EPL: What's wrong with Arsenal this season?

London, Jan 23: Arsenal have to blame themselves for their current position in the league this season. The Gunners manager Arsene Wenger already rues selling their best players to rivals over the past few years.

Already a frustrating season got more worse following back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea which leaves them seven points off fourth spot and a huge 22-point gap behind leaders Manchester United.

Arsenal must look back at those days when Robin van Persie scored 30 goals last season and selling him to rivals United wasn't a great move by Arsene Wenger, which he himself admitted. Wenger sold Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to Manchester City while Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song moved to Barcelona.

The problem for Wenger is not finding appropriate replacements. Although he signed Olivier Giroud, Gervinho, Lukas Podolski and managed to keep Theo Walcott and the return of Jack Wilshere, Arsenal still cannot find their form to beat top teams in the Premier League.

No trophy for eight years really hurts both fans and the club, but Wenger is now clearly worried about Champions League qualification for the first time since taking over back in 1996. Tottenham, their North London rivals, are on fourth place at the moment.

Teams have a better chance of winning at home and an advantage over their opponents due to support from home fans. But surprisingly, Arsenal have different statistics at the Emirates Stadium compared to matches played on the road.

The Gunners have played 10 home matches and 12 away games this campaign but have suffered three losses each both at home and away. The Gunners have conceded 15 goals at home compared to 11 away while they have failed to score thrice both at home and away.

Despite being termed strong at the Emirates, Wenger's side have collected 17 points both at home and on the road. Out of their seven clean sheets this season, four were managed away from home.

The drop is closer than the top. Liverpool and West Brom Albion are behind on goal difference while Swansea City are a point below. Arsenal have thrashed teams with five, six and sevens but a real concern for Wenger is they have taken only five points from a possible 21 against teams above them.

Moreover, Arsenal are not doing enough to recover from their slump. They have not bought any player in the transfer window and even their targets are moving elsewhere like Wilfried Zaha to Manchester United.

Within the side, Wenger needs to bring the best out of his players but Abou Diaby has been in and out due to injuries, Santi Cazorla has been out of touch lately, Giroud lacks quality upfront, Podolski is injured and not at his best and Mikel Arteta, their midfield engine, has been ruled out due to injury.

Arsenal lack quality and experience on pitch and are far from their invincibles team formed a decade ago. Wenger needs to bring in more experience than youth into the squad which can transform a side low in confidence. With 16 games left in the league plus Champions League to play, Arsenal need reinforcements to retain their stature as one of Europe's elite club.

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