perfect explanation of why there is doubt over their ability to win this year’s Europa League.
Can Arsenal win the Europa League?
Yes
No
As a matter of fact, the state of Arsenal’s inconsistency doesn’t just stop at a run of games themselves, but, into halves of football as well.
Sunday’s clash with West Ham United was just one example of what has been going on all campaign long. The north Lond0n giants have an awful habit of either starting games off badly and ending theming superbly or vice versa.
Yesterday’s first-half was the worst Arsenal have played all season long as David Moyes’ side tore through the Gunners’ backline and midfield with ease. And on the flip side, we saw arguably the club’s best-half of the season as the East Londoners could do nothing to curb the genius of Martin Odegaard in the side’s search of parity.
However, how could you possibly tip this team to get the job done in a competition which has really become the bread and butter of their campaign. Arsenal sit a staggering nine points of Chelsea in fourth place, making any finish in the top-four nothing more than a pipe dream.
It leaves the Europa League and the only realistic chance at Champions League football, however, given the giant killings of Slavia Prague thus far in the tournament and Arsenal’s inability to perform consistently across matches of football, you’d be a fool to predict an easy win for the Reds.
