When do we start to believe ?

[Xhaka Can’t]

I don't think we did underinvest in squad. We have always had 3rd or 4th highest wage bill. Last season we were paying 1m a week more than spurs. So where we have finished is where we should finish.

This season 2nd would be good. 3rd about par. 4th fine. Can't see us win it now. Especially looking at Feb and March run.

Investment in the playing stock (for want of a better term) is different to overpaying the dross we had left once we'd sold off pretty much every saleable asset on the team.

[Bumble]

Investment in the playing stock (for want of a better term) is different to overpaying the dross we had left once we'd sold off pretty much every saleable asset on the team.

there is a link though. We overpaid salaries meaning we couldn't invest elsewhere. But at least now the deadwood has mostly gone so we can move on.

[Xhaka Can’t]

there is a link though. We overpaid salaries meaning we couldn't invest elsewhere. But at least now the deadwood has mostly gone so we can move on.

[fakeyank]

Beat Chelsea next week and we will be up there challenging.. draw and/or lose, then we can welcome 4th place trophy again!

[Master Splinter]

Yeah if we win, we get 57 points and if we draw/lose we get -68/-96 points.

[Letters]

Says it all for me, I'm afraid. We have the greatest stability of any team in the league. Our major competitors are all in flux. We have finally managed to keep all our players together, and have spent 42M on a player who is universally rated as one of the best. Yes, before the season began 3rd might have seemed a reasonable aspiration, but the fact that people are lauding 3rd when we are more or less top at Xmas, in the weakest season most of our competitors will have speaks volumes.

I don't understand where this thought comes from that this season is our big chance.
The last 3 seasons we've finished 12, 19 and 16 points off the champions.
We have kept our squad together but only because we didn't have any truly top players left that anyone would come in for. We did make one big signing but did you really think that would be enough to turn us from a side who have struggled to stay in the top 4 the last 2 seasons into champions elect? You say our 'major competitors' are in flux, I'm not sure they'd see us as competitors, we haven't challenged for the title in years.

Out of last season's top 3 only one club has been seriously disrupted by change and that's Utd - losing Fergie, surely the GOAT, was always going to affect them and it's showing. City and Chelsea are surely thr more likely beneficiaries of that. Both have got better managers than last season, one of whom has won the PL for his club before, and both have very expensively assembled squads.

We've looked a lot better than last season so far but IMO the title is beyond us this year and I don't see how after the struggles over the last two seasons to stay in the top 4, let alone mount a title challenge, we could be expected to win the title this year. We've made progress, we seem to be heading in the right direction, but there's a way to go yet and it's always going to be difficult competing with the 2 billionaire-fuelled clubs.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

[Marc Overmars]

We'll see what happens in the spring. There's too much speculation involved at the moment.

If we fade away like we have done when we've previously challenged, then it would be terribly disappointing. If we can stay competitive and take it to the wire, even have a good cup run, then I'll consider this season as good progress.

[Ollie the Optimist]

i know there is the question that if arsenal can't beat the big teams can they really win the league?


but after tonight and previous results, why isn't the question to chelsea and city, if they can't beat the small teams, can they really win the league?

[Letters]

i know there is the question that if arsenal can't beat the big teams can they really win the league?


but after tonight and previous results, why isn't the question to chelsea and city, if they can't beat the small teams, can they really win the league?

Well, they're only 2 and 3 points away from us so their record can't have been that bad.