Arsenal currently sit seven points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League after sixteen games, and the Gunners are in an extremely strong position to potentially lift the coveted trophy.
Whether you are an Arsenal believer or think that Mikel Arteta‘s side will eventually fall away, here are the key reasons why the Gunners may clinch the Premier League title this season.
Arsenal Can Win the 2022/23 Premier League Title
Arsenal will end 2022 top of the Premier League 📈 pic.twitter.com/kwnb9zNMoN
— GOAL (@goal) December 26, 2022
Attacking Fluidity
It is well documented that Arsenal lack a traditional twenty-goal-a-season striker, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last passing that mark when he scored 22 league goals in the 2018-19 season. Prior to the World Cup, summer signing Gabriel Jesus had endured a frustrating goal drought for the North London club – failing to score in his last six Premier League appearances. Whilst Eddie Nketiah is yet to prove himself as a reliable source of goals for the side.
However, what Arsenal do have is incredible fluidity in attack, which allows their entire front line to get amongst the goals. Not only does this lower the burden for the strikers, but also makes Mikel Arteta’s side much harder to shut out. Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Jesus have all scored 5+ league goals this season, representing the threat they have from all angles of the attacking third.
In the wake of Jesus’ injury, which will see him sidelined for a reported three months, many have questioned whether this fluidity can be maintained with Nketiah leading the line. Their recent victories against West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion suggest that it can. The front three all scored in both games, whilst their playmaker, Odegaard, also registered three assists and one goal in that time.
If Nketiah can maintain his form, then the fluidity of Arsenal’s attack will continue to cause many teams a serious problem for the remainder of the season.
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Defensive Solidity
Arsenal’s defence can finally be relied upon once again. It has been some time since that has been the case, but some clever signings, combined with effective coaching, have elevated the Gunners’ backline.
Without question, a key reason for this is the long-awaited introduction of William Saliba into the starting eleven. The 21-year-old has been a revelation and has finally allowed Arteta to deploy an effective high line, with his partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes providing the Gunners with an almost perfect combination of pace, power and aggression at the back.
That pace and power is supplemented by the intelligence and ball-playing ability of both Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko. The pair’s ability to play on the front foot as inverted full-backs strengthens the defence. They allow Arsenal’s midfield to gain greater control in the middle of the park, and in turn, this limits the number of counter-attacks the opposition can string together, which allows Saliba, Gabriel and most importantly, Aaron Ramsdale, more often than not, enjoy fairly comfortable games.
The saying goes: ‘attack is the best form of defence’, and this Arsenal side embodies that perfectly.
A Well-Balanced Midfield
Arsenal usually dominate the midfield battle in their fixtures, and this is down to a variety of factors. As mentioned, the use of Zinchenko and White as inverted full-backs is a huge reason for this. However, Arsenal’s midfield three of Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are even more important in this regard.
When fully fit, as he has been this season, Partey is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. He is excellent at breaking up the play and is competent enough to play with the ball in tight situations. When he is missing, the Gunners become much weaker as proven in their sole defeat this season where the Ghanaian was missing.
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Then there is Xhaka, who has undergone an incredible transformation this season. Previously ridiculed by rival fans, the Swiss international has recorded a return of three goals and four assists this season. To the surprise of many, he has become an incredibly effective box-to-box midfielder, and Arsenal are a far better side as a result.
Finally, there is the icing on the cake – Odegaard. The Norwegian possesses an amazing passing range, much like Mesut Ozil, who came before him, but, unlike the German, combines his technical ability with a terrific work rate off the ball. These two attributes allow the 24-year-old to recycle possession quickly, escape the opposition’s press, thread intricate through balls and win the ball back for his team. Given his young age, Odegaard is only likely to improve further, and Arsenal will dominate games more often as he does so.
Will Arsenal Pip Manchester City to the Premier League Title?
As Liverpool have found out over the last five years, Manchester City are nothing short of relentless. Pep Guardiola demands perfection from his players, and they seem to deliver on a domestic basis every season. The arrival of Erling Haaland, who has already scored twenty Premier League goals this season, only makes the blue side of Manchester an even more dangerous side.
The Gunners will likely need north of ninety points to clinch the title, which is a difficult ask. However, Arteta and his players have demonstrated so far that they certainly have the ability to sweep aside the majority of the teams in the league, and if they can continue to do so for the remainder of the season, aided by their already-established seven-point advantage over Manchester City, then Arsenal just may win the Premier League.
