Arsenal have had to accept that Champions League football won't be back at the Emirates Stadium for at least another season.
A fifth place finish in the Premier League along with losing to Chelsea in the Europa League final means that it would be a return to the Europa League again for Unai Emery's men for the 2019/20 season.
There is no secret that the team's main objective for the new campaign is to win their place in Europe's elite competition back bu finishing in one of the top four Premier League places. Six new signings came in during the summer in order to try and make that aim a reality.
Arsenal have had a mixed start to the season, picking up eight points from their opening five games, but their defensive frailties were shown during the latest 2-2 draw with Watford on Sunday.
The Gunners currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League table.
According to the latest predicted table by FiveThirtyEight, which uses a soccer power index (SPI) rating system in order predict the final league table, Arsenal are most likely to yet again finish the season in fifth place.
Unai Emery's men are said to have just a 29% chance of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.
The SPIs take into account both the offensive and defensive performance of Premier League teams, and it's perhaps not surprising that it is the defensive rating that lets the team down.
Should they wish to fulfil the season's aims, Arsenal will need to match the defensive side of their game to the offensive side, which could be easier said than done.
