Who had the better season? Arsenal or Man utd?
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If we look at the individual season itself, winning a trophy is always better. Thinking about how your team is set up for the future is different.
Rating individual season success - Man Utd
Rating season in terms of future outlook optimism - Arsenal
Rating individual season success - Man Utd
Rating season in terms of future outlook optimism - Arsenal
That's the 2nd season in a row we seem to have this discussion. I remember last season people were debating 2nd and nothing was better than 3rd and the league cup, because both qualify for Champions League at end of day.
Would be interesting to see folks takes from back then what finishing out the top 4 and a trophy would have meant in comparison.
Would also have been interesting to see those takes compared to the 19/20 season when Arsenal finished 8th and won the FA Cup, an Utd finished 3rd but won nothing.
I strongly suspect there might have been a bit of flip flopping going on depending on what side of the debate you were coming from.
Would be interesting to see folks takes from back then what finishing out the top 4 and a trophy would have meant in comparison.
Would also have been interesting to see those takes compared to the 19/20 season when Arsenal finished 8th and won the FA Cup, an Utd finished 3rd but won nothing.
I strongly suspect there might have been a bit of flip flopping going on depending on what side of the debate you were coming from.
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I would definitely take finishing 2nd and qualify for CL than winning a FA Cup. The priority should be always PL and CL. FA Cup is a bonus. Winning FA Cup and finishing 8th is terrible.
Utd for me, winning trophies is the point of football.
The owners may benefit from the CL money, fans don't much unless you win it obv.
The owners may benefit from the CL money, fans don't much unless you win it obv.
if that was the last season of football i ever watched, i’d much rather have gone out with the memories of watching united lift the trophy on saturday, than the weekend before and watching arsenal meekly squeezing past everton when they needed to blitz them to put any kind of pressure on city.
arsenal are currently the better team, they play the better football, they were the better team all season, but i wouldn’t swap places with them. in fact, i think a second placed finish would mean we didn’t strengthen as much as we need to. we know we can’t stand still this summer. do arsenal think they just need to go again and they’ll be luckier next year?
arsenal are currently the better team, they play the better football, they were the better team all season, but i wouldn’t swap places with them. in fact, i think a second placed finish would mean we didn’t strengthen as much as we need to. we know we can’t stand still this summer. do arsenal think they just need to go again and they’ll be luckier next year?
Arsenal, clearly.
But they do need something to show for this impressive form they're in.
In danger of becoming abit Spursy under Poch.
But they do need something to show for this impressive form they're in.
In danger of becoming abit Spursy under Poch.
Arsenal had a better season, we've had 3 good games all season, two of them happened against Liverpool and City in FA Cup.
I would easily switch places with Arsenal as they are the closest team to title contenders, while we are facing another overhaul AGAIN.
It's not only about finishing 2nd vs winning a trophy.
I would easily switch places with Arsenal as they are the closest team to title contenders, while we are facing another overhaul AGAIN.
It's not only about finishing 2nd vs winning a trophy.
Trophies are important, but they are not everything. Arsenal has still had the better season, of course. They've been very convincing throughout the entire league campaign, including the run-in, and they have a points total that is in the title winning range.
Our trophy win was great, but let's not forgot the amount of shite we've sat through during this season. Frequently is has been downright miserable to watch the team.
Our trophy win was great, but let's not forgot the amount of shite we've sat through during this season. Frequently is has been downright miserable to watch the team.
Before the start of a season, I would always take a season like Arsenal's, because terrible football is difficult to stomach over the course of a season, but considering the season has ended and there is no football anymore, I would rather be a Man Utd fan than an Arsenal fan right now.
I like checking the Wikipedia pages of the club and our players after every trophy we win. Nothing beats victory for my team in a cup final, as far as football is concerned.
I like checking the Wikipedia pages of the club and our players after every trophy we win. Nothing beats victory for my team in a cup final, as far as football is concerned.
Who had the better season, Arsenal or Leicester City? Only one of them won a trophy.
I think its very hard to claim you had a good season when a single victory turned it from a complete disaster to one with silverware. You simply cannot disconnect general performance, league position, european performance from the quality of your season.
We had the better (or more successful) season. There doesn't need to be any rush to crown Arsenal.
Most arguments I see for them is that they have a huge points tally, play better football and are primed to challenge. Well, when they successfully challenge and win, they will unambiguously have a better season. If they don't eventually win, it's all pointless, isn't it?
Most arguments I see for them is that they have a huge points tally, play better football and are primed to challenge. Well, when they successfully challenge and win, they will unambiguously have a better season. If they don't eventually win, it's all pointless, isn't it?
Yeah, we had the better season..that's why we're sacking our manager.
We can only dream of finishing on 89 points. Arsenal are a great side up against the might of the UAE and a SAF level manager it's incredible that Arteta is even able to push city to the final day
It's funny how suddenly a FA Cup is a major trophy. This is really showing disrespect to the PL which is played over 38 top class football games and CL where only top teams compete against each other. Arsenal have done better by far compared to us in both competition.
I'm sure that podacast is taking the piss.
Anyone thinking Man United had a better season is holding a laughable opinion.
If trophies were all that mattered, then Stockport had a better season than Newcastle, since they won Sky Bet League 2 and Newcastle won nothing.
If trophies were all that mattered, then Stockport had a better season than Newcastle, since they won Sky Bet League 2 and Newcastle won nothing.
Arsenal didn't win the premier league. Nobody is disrespecting the PL, which is why no one is comparing our season to City's.
Yes. They did. Things are relative.
What was Stockport's objective at the beginning of the season? Did they successfully achieve it?
What was Newcastle's objective at the beginning of the season? Did they successfully achieve it?
Ask the same question for us and Arsenal and the difference is one has an FA cup, the other has top 4. Some people value one more than the other.
Well said. I’ll cherish this trophy way more than our second place seasons where we won feck all.
Arsenal had the better season and have more to look forward to but we were more successful.
We won a trophy, they didn't.... Wtf is this? Who remembers 2nd?
How many titles was Juventus stripped of? I don't remember the runner up and champion by effect at all. Winners get remembered even if, unfortunately it's thru cheating
Fair play you held it back as far as you could there.
Arsenal went toe to toe with City until the last game of the season playing excellent football. They also play well in CL reaching QF. These accomplisments are rated well above a FA Cup in all the standards all over the world except maybe for some Man Utd fans because we won it this year. Their squad is also relatively young and developing far ahead of us.
We yearn to finish in Top 4 this season to qualify for CL. Winning FA Cup is only getting us an EL. We had the worst season ever in PL finished 8th with embarrassing record breakings defeats, GD and chances conceeded. The manager is on the brink of getting sack.
How on earth are we more successful than Arsenal?
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What a strange comparison .. yeah Stockport should have won the CL in order to have a better season than Arsenal.
Would be interesting to see how different people involved in the game would differ in their opinion of who had the better season. My thinking is:
Players: United. I think players would always prefer the joy of winning a trophy, regardless of whether it's a cup, to coming second in the league and not winning anything. Add to that it's the joy of beating two of your biggest rivals as underdogs.
Management: Arsenal. While winning a trophy is fine, they would know we are in a much worse position than Arsenal for the long term and there is a lot of work left to get us back to the level need to compete for big trophies.
Players: United. I think players would always prefer the joy of winning a trophy, regardless of whether it's a cup, to coming second in the league and not winning anything. Add to that it's the joy of beating two of your biggest rivals as underdogs.
Management: Arsenal. While winning a trophy is fine, they would know we are in a much worse position than Arsenal for the long term and there is a lot of work left to get us back to the level need to compete for big trophies.
The Hopeless Heh-ing Bald Scam With No Future : 2
The Spanish Non-Bald Pep Jesus and Savior of Stylish Side Parts: 0
The Spanish Non-Bald Pep Jesus and Savior of Stylish Side Parts: 0
I think on this occasion what has to be factored is if Arteta took the cups more seriously they'd have more than likely won one if not both.
When you're on a 4 year trophy drought you can't afford be picky regardless of how much progress you're making in terms of week by week.
When you're on a 4 year trophy drought you can't afford be picky regardless of how much progress you're making in terms of week by week.
Part of the reason you will cherish this trophy were the circumstances it was won in. The fact you beat your City rivals being massive underdogs, that the team were massively criticised for the semi final display against a Championship team, that you beat historic rivals in quarters with a last minute goal, and the fact the rest of the season has been a bit of a car crash.
The lowest of lows can lead to the highest of highs as they say.
There wasn't any title race in 20/21, City walked the league by 12 points
There is a difference between coming second to Mancini's City that won their first title and Pep's City that won their fourth in a row and 6 in the last 7. Also a difference in us coming second after we had won the previous season and Arsenal coming second after not winning a title since 2004; difference in expectations for each club in those relative periods.
Absolutely. The fact that we beat our rivals and the fact that the rest of the season has been shit makes it even sweeter.
On paper United had a better season, one trophy is better than no trophies and there is no denying that.
But I'd rather have been an Arsenal fan than a United one this season as well. One great cup game against Liverpool and lifting a trophy on a random Saturday with nothing but misery in between for the entire season, all kinds of moaning, frustration and negative records, simply doesn't stack up against the joyful feeling from August until May when your team is doing great, always looking forward to games and actually enjoying the games your team plays.
I still remember our own 13/14 very fondly even if it ended in misery. A lot of the games we played that season are unforgettable memories (cue incoming Chelsea and Palace jokes, but it's true).
But I'd rather have been an Arsenal fan than a United one this season as well. One great cup game against Liverpool and lifting a trophy on a random Saturday with nothing but misery in between for the entire season, all kinds of moaning, frustration and negative records, simply doesn't stack up against the joyful feeling from August until May when your team is doing great, always looking forward to games and actually enjoying the games your team plays.
I still remember our own 13/14 very fondly even if it ended in misery. A lot of the games we played that season are unforgettable memories (cue incoming Chelsea and Palace jokes, but it's true).
No one really remembers that down the line.
An almost success is not a success.
Name of the cup and part of history is. Even if we finished in CL places I pretty much doubt we will win it next year, so a year of rebuild is coming either way(one of too many recently).
When Arsenal won the FA and we won feck all it was them with the better season, cause 2nd place isn't something that you put on the honors list.
Winning cups is something that makes or breaks a season. Being an elimination stage is something that is quite different to league structure and does matter.
Playing good this season is not a guarantee it will be the same next season. Injuries happen, players fizzle out, transfers happen. Arsenal finishing 2nd doesn't mean they will be in contention next year. We saw it with us on couple of times in recent memories.
Hard to get away from the view that Arsenal's last few seasons are ultimately defined by disappointment. We assess that there is a good chance that this is building towards something, but football doesn't always play by those rules. This might be as good as it gets, and then what are they left with?
A missed top 4 challenge, where they lost out to Spurs of all teams, followed by two campaigns where they were in a great position to win titles, but failed. They also came up short in Europe and all domestic cups. Hardly a golden period for the club. Its the hope that kills you.
It doesn't really matter who has had the better season. Objectively both clubs have had crap ones. I'll remember that cup final win for many years though.
For those who think trophies don't matter ask the question 'whose had the better season - Arsenal or Liverpool?'
A missed top 4 challenge, where they lost out to Spurs of all teams, followed by two campaigns where they were in a great position to win titles, but failed. They also came up short in Europe and all domestic cups. Hardly a golden period for the club. Its the hope that kills you.
It doesn't really matter who has had the better season. Objectively both clubs have had crap ones. I'll remember that cup final win for many years though.
For those who think trophies don't matter ask the question 'whose had the better season - Arsenal or Liverpool?'
This is mentioned a lot and simply not true. You don't remember who ran United close during your title wins? You don't remember who finished second to City in 2012, second to City with 99 points, who the teams behind Leicester were, and so on?
Ask any football fans. Do they want a season of watching exciting good football or a season of miserable football but won a cup where beating Liverpool and City was the only highlight (we even struggled to beat Coventry).
FA Cup is not what it used to be. It was huge in England but nowadays the focus are CL and PL.
Not the same as Utd vs Arsenal though, Liverpool won a trophy and were in the title race until April or even early May. We played some good stuff in the league, were still in all competitions when spring came, ... Much easier to say Liverpool there because taking away the trophy, Liverpool's season wasn't that much worse than Arsenal's.
Completely different story for United during 95% of the season. Early crash out in the CL, never finished as low as you did, conceded as many goals as you did (I believe), and the list goes on. If you read some threads on here you'd have thought you had your worst ever season, but suddenly it's still better than Arsenal's because an FA Cup? Not buying that but each to their own.
If "almost won it" is considered as a great achievement then football would have more legendary teams. Let's be fair here. But they're mostly just a part of history and no one remembers them anymore. This Arsenal squad will end up the same until they start winning something.
Do you remember United coming 2nd in 09/10 to Chelsea?
Do you remember United coming 2nd in 97/98 to Arsenal?
Ask some of the older fans what was our playing style in those seasons? Will people remember those details in 5-10 years of time? I seriously doubt.
It's a small club mentality. If you are Burnley and you finish 2nd surely you will remember it fondly. If you are United or Liverpool with 20 titles to your name, will you remember the 2nd places?