Who had the better season? Arsenal or Man utd?

How is this even a debate? The team that defines success as a "Champions League finish in the League" nearly managed to win the Premier League certainly had an infinitesimally better season than ours.
 
Is it even a question? One team almost won a league. Another barely qualified for CL.
 
There is no trophy for having a good or better season. I really struggle to understand what it means. Arsenal played at a higher level than we did, their season was indicative of more progress on the field. What happens in the next 3 or 4 years is what ultamately will decide what it all means. If all they have is a concrete title challenge and we add more trophies to our League Cup win, then it will be seen as a springboard and part of a more successful era than them.
 
Yes. Definitely. Without a doubt.
 
Arsenal surely? They look the likelier to challenge for the league next season too. They had a record time leading the league too. I don't think the end of season slump changes that answer either.
 
Frosty said:
Arsenal surely? They look the likelier to challenge for the league next season too. They had a record time leading the league too. I don't think the end of season slump changes that answer either.
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If they'd taken the same number of points in the first half of the season that they took from the second half of the season, they wouldn't have made top four. End of season slump is putting it very mildly.
 
DOTA said:
If they'd taken the same number of points in the first half of the season that they took from the second half of the season, they wouldn't have made top four. End of season slump is putting it very mildly.
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Yes but that form to start the season was so good they could be less than stellar and still win the league. They were comfortably ahead after 29 games.

In any event if the situation were reversed and we had Arsenal's season we would likely be very positive about the future given the age of the squad, and on paper only needing a couple of additions, like Rice.

We need much more than them for a title challenge, including new owners. I don't think that detracts from the progress made, and we have had a good season considering where we were in May 2022. And we may yet have an excellent summer and surprise everyone next year too.
 
About the same I think, sure Arsenal finished 9 points ahead in the league but we won a cup and got to another final. That kinda evens out in my book.

I'd say both teams performed in excess of general expectations compared to 9 months ago.
 
Frosty said:
Yes but that form to start the season was so good they could be less than stellar and still win the league. They were comfortably ahead after 29 games.

In any event if the situation were reversed and we had Arsenal's season we would likely be very positive about the future given the age of the squad, and on paper only needing a couple of additions, like Rice.

We need much more than them for a title challenge, including new owners. I don't think that detracts from the progress made, and we have had a good season considering where we were in May 2022. And we may yet have an excellent summer and surprise everyone next year too.
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People were very cheerful about West Ham's prospects this season, despite them finishing the previous one poorly, and then we saw them carry that poor form in to the new season, combined with struggling with the addition of European football, something Arsenal will have to deal with also.

On the bolded, the thing is it's not that I feel praise for them comes at the cost of credit which should be ours it's that I object in principle to positive assessments of a team with fans as annoying as Arsenal.
 
1 team won a trophy and 1 didn't - I know what the history books will regard as being more successful and it won't be a club from London
 
League:
Arsenal went from a 5th place finish and 69 points to 2nd place finish and 84 points. Up 3 places and 15 points.
United went from a 6th place finish and 58 points to 3rd place finish and 75 points. Up 3 places and 17 points.

United won the League Cup and lost the FA Cup final. Arsenal lost 2 of their 3 matches in these cups.

United went further in the Europa League and let's face it, got knocked out by black magic sorcery.

Objectively United had a better season. Finishing 2nd only shows up in history books in cups. You don't count 2nd place league finished unless they are extremely rare. If next season Arsenal don't capitalize next season on their good league form this season then who cares? If this is it and this team doesn't win any titles under Arteta it won't be remembered like 70's Brazil as some kind of awesome losers. All if will have done was to remind people how obnoxious the average Arsenal fan online can be. Obviously I'd have wanted Arsenal to win it over City but there were times when I thought that just maybe it wouldn't be all bad if City won it because at least I don't have to converse with their fan.
 
One team got 2nd and lost title hopes with like 5 games to spare, and did feck all in the cups so had an easy enough schedule to stay focused on their target. Ended trophyless but got CL football. Soft title challenge, not a full one given how long before the last game that the hope died.

The other got top 4 with 8 points to spare and won a cup, and got to the final of another and dealt with an insane fixture list (because of doing well in all competitions).

No question for me. If you don't win the title, you have to still get top 4 and compete for the cups.
 
With the FA cup maybe Man Utd. Without it I cant see the answer being anything but Arsenal save for deluded Man Utd fans. The League Cup is like a Community Shield in terms of prestige.
 
A lot of people underestimated how difficult it's to compete in 4 competition where we went to 2 cup finals (FA & League Cup) and QF for EL. Even in the PL we were pushed all the way to finish 3rd.

This is what a big club should do. Not like Arsenal only focus on PL.
 
I guess it doesn’t matter.
It’s about who pushes on.
Both clubs will take motivation from this season. Arsenal know if they were 10% better they’d win the league and they have done something we haven’t in ten years and actually challenge.
We look like a coherent team under Hag, I guess it’s about wether anyone in the world can catch city.
Personally I’m very happy with the progress we made this season. We were never after last season and the start going to be anything other than top 4 challengers.
 
Even though highly irrelevant, because nobody cares tbf - City won it again.

But still - If Arsenal's season is better than ours - please show the trophy/es that prove this?
 
I guess you could say we have.... because we have. Feels pretty even though. They did well, the cnuts
 
Well, both teams are in the CL, both teams did not win the PL but one of them won a domestic trophy and reached the final of another.
 
There's not much in it and i think both feel as though its been a bit of a deflating end to the season. Bizarrely if we hadnt played in the cup final at the weekend and not had that result against City, i think most would say we have had a better season, its just feels as though we fell at the last hurdle a bit which sticks in the mind a bit more.
 
Arsenal lost the league tragically. To say that is a big achievement, in the end to get 2nd place, is not really consolidating. There is no trophy to show, only a terrible collapse. To boost that now as a great season shows how low they have fallen imo. We did not have a much better season though
 
We won a trophy, they didn't, they fought for the league title for 85% of the league run, we were chasing a CL spot in the meantime, so they were clearly a better side in the PL. We haven't done a proper title challenge since Fergie.
Hard to say, both teams progressed massively in comparison to the previous season.
 
Such a boring debate, why even argue? Arsenal had the better season league wise, United cup wise.
 
About equal. I don't look back on our second places as any sort of success.
 
When United were winning league titles, I used to laugh at fans of clubs that finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc arguing with one another as to who had the better season. Always thought they were a bunch of saddos.
 
Arsenal and it is not even close. The League Cup is the shittiest trophy ever.
 
It's a tough one for me. On the surface Arsenal had the better season overall, but their second half was so, so poor.

First 19 games = PPG that would lead to 100 points
Last 19 games = PPG that would lead to 68 points

The first half is legendary stuff. The second half wouldn't be enough to make top 4 this season (and most other seasons I think). In terms of overall achievements it's very similar to Mourinho's second season for us, albeit with prettier football.
 
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