Clive Brunskill/Getty Images For Arsenal, it's been a frustrating season of blunders and opportunities not taken. For Arsenal, it's been a frustrating season of blunders and opportunities not taken.

We now present "Groundhog Day," the sequel, starring a bunch of young, mentally fragile performers from North London. The increasingly irritable director once had the magic touch, but his better days are behind him.

Yes, it can only be Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, whose policy of sticking with youth is backfiring.

For the third time in the past four seasons, Arsenal missed a sizable opportunity to snatch the Premier League title from Manchester United or Chelsea, capping a campaign of woe and ensuring a sixth straight year without a trophy.

Where did it go wrong for Arsenal? Where didn't it? Look at how many points were thrown away this season:

Sept. 18: Sunderland 1, Arsenal 1

Not clinical enough in front of goal, slack defending and late goals conceded. That's Arsenal in a nutshell. Where exactly referee Phil Dowd found a fifth minute of injury time is up for debate, but there was no uncertainty about left-back Gael Clichy's poor judgement. Poacher Darren Bent pounced to earn Sunderland a point -- after Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky missed a penalty at 1-0. Arsenal fans are getting impatient with Clichy, while they're unanimous in their disapproval of the Czech.

Points dropped: Two

[+] Enlarge Julian Finney/Getty Images Manuel Almunia looks dejected after he fouls Peter Odemwingie in the penalty box.

Sept. 25: Arsenal 2, West Brom 3

A promoted team waltzes into the Emirates Stadium, which should mean three points for Arsenal. But not with Manuel Almunia in goal. He went from goat to hero and back to four-legged animal in about 15 minutes. The Spaniard gave away a penalty, saved it, then let Gonzalo Jara's shot squirm past him to make it 2-0. Goalkeeping blunders would become a regular occurrence. Arsenal failed to take advantage of a loss by Chelsea, leading the division at the time, earlier in the day.

Points dropped: Three

Nov. 7: Arsenal 0, Newcastle 1

Hello, Lukasz "Flappyhandski" Fabianski. He replaced an apparently injured Almunia, only to err himself. The Pole drifted away from his goal, nothing new there, and was beaten in the air by striker Andy Carroll as the Carroll-Joey Barton partnership clicked again. So, another loss to a promoted side.

Points dropped: Three

Nov. 20: Arsenal 2, Tottenham 3

Squandering a 2-0 lead at home is bad enough. Squandering a 2-0 lead at home to arch-enemy Tottenham, well, it can't get much worse. Two long balls sent Arsenal's defense into disarray, and Cesc Fabregas' silly hand ball off a free kick allowed Spurs to level from the penalty spot. By this time, the league was finding out that Frenchmen Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci, two central defenders bought by Wenger in the off-season, weren't that good.

Points dropped: Three

Dec. 29: Wigan 2, Arsenal 2

Set pieces continue to cost Arsenal. Leading 2-1 against 10 men after Wigan's top offensive threat, Charles N'Zogbia, was dismissed for a head butt, the Gunners implode from a corner in the 81st minute. Squillaci, harangued by Gary Caldwell, scored an own goal, but Fabianski was the real culprit, as he was out of position.

Points dropped: Two

[+] Enlarge Ian Horrocks/Getty Images Newcastle's Cheik Tiote applied the final blow to the Gunners with a long-range stunner in the 87th minute.

Feb. 5: Newcastle 4, Arsenal 4

Having a player sent off when ahead 4-0 in the second half shouldn't cause concern, especially since Arsenal keeps the ball. And Newcastle was still reeling from the sale of Carroll to Liverpool. Once Newcastle got one goal back, though, Arsenal crumbled. Cheik Tiote, perhaps Newcastle's player of the season, applied the final blow with a long-range stunner in the 87th minute. Dowd didn't do Arsenal any favors, not punishing Kevin Nolan for manhandling keeper Wojciech Szczesny and awarding a soft penalty that led to Newcastle's third goal.

Points dropped: Two

March 5: Arsenal 0, Sunderland 0

Two decisions went against Arsenal, both revolving around inconsistent winger Andrey Arshavin. He had a goal disallowed for an incorrect off-side call and moments earlier, was pushed inside the box by Titus Bramble as he shot. No penalty. However, typical of the Gunners, they only upped the ante deep in the second half, far too late. This against an injury-ravaged team riding a four-game losing streak.

Points dropped: Two

March 19: West Brom 2, Arsenal 2

Wenger, so desperate for some cover in goal that he lured Jens Lehmann out of retirement, should have started the rusty 41-year-old instead of Almunia. Szczesny was out with a finger injury. Opening the scoring from what else, a corner, West Brom made it 2-0 when Almunia needlessly wandered outside the box, giving Peter Odemwingie a tap in. It was reminiscent of the Carling Cup final, when indecisiveness from Koscielny and Szczesny gifted Birmingham a late winner.

Points dropped: Two

April 2: Arsenal 0, Blackburn 0

Unable to score in the opening half-hour, Arsenal labored and ran out of ideas against more opposition in the lower end of the standings. Nicklas Bendtner's header was cleared off the line in the final minute, yet the confident Bendtner should hardly be considered a No. 2 striker at a club such as Arsenal.

Points dropped: Two

April 17: Arsenal 1, Liverpool 1

The game that killed off the Gunners. Distinctly mediocre, Arsenal nonetheless took a 1-0 lead -- in the eighth minute of injury time. Wenger, cutting a frustrating figure on the sidelines, suddenly had reason to smile since his team was about to move within four points of Manchester United atop the standings. But Arsenal panicked; nowhere was its lack of leadership more apparent. With referee Andre Marriner about to blow his whistle to end proceedings, Emmanuel Eboue carelessly fouled Lucas Leiva when the Brazilian was going nowhere in the box. Up stepped Dirk Kuyt for a 102nd-minute tying goal. Wenger, branded a sore loser in the past, refuses to shake hands with counterpart Kenny Dalglish.

Points dropped: Two

April 20: Tottenham 3, Arsenal 3

If Arsenal struggles to defend for four minutes, it was asking too much to preserve a two-goal advantage for 50. Desperately needing three points at White Hart Lane, Arsenal subsequently led 3-1 in the 41st minute. Enter halftime by that score and Arsenal has an easier task. Instead, Fabregas, whose ill-timed back-heel punished Arsenal in the second round of the Champions League against Barcelona, casually cleared from a corner, and the ball fell to Tom Huddlestone. Huddlestone lashed the ball into the corner in the 44th minute. Szczesny showed his inexperience in the second half, charging out of his goal like a bull and clipping Aaron Lennon for a penalty. Wenger did shake hands with Harry Redknapp, although he was far from cordial.

Points dropped: Two

April 24: Bolton 2, Arsenal 1

Offered a second chance when Szczesny saved a penalty with Bolton leading 1-0, Arsenal quickly responded through Robin van Persie, one of the bright spots this season. There looked to be only one winner at that point. But Samir Nasri, a disappointment in the second half of the season, failed to finish from close range in a 15-minute spell where Arsenal dominated. Bolton weathered the storm, netting from a corner for the second time, in the 90th minute, to devastate Arsenal.

Points dropped: Three

In case you weren't keeping track, that's 28 points lost altogether. If Wenger doesn't add class, and experience, in the summer transfer window -- while dumping about half-dozen players -- the trend won't be reversed anytime soon. He must convince Fabregas to stay, too, irrespective of his underachieving season.

May 8: Stoke 3, Arsenal 1

Following a highly surprising 1-0 win against Manchester United, Arsenal had some momentum when visiting Stoke. And Stoke should have been there for the taking, given it had this Saturday's F.A. Cup final to think about. But central defender Johan Djourou fell asleep on Stoke's first goal and didn't do enough on the third. Later that afternoon, Arsenal's title hopes were officially over.

Points dropped: Two

In case you weren't keeping track, that's 30 points lost altogether. If Wenger doesn't add class, and experience, in the summer transfer window -- while dumping about half-dozen players -- the trend won't be reversed anytime soon. He must convince Fabregas to stay, too, irrespective of his underachieving season.

London-based Ravi Ubha covers soccer and tennis for ESPN.com.