Arsenal finished second in the Premier League narrowly behind Manchester City. Additionally, the Gunners made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2010. The 2023-2024 season was somewhat disappointing in some ways, but it was a season of progress for Arsenal. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 2023-2024 Arsenal season review.
Arsenal 2023 2024 Season Review: The Gunners Made it to the Champions League Quarterfinals
Arsenal didn’t have notable runs in either domestic cup competition. As such, it makes sense to skip that and start by discussing Arsenal’s performance in the 2023-24 Champions League. The Gunners topped Group B with 13 points from six games.
Arsenal won four, drew one, and lost one in the Champions League group stage. The Gunners beat PSV 4-0 at the Emirates to start their Champions League campaign and ended their group stage play by thrashing RC Lens 6-0 at the Emirates. Arsenal also beat Sevilla 2-0 and drew 1-1 with PSV away from home. The Gunners avenged their only group stage loss, 2-1 away against Lens, by thrashing the French side 6-0 at the Emirates, as previously mentioned.
Most expected Arsenal to win Group B and they did so fairly comfortably.
Arsenal 2023 2024 Season Review: Arsenal Struggled a Bit Against Porto But Made It Through
In the round of 16, the Gunners faced FC Porto. Porto had far more recent Champions League experience and their style of play was predicted to be difficult for Arsenal to deal with. Quite a few analysts predicted FC Porto to knock Arsenal out in the round of 16.
Porto won the first leg 1-0 in Portugal with a late winner. However, the Gunners won the second leg 1-0 to force extra time and later penalties. Trossard scored Arsenal’s crucial goal in the second leg.
Arsenal won the penalty shootout against Porto 4-2 and advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2010, when they also beat Porto in the round of 16. We covered this win earlier in the season.
Arsenal 2023 2024 Season Review: Bayern Munich Knocks Out Arsenal in the Quarterfinals
However, Bayern Munich beat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich at the Emirates but lost the second leg 1-0. The Gunners seemed a bit too excited in the first leg and didn’t defend with their usual composure.
Bayern Munich then scored from a set-piece in the second leg to end Arsenal’s Champions League run. This is a disappointing end to Arsenal’s Champions League run, but it was a good run overall, considering that Arsenal hadn’t even played in the Champions League since 2017. Arsenal receives a 7.5/10 for their Champions League run in the 2023-2024 season.
Arsenal 2023 2024 Season Review: Arsenal Finished as Premier League Runners-Up Again
The Gunners narrowly missed out on winning the Premier League title to Manchester City. However, this second-place finish was not like their second-place finish last season. This time, Arsenal took the title race to the final day before Manchester City won the title by beating West Ham United 3-1 at the Etihad.
Arsenal went unbeaten against the other top six teams. This includes a 1-0 win against Manchester City at the Emirates, a 3-1 win against Liverpool at the Emirates, and a gritty 0-0 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad. It is clear that Arsenal can go toe-to-toe with Manchester City now.
The Gunners’ only Premier League loss in 2024, a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, was hugely damaging to the Gunners’ title hopes. Arsenal also lost 2-0 to West Ham at home and 2-1 to Fulham away from home.
Arsenal only finished two points behind Manchester City. With some smart signings, sensible sales, and internal improvement, it is easy to see Arsenal winning the Premier League title next season.
Arsenal receives an 9/10 rating for their second-place finish in the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Arsenal Player of the Season: Declan Rice
Declan Rice deserves recognition as Arsenal’s player of the season in the 2023-24 season. Rice had an outstanding debut campaign with the Gunners following his big-money move from West Ham United. Hopefully, Rice will continue playing this well in his second season with Arsenal.
‘Worst’ Signing of the Season: Jurrien Timber
Arsenal didn’t make a poor signing in the 2023 summer transfer window or the 2024 winter transfer window, in our view. However, Jurrien Timber missed most of the season due to a severe injury in Arsenal’s win over Nottingham Forest early on in the season. As a result, that was Arsenal’s ‘worst’ signing, although Timber played well in the few appearances he had for the Gunners this season.
Unexpected Player with a Bounce-back Season: Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz struggled a bit to adapt to Arsenal in the early part of the season. However, following Arsenal’s midseason break, Havertz was excellent. He had 21 goal contributions overall and 19 in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season. His physicality, ability to win duels, and hold-up play also helped Arsenal get positive results in many games.
The Gunners paid a significant fee for Havertz. Now, Havertz seems to have regained his confidence and is comfortable at the club. Hopefully, Havertz will start next season with the same confidence and contribute effectively to Arsenal wins right away.
Underrated Signing: David Raya
David Raya won the 2023-24 Premier League Golden Glove award. As such, it might seem strange to label him an underrated signing. However, many Arsenal fans downplayed his contributions to Arsenal’s outstanding defensive record in the 2023-24 season. His gloves helped Arsenal keep many clean sheets across several competitions.
Raya will join Arsenal on a permanent basis this summer and that is great news for the Gunners. Arsenal will have to sign a new backup goalkeeper as Ramsdale is almost certain to be sold. However, signing Raya for less than 30 million pounds is more great business for Arsenal.
Arsenal 2023 2024 Season Review: The Focus Shifts to Summer Transfers Now
Now, we will have to see what the Gunners do in the summer transfer window. There are already rumors about outgoings and incomings, but nothing concrete yet. Arsenal does need to strengthen a bit to go from title contenders to title winners and advance further in the Champions League.
Check back next week for more Arsenal content.