They gave Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich a harsh lesson, and now the so-called “Terror of Europe” is on the brink of a historic collapse

In recent years, no club in English football has been more closely associated with this term than Arsenal FC. In the past few seasons alone, the Gunners have come close on several occasions to finally bringing a major trophy back to North London, only to run out of steam in the final stages and watch rivals claim the honours instead.

In 2022/23 they were five points clear of Manchester City on Matchday 32, yet they surrendered that advantage and finished five points adrift.

The following season followed a similar script: Arsenal led the table until the final weeks and believed the title was theirs. A 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on Matchday 32 proved decisive. Once again, City pounced, kept their cool and carried the title back to Manchester by two points, even as Arsenal won their final five matches.

This season was supposed to be different. Apart from a narrow matchday 3 loss to Liverpool FC, the Gunners made a strong start, taking top spot in the Premier League after a 2–0 win over West Ham United in early October—a position they have not relinquished since. Then, on 26 November, came what many regard as the Gunners’ finest hour of the campaign so far.

In a thrilling contest, the Gunners beat previously unbeaten Bayern Munich—who had been dominant in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League—deservedly and convincingly, 3-1. According to the Daily Mail, Arteta had taught his counterpart Kompany “a lesson”. The Sun praised the “art of the game”, while AS declared Arsenal “the terror of Europe” and hailed a “premature final” that no one could match.

That performance against Bayern, already a strong side at the time, instantly earned Arsenal the reputation of being the best team in European club football. They then reinforced that status in the weeks that followed. Rewind to 17 January and Arsenal were still perched comfortably at the top of the table, seven points clear of their pursuers from Manchester and Birmingham.

Yet, as spring arrived in North London, so did the familiar fear of a collapse—another “bottle job”. Since then, Arsenal have won only six of their ten Premier League fixtures, suffering two defeats—as many losses as in their previous 33 matches in all competitions. Two draws against Brentford and bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton saw that cushion shrink to six points. Man City still have a game in hand.

If the Sky Blues beat Crystal Palace, Arsenal’s cushion will shrink to three points, and the subsequent head-to-head meeting next weekend will crank up the pressure even further. That fragility was on full display last Saturday, when they lost 2-1 at home to AFC Bournemouth. A largely toothless performance at the Emirates prompted the first audible boos of the campaign from their usually supportive fans.

The tension also affected coach Arteta, who delivered an unusually fierce dressing-down to his players after the final whistle and demanded a marked improvement in performance for the upcoming matches. “That was a slap in the face today. Now it’s all about how we respond. We did a lot of strange things today; we were a long way off our usual standard,” the Spaniard railed on TNT Sports.

This latest setback came after Arsenal had already surrendered two domestic trophies: a 2-0 League Cup final loss to Manchester City at the end of March, followed less than two weeks later by a 2-1 FA Cup exit to Southampton.

Apart from the league, the Gunners now have only the Champions League left to play for. There, they remain the only unbeaten side this season and, following a 1-0 quarter-final first-leg win over Sporting, have one foot in the semi-finals. Against the Portuguese capital club, however, Arsenal once again lacked a clear game plan. Instead, they rode their luck as Sporting Lisbon squandered chance after chance before substitute Kai Havertz’s late goal finally arrived to steady the ship ahead of Wednesday’s return leg.

As the season unfolds, Arsenal’s one-dimensional, creativity-light style is exposing them to fresh scrutiny. When the Gunners cannot rely on individual brilliance from their world-class talents, Mikel Arteta’s side still threatens opponents through set-pieces, capitalising on a solid defensive platform.

Thanks to a cleverly devised strategy by set-piece coach Nicolas Jover—dubbed “the most annoying man in football”—which aims to create chaos in the opposition penalty area and gain numerical superiority by blocking goalkeepers and defenders, Arsenal were at one point scoring up to 50 per cent of their goals from set pieces.

Yet opponents have now adjusted to these tactics, and Arsenal’s set-piece superiority is slipping. Against Bournemouth, only a handful of their ten corners created genuine danger, and none led to a direct goal—just as happened at home to Everton, despite eight deliveries from the flag.

That aside, the Gunners too often lack a Plan B against deep-lying defences. Bayern Munich and Barcelona relentlessly harass opponents high up the pitch, barely letting them exit their own half, while Manchester City suffocate teams with patient, possession-based football. By contrast, Arsenal currently lack a comparable Plan B, despite their well-organised defence and dangerous set-pieces.

It is no coincidence that English reporters have repeatedly labelled the Gunners’ unattractive, uninspired style “Terrorball”. “There’s nothing beautiful about them,” said Alan Pardew, who has coached 318 Premier League games. Former international Paul Scholes has warned that an Arsenal title win would make them the “most boring” champions in history, while pundit Chris Sutton calls them the “ugliest”.

Should they ultimately end their 20-year wait for an English league title—and even add a Champions League crown—few Gunners supporters will lament the lack of swashbuckling football.

However, finishing the campaign empty-handed after such a strong run would be traumatic, confirming their “bottle job” tag once more.

Should they ultimately finish the campaign trophy-less, the backlash could even cost Arteta his job, according to Mundo Deportivo, making this season’s “bottle job” complete.