This point actually applies to two areas, which are both vastly different but both have dire consequences on the football club as a whole. If Arsenal want to achieve the heights that they should be at then this point is one that they will have to address quickly. First, Arsenal are unable to compete with the top sides in the big games. Over the last five seasons, they've won just one game away from home against the other top four sides. This year has been worse than ever as they lost 6-3 to Manchester City, 5-1 to Liverpool and now 6-0 to Chelsea. The problem here is that Arsenal crumble under the pressure. Secondly, Arsenal can't cope with pressure on the field from the opposition. Both Liverpool and Chelsea put the Arsenal players under pressure when they had the ball and forced them to make mistakes, before capitalising on them and blowing the North London side away. The fact that this tactic has become obvious is concerning as it will mean that other sides will employ a similar method in future games, as Arsenal seem completely inept in overcoming this problem. It doesn't bode well for Arsenal as they are favourites to win the FA Cup and the semi-final against Wigan is just a few weeks away. However, with this kind of expectation on Arsenal the tournament will not be as clear-cut as it should be and Arsenal could end up trophy less once again if they fail to overcome the fact that they fall apart in the big games.
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
