It’s not all bad – 10 reasons for Arsenal fans to cheer up

The painful wait for a trophy at the Emirates Stadium will go on for at least another year as  Arsenal‘s season once again collapsed at the key part of the campaign.

Arsene Wenger’s side went from chasing a quadruple to ending up with nothing after losing the League Cup final to Birmingham, getting knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona and then crashing out of the FA Cup against Manchester United.

Since the disastrous Wembley defeat at the end of February, the Gunners have won only two of their last 11 games in all competitions and have dropped out of the title race.

But while the Arsenal faithful will be disappointed at their side’s capitulation at the crucial stage of the season for the third year in a row, there have been many positives for Wenger’s side.

Goal.com takes a look at 10 reasons for Arsenal fans to be cheerful despite the torrid time they have been having, which has seen them finish empty handed once again.

1. Champions League football once again

Everybody involved with Arsenal Football Club desperately want to win a trophy, but if there is one consolation for not winning the silverware they crave it is the fact they will have Champions League football at the Emirates next season.

The Gunners should reach the Champions League knock-out phase for the 16th time in their history and for the 15th consecutive season, which makes good reading for the red half of north London.

The financial gain is huge for finishing in the top four and playing Champions League football helps keep the top players happy – you need only look at Liverpool to see the dissent that can surface in a squad when Europe’s elite competition is absent from your fixture list.

Despite the lack of silverware, most clubs would love to be able to brush shoulders with Europe’s elite and Arsenal fans should count themselves lucky they will be able to do it again next season as many clubs would gladly swap places with them.

2. Jack’s the lad

At times this season Arsenal’s big name players have failed to deliver, but young Jack Wilshere has shown he has what it takes to be the driving force behind the Gunners for years to come.

During the second half of the season players such as captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have failed to deliver the goods for Arsene Wenger’s side.

But the England international has at times been the drive which has kept Arsenal going.

He has shown passion and desire when others looked like having nothing left to give and outperformed many of the senior players in the squad.

His presence this year has given Wenger a massive boost and with the future of Fabregas likely to come back into the spotlight anytime now, the French manager has the security of knowing Wilshere has shown a Cesc-less future needn’t be bleak.

In his first full season in the top flight he has shown it is where he belongs, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award and also earning his first England caps.

If there is only one thing Arsenal can take great heart from it is the emergence of their new English hero.

3. Vermaelen’s ready to boost the Gunners 

It would be difficult for any side to cope without their first-choice defender for the entire season, but especially a side like Arsenal who are known to be vulnerable at the back.

Thomas Vermaelen has been sidelined with an Achilles injury since the third week of the season but he is now closing in on a return to action to give Arsenal a timely boost.

While he will not be able to make an impact this year, his return will lift everyone as he has been a star performer since he joined from Ajax in 2009.

His no-nonsense style of defending made him popular amongst the Arsenal fans and how at times this season they have been crying out for the Belgian international’s defensive qualities.

There were fleeting doubts at times over whether the former Ajax star might ever play again but he has overcome the injury and will be like a new signing for the north London club.

4. Szczesny is the real deal

The goalkeeping situation at Arsenal has been a topic of huge debate ever since Jens Lehmann first left the club in 2008.

The club have used Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and Vitto Manone in the goalkeeping jersey and all have struggled, with many critics calling for Wenger to spend big on a new keeper.

But this year Wojciech Szczesny looks to have secured his spot as Wenger’s No.1 for next season and for years to come with some fine performances.

And despite the mix-up with Laurent Koscielny which cost Arsenal the chance of lifting the League Cup he has propelled himself into the spotlight with some athletic saves and a commanding presence behind the back four.

In his 20 appearances this season he has shown all the attributes which arguably make him the best young keeper in the country.

He may not be the finished article quite yet but he has the quality to persuade Wenger to persist with him because, at 21, he will only get better.

5. Djourou shows his worth

When Thomas Vermaelen was ruled out for the majority of the season there was a real concern about Arsenal’s back four.

But in his absence Johan Djourou has shown he has what it takes to become a permanent fixture in the Arsenal side alongside Vermaelen when he returns.

The 24-year-old, who has made 34 appearances so far this season, has been superb at the back for the Gunners and alongside Koscielny he marshalled a back four that, up until last week, had the second best defensive record in the league behind Manchester City.

If Arsenal can keep him fit and he can firmly put all his injury problems behind him the Gunners have the makings of a strong central defensive partnership.

6. Walcott rebounds after World Cup set-back

Being left out of Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad last summer was a wake-up call for Theo Walcott,  but missing out on England’s disastrous trip to South Africa did him no harm at all.

The winger had a full pre-season at Arsenal and it has been there for all to see in his performances as he has hit 12 goals and created seven assists this season.

He showed everyone why Wenger stored so much faith in him as he became more clinical in front of goal and much more creative.

Considering all the hype around PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale and the considerable step up he has made this season, Walcott deserves credit for his performances as well.

The England winger’s stats in the Premier League stand up well against Bale’s. Walcott has scored six goals compared to the Welshman’s seven while his tally of four assists is one better than his former Southampton team-mate.

However, Walcott has played 1252 minutes less than the Spurs winger this season so if the Gunners can keep the winger fit and firing for a whole season he could be vital to their chances next year.

His performances have shown he can make the right decisions at the right times and be an integral part of the future for Arsenal and England.

7. Time for a change

There is no doubting the service Pat Rice has given to Arsenal in a career that started as a player in 1964 and has spanned as a youth team manager and as Wenger’s assistant since 1996.

But there are rumours that Rice will leave the club this summer and while he needs to be applauded for what he has done at the club, it could be the perfect opportunity to get someone with a new direction in at the Emirates.

A new coach with new ideas and a fresh approach to things could be just what Arsenal need to bring them back to the top of English football and start winning silverware.

It could also provide Wenger with a new ally and someone who can shake things up amongst his squad.

8. Stan the man

There have been grumblings around the Emirates for some time that Wenger has too much free reign when it comes to what he is trying to achieve at Arsenal.

It has been said since David Dein left the club there has been no-one strong enough to stand up to the Frenchman and push him in another direction.

The Frenchman did say after the defeat at Bolton that he could be persuaded to change his ways.

He said: “If someone can convince me that the principles are wrong I am ready to change but I feel we try to play football the proper way.”

And this could be where controlling stake holder Stan Kroenke comes in.

The American billionaire has been on the board for some time now but after buying enough shares to put him in control of the club he could now be in a position to tell Wenger to spend his millions in the transfer market, which would be a huge positive.

9. Loanees can make the step-up

There is no doubting the young talent Arsenal have on their books and whether its youngsters have been out on loan or in the first team squad, they have made a real impact this season.

Wilshere is the prime example and his performances in the Arsenal shirt since returning from a short loan at Bolton at the end of last season have been nothing short of superb.

Kieran Gibbs has also made some good performances for Arsenal this season but injuries have played their part in his stop-start campaign.

Outside the club Henri Lansbury and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas have been making a real impact with Norwich and Cardiff respectively at the top end of the Championship, and they seem to be the next crop of young stars on the Arsenal conveyor belt looking to make the grade with the first-team squad.

Lansbury, who scored for Arsenal in their League Cup win over Spurs earlier in the season, has made 15 starts for the Canaries and has scored four goals as they chase automatic promotion.

Emmanuel-Thomas is another getting good reviews in the Championship and he has scored two goals in 11 appearances for Cardiff as they also hunt automatic promotion.

Kyle Bartley is another who has picked up a huge amount of experience while on loan at Sheffield United and then Rangers this season. He has made 32 appearances in all and has played in two Old Firm matches and three Europa League games during his time in Scotland.

Arsenal have also been boosted by the return of highly rated defensive midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong from a serious knee injury and they will also be able to call on the services of recent signing Ryo Miyaichi, who is on loan at Feyenoord.

So the future still looks bright for Arsene Wenger and he could look to these players to deepen his squad. And if any of them make an impact on the same scale as Jack Wilshere it would be a huge bonus for Arsenal.

10. Kieran Gibbs is one season older