Arsenal drop white flag in Premier League

Arsenal abandons Premier League to focus on Champions League

Out of the championship game?

Despite receiving a lot of expectations, Arsenal had to share points with Brentford right at Emirates Stadium. Thus, after 32 rounds, the Gunners are still ranked 2nd in the Premier League rankings with 63 points.

Looking at the current situation, experts say that it will take a miracle for the London team to catch up with Liverpool, but even the most optimistic Arsenal fans have to admit that it may be over for the Gunners.

However, if you look closely, you will see that giving up the Premier League is a calculation of coach Arteta.

The Spaniard rested Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino after the thrilling first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. His aim is clearly to save everything for the return leg.

The result of the match against Brentford does not seem to be too important. Arsenal have determined that they no longer have a chance to turn the tables against Liverpool.

Arteta’s use of too many substitutes against Brentford saw Arsenal lose a clear sense of rhythm and coherence. Oleksandr Zinchenko made his first Premier League start for Arsenal in midfield, but failed to make the impact Odegaard usually does, leaving William Saliba forced to carry the ball forward on several occasions or pass it long to Gabriel Martinelli.

Arsenal won 10 corners in the first half alone and three in the second. But without Gabriel or Mikel Merino to target, they were far less effective than usual.

Overall, coach Arteta probably knew in advance that his team was not capable of pursuing the two goals, so he proactively let the key players rest to focus on the Champions League.

Be careful with Real

Winning 3-0 against Real is a big advantage for the English representative in the Champions League. However, the second leg is a different story for coach Arteta and his team. Real play at home, more importantly, they are a team with a lot of experience, especially coach Ancelotti always knows how to gain advantages in the Champions League arena.

One of the Gunners' weaknesses has been a lack of consistency and consistency between their starters and substitutes. There are still challenges in maintaining intensity after expending so much energy - both physically and mentally - playing against Real Madrid, but another two points dropped from a lead and another draw underlined why Arsenal are so far behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Overall, coach Arteta probably knew in advance that his team was not capable of pursuing the two goals, so he proactively let the key players rest to focus on the Champions League.

Arsenal have drawn four of their last six Premier League games and 12 in the competition this season. Only Everton (14) have drawn more. That is more than the Gunners have drawn in the 2023/24 and 2022/23 seasons combined (11). In both seasons, Arsenal have battled Man City for the title until the final rounds. Arteta's side have lost just one more game than Liverpool this season, but the leaders have drawn just seven times.

More importantly, eight of Arsenal's 12 draws have come from behind. So Arsenal must now ensure they don't blow their three-goal lead in Madrid, as their only hope of ending the season with silverware remains going all the way to winning the Champions League.

Throughout history, the Champions League has witnessed many spectacular comebacks. This shows the harshness of the most prestigious tournament on the planet. Real is the best team in the Champions League and they have the “DNA” of winning in every step on the pitch. Coach Arteta and his team need to have the best preparation for the second leg to ensure they maintain the advantage of the first leg.

Giving up the Premier League is a reasonable calculation of coach Arteta, the remaining issue is Arsenal's performance in Madrid in the second leg. If they overcome Real, Gunners fans will ease their sadness about the championship race with Liverpool. On the contrary, Arsenal continue to have a trophyless season, even though they are one of the most popular teams this season.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/the-thao/202504/arsenal-buong-co-trang-o-giai-ngoai-hang-88a54c2/