What do Arsenal need to guard against next season, despite finishing second?

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Arsenal’s second half of the season is one which will be seen as a disappointment, as genuine title ambitions turned into slight concern over their status as a top four side. So much changed in the second half of the 2015/16 campaign, but in the end Arsenal managed to steal second place from bitter rivals Tottenham on a dramatic final day of the Premier League.

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In a season where Spurs looked set to finally break their 21-year run of finishing below Arsenal, their dramatic crumble against Newcastle and a comfortable win for the Gunners against bottom side Aston Villa allowed Wenger’s side to overhaul Spurs and claim second place behind runaway winners Leicester. Whilst this gives the club’s fans bragging rights for the summer, finishing a distant second will once again leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the supporters.

Fans were once again calling for manager Arsene Wenger to leave the club at various stages in the season, with everyone certain that the club needs to spend money in the summer if they want to seriously challenge for the title next time out. The club have been linked with some big summer signings, although of course what to trust with transfer rumours is unknown.

Whilst not many would have predicted the vastly differing results of Arsenal and Tottenham on the final day, these score-lines cannot be relied on to replicate themselves regularly. If Arsenal want to win the Premier League title, they need to strengthen the squad in various positions over the summer. The North London outfit have improved significantly over the past few seasons, the issue is that the teams around them are improving at a faster rate.

After this topsy turvy season, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are likely to spend big again in the summer to improve their squads. Leicester have proved to the world that spending vast sums of cash does not guarantee success, but to attract the top class players needed to win a major European league such as the Premier League, the reality is clubs need to spend big money.

Many have questioned whether Wenger and Arsenal still have the killer mentality to win in the big games when the pressure is on, and with some squad improvements Wenger has a great opportunity to prove the critics wrong next season, in what could be a landmark season for Arsenal. The long-serving Frenchman has publicly said recently that he won’t sign a new deal until next summer.

With another disappointing season, next term could turn out to be Wenger’s last in North London, thereby ending his unrivalled legacy as Arsenal manager. Whilst of course a lot of people may think that it’s harsh to call finishing second in the league a disappointment, but for a large portion of the season, Arsenal were right in the title race, before dramatically slipping away in the second half of the year.

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At one stage, Manchester United looked like they may challenge Arsenal for the final top four place, much like the position Manchester City found themselves in going into the final day. It was only the late upturn in form that meant Arsenal were able to recover to second place. Next season, the club will have to work a lot harder to retain this position, with the Premier League set to become even more competitive than this year.

For now, the club and it’s fans can give a collective sigh of relief with the final day results, although they should not rest on their laurels. In the second half of the campaign, Tottenham were a better side than Arsenal, and if they want to remain on top of their local rivals, the club will have to strengthen the squad with at least two to three high quality players for next season, perhaps even more if the allegedly unsettled Alexis Sanchez does move on to pastures new.

What are your thoughts on the final day of the season? Feel free to comment below and thank you for reading.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane