why do we always struggle so badly after a high league finish?

[spider-Neil]

it seems the higher we go in the league we suffer for it the season after. like icarus flying too close to The Lying Rag and then crashing and burning.

2002 - 2nd after a record breaking arsenal
2003 - 5th

I know its very early in the season, but I really thought we'd kick on this season, even with the loss of alonso

 

[Insignificance]

Alonso was a leader who took our game to a different level. We sure do miss him these days....

 

[Squiggles]

You can't contrast two separate squads, two different managers, and find one general rule for our failure to go one better.

I don't know what's left to discuss, TBH.

Our failure so far this season is down to three things:

- Our defending of set-pieces and in general play. I don't believe anybody foresaw the potential crisis we're witnessing.
- Rafa's over faith in Lucas and a Lucas, Mascherano parnership; Gerrard should've played in the middle from day one.
- Bad luck.

 

[Tinto]

I think Spidey has a point... when we finished 3rd under Rafa, a lot of people/pundits said for the following season, we were the most likely to challenge Chelsea. We had a dreadful start to that following season with a series of tough away matches, and was out of the title race very early on.

I don't know why we don't kick on from a good high league finish except perhaps we just simply overachieved and aren't as good as the table said we were.

 

[Farkmaster]

I think there's a big psychological cost to indicating to everyone in the team, supporters, and everyone in the league, that you don't have the resources to build on success, but instead will be doing your best to recover losses.

I had no optimism going into this season, and why would the players? We sold one of our best players in an established team, who was eager to go to a new and glamorous money-is-no-object project, and other than hoping to replace him, we bring in as our massive difference maker, a right back.