Are Arsenal the architects of their own struggles — or is their recent dip just a blip?
The short answer: It’s a bit of both. Arsenal’s recent wobble carries roots in self-inflicted issues, yet the signs suggest it may be more of a temporary setback than a long-term collapse.
In the 2024-25 campaign, Arsenal dropped a staggering 21 points from winning positions — their joint-worst ever. That kind of fragility suggests internal issues: decision-making in crucial moments, risk management, closing matches office
They accumulated six red cards across the Premier League season — the highest of any club. Red cards usually reflect sudden breakdowns in composure, which are avoidable and thus point to self-inflicted damage.
Key players missed significant time (e.g., Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus). A Sky Sports piece noted Arsenal “already have injuries!” which have upset their usual consistency. Injuries aren’t fully self-inflicted, but failing to mitigate their impact (depth, rotation, adaptation) can become a self-made problem.
A March 2025 analysis noted that team captain Martin Ødegaard “has fallen short of the elite standards he set across the previous two campaigns.” If your creative engine drops, you become more vulnerable. That points internally at form, mindset and adaptation.
According to a recent Reuters pieces, Arsenal started the 2025-26 season remarkably well, conceding just three league goals and remaining unbeaten in Champions League fixtures so far. This suggests the underlying structure is sound — an important indicator that any slump isn’t systemic.
The team’s home record shows consistently strong performance: undefeated at home so far this season, and over recent years winning ~74.5 % of home league games. Strong home form offers a reliable platform from which to bounce back.
Despite the injuries, analysts say Arsenal “have goals again… and depth again.” If depth is increasing, then mid-season dips caused by absences become more manageable going forward.
The same Reuters story highlights how Arsenal’s set-piece goals are a league record so far this season. When a team finds new avenues to win matches even when other parts are off, that speaks to adaptation and resilience — traits of a club bouncing back rather than derailing.
Arsenal have certainly contributed to their own difficulties through lapses in discipline, dropped points, injuries and creative stagnation. But the bigger picture suggests this is not the beginning of a collapse — rather, a temporary setback within a structure that remains strong and improving.
If they can maintain defensive solidity, harness squad depth, and get their attacking spark back (especially from Ødegaard, Saka et al.), then this dip is likely to be a blip. On the other hand, if the self-inflicted issues keep recurring (red cards, inability to close games, loss of creative spark) then the setback could deepen.
Given where things stand, I lean toward temporary setback. The architecture of the club — the coaching, the home form, the defensive foundation — still looks robust. What remains is cleaning up the avoidable mistakes and reigniting the attacking fluency.
