Arsenal FC in 2023: Looking Back on a Year of Excitement and Anguish

While European soccer seasons don't cleanly align with the calendar year—things start around August and usually end the following summer—no Arsenal supporter is going to forget 2023. There was plenty of excitement and hope before heartbreak set in at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. The current season hasn't been quite as high-flying, but the Gunners are still standing strong.

But nothing, whether we're talking about life or pro sports, is guaranteed. And as the calendar turns to 2024, no one is quite sure what the new year will hold.

So, with that in mind, let's take one final look back at the beats of Arsenal's unforgettable 2023.

January 2023's Win at Spurs

No one ever wants to lose a local derby. Arsenal's loss at Spurs during the home stretch of the 2021-22 season, however, proved to be particularly painful, as it resulted in a hammer blow in the Gunners' race for Champions League qualification.

So, when the two clubs met at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just over two weeks into the new year, there was a point to prove. Arsenal had looked good up until that point of the season, but could they exercise ghosts of their own past and secure a statement win?

They could.

Two first-half goals, including an ugly error from Hugo Lloris, saw Mikel Arteta's men leave the other side of North London with a win. Maybe there was actually something different about this Arsenal team ...

A February Loss to Manchester City

In the modern Premier League, you're going to have to outdo Manchester in a race for the title. This February 15 meeting at the Emirates was a chance for Arsenal to show they could hang with the big boys.

And while the underlying numbers were largely even, the Gunners couldn't seal the deal and fell 3-1. You could argue that anything could happen in any one-off match, but losing to City felt like déjà vu all over again. If beating Spurs away suggested that this was a new Arsenal, the inability to even take a point away from City provided a seed of doubt.

That Goal Against Bournemouth

When a team ultimately lifts the big trophy, it's easy to look back and home in on certain moments that suggested they were destined to claim the big prize.

On March 4, it looked like Arsenal had produced one of those.

While a home date with Bournemouth seemed like an easy win, the Cherries came to play. They scored in the opening seconds and, after a second-half header, seemed destined to ruin the Gunners' championship charge.

Fate, however, intervened. Goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White knotted the score at 2, but it seemed like Arteta's men had only managed to salvage a point. Then, in the 97th minute, Reiss Nelson delivered.

Beyond the three points, which were important in outlasting City, it seemed like a moment made for the end-of-season montage. If Arsenal survived the run-in, Nelson's winner would be a key part of the lore.

An Injury-Plagued Europa League Exit

By the time March rolled around, Arsenal supporters weren't too worried about the Europa League. Champions League qualification seemed like a lock, and no one would have wanted a second-tier European odyssey to detract from a chance at the Premier League title.

The two-legged tie against Sporting, however, proved to be a double-whammy.

Not only did the Gunners crash out of the competition on penalties, but William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu both suffered injuries against the Portuguese side. Those losses, taken in combination, proved to be crushing.

In his first season in England, Saliba established himself as a key part of Arsenal's defensive structure. And while playing without him wouldn't have been ideal, Tomiyasu's defensive flexibility would have provided cover; either the Japanese could have slotted in at center back or he could have covered at right back and allowed Ben White to move inside.

But without both of those players, Arsenal had to make do. And while they hung tough, things simply weren't the same.

A Winless Run Capped By a Loss to City

No matter how they start the season, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City always seem to hit their stride before the campaign ends. That meant that Arsenal couldn't slip up if they wanted to beat the sky-blue squad to the top of the mountain.

A stretch in April, however, provided that metaphorical banana skin.

While a draw didn't seem like a bad result at Anfield, the Gunners blew a 2-0 lead and lost control of the match. They easily could have left Liverpool with a loss.

The next two matches, against West Ham and Southampton, looked like chances to get back on track, but more mistakes cropped up. Another blown lead and a missed penalty saw Arsenal draw in East London, while an early error put the North London club in a hole against the Saints. They fought back but could only secure a draw.

And on the back of that skid, Arteta took his team to Manchester for a date with City. The Gunners were well beaten, dealing a fatal blow to their title hope.

What had looked so secure all season had turned to dust down the stretch.

The Final Day's Win Over Wolves

While a loss to Nottingham Forest had clinched the title for Manchester City, Arsenal went out in style on the final day of the season. The Gunners brushed Wolves aside 5-0 with Granit Xhaka, who was playing his final game for the club, potting two goals within the first 15 minutes.

In a way, the Swiss midfielder's send-off was a fitting metaphor for the season. He had arrived under Arsene Wenger and become the target of some serious fan ire during Unai Emery's reign. Xhaka was even prepared to leave the club until Arteta convinced him to stay. And then, during the 2022-23 season, he had the season of his career and played a key part in the club's success.

And while there's only so much joy to be had for finishing second, Arsenal had grown by leaps and bounds. What was once a drab team full of mismatched veterans had been transformed into a dynamic young squad that took the league by storm.

Even if they fell at the final hurdle, the future looked bright. And after some down years, there was something to believe in.

Declan Rice and the Summer Transfer Window

On the back of a largely successful Premier League season, the 2023 summer transfer window represented a chance for Arsenal to build on their success. And they did that in a major way by landing Declan Rice.

Again, signing someone like the midfielder would have seemed impossible mere seasons ago. Rice came through Chelsea's ranks, and the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City were interested in his services. The fact that he moved to North London spoke volumes about the Gunners' progress and how much their status had grown within the game.

Kai Havertz, David Raya and Jurrien Timber also arrived at the Emirates. There's room to debate the wisdom of those signings, but it can't be argued that Arteta and Edu aren't trying to strike while the iron is hot.

Returning to the Champions League in Style

Under Arsene Wenger, it felt like Arsenal had a divine right to play Champions League football. The standards slipped, though, and after 19 straight seasons at Europe's top table, they fell into the Europa League; there was even a season without any continental competition.

2023-24, however, saw the Gunners reenter the Champions League and breeze through the group stage. As a seeded team, they were drawn against Porto in the Round of 16, but those games won't be played until the new year.

Finally Beating Manchester City

Remember how we said that winning the modern Premier League usually involves outlasting Manchester City? Well, beyond that reality, Arsenal had another motivation for wanting to beat the reigning champs. The Gunners had an eye-popping 12-match losing streak against City, meaning that there was a major monkey to be removed from the club's collective back.

Arsenal did beat the champs in the season-opening Community Shield, but no one was really counting the glorified friendly as a true statement. In October, however, the North London club got their chance to send a genuine message. Things remained tight for 80+ minutes until Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock with a deflected shot. His teammates then managed to see out the final minutes, securing a long-awaited victory over City.

Will a single result in the early days of the season secure the title? Of course not, but it was still encouraging to see how a healthy Arsenal defense (plus the addition of Rice) could blunt City's attack. And, who knows, maybe the three points gained by knocking off City (or the knowledge that they can hang tough with any opponent) will make all the difference in 2024.

Given the way that 2023 went, Gunners supporters around the world will certainly be optimistic.