Arsenal

How Arsenal would have fared if every Premier League season ended after 29 games

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 4d

Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal would have fared if every Premier League season ended after 29 matches.

Arsenal are 13-time English champions, but the capital outfit have only won the Premier League on three occasions, which seems incredible considering their standing in the game.

The Gunners won their first Premier League title in 1997-98 before following it up with successes in 2001-02 and 2003-04.

The London giants have struggled to compete in recent years, though, and have had a disappointing 2019-20 campaign to date, occupying ninth position in the table, some eight points off the top four.

The coronavirus outbreak has seen the majority of football across the globe postponed, meaning that a large number of clubs are currently unsure whether their respective seasons will be allowed to continue.

There is certainly a chance that the current campaign will not resume, effectively making it a 29-game season for the majority of top-flight English clubs.

With that in mind, Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal would have fared down the years if every Premier League season had ended after 29 matches.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger watches on during a Premier League clash with Huddersfield Town on May 13, 2018 © Reuters

Arsenal's position after 29 matches in relation to their final spot did not change too much in the early stages of the Premier League, and Arsene Wenger's first season at the helm saw them finish third in 1996-97, which was also their position after 29 fixtures of that particular campaign.

Wenger landed the Premier League title in 1997-98, though, despite being six points behind Manchester United after 29 matches. That said, Arsenal did have three games in hand over the Red Devils at that point, ultimately finishing one point clear of Sir Alex Ferguson's side at the summit.

Man United responded to win the 1998-99 title, though, with Arsenal claiming second. The Gunners improved from fourth after 29 games to finish second in 1999-2000, while they improved from second after 29 fixtures of the 2001-02 campaign to claim their second Premier League title. Indeed, the capital outfit were a point behind United at this stage with a game in hand but finished top, seven points ahead of second-placed Liverpool.

Arsenal were actually first after 29 games of the 2002-03 season, five points clear of Man United. The Gunners ultimately finished second, but they did win the title in 2003-04 and were a huge nine points clear after 29 matches of what proved to be their invincible campaign.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger watches on during a Premier League clash with Huddersfield Town on May 13, 2018 © Reuters

The capital side improved from third after 29 matches to finish second in 2004-05, but they actually led after 29 fixtures of the 2007-08 campaign before finishing third. Indeed, Wenger's side were two points clear of Man United at this stage but finished four points off Ferguson's side.

Arsenal were also in the 2010-11 title race at this stage, five points behind leaders Man United with a game in hand; they ultimately finished fourth, though, some 12 points off the Red Devils.

The Gunners improved from fifth after 29 games to finish fourth in 2012-13, but they dropped from third to finish fourth in 2013-14. The last time that the capital giants finished second was in 2015-16; they were third after 29 games, eight points off leaders Leicester City but ended the campaign 10 points behind the Foxes.

The team's position after 29 games of the 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 campaigns did not change in terms of their final spot, missing out on Champions League football on all three occasions, which was a huge surprise having been a constant in the competition for such a long period of time.

Mikel Arteta's side are actually on course for their lowest finish in the Premier League since the 1994-95 campaign, while they have not been lower than ninth at this stage since that particular season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts on February 27, 2020 © Reuters