Arsenal has the best chance of winning the Premier League title in 18 years this season. After 17 games, the Gunners have 14 wins, 2 draws, and 1 defeat, putting them at the top of the table with 44 points.
Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League title this season, but there are some doubts. One major question is whether they have what it takes to beat Manchester City.
Manchester City trail Arsenal by five points, but they are far from out of the title race. The good news is that Arsenal has an excellent opportunity to deal with City. The two teams have yet to meet, but Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal can handle the defending champions in this game. The Liverpool legend believes Arsenal will beat City in the two key games that he feels will decide the Premier League title.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “Watching Arsenal the other night (against Newcastle), I just felt they needed to relax. There so long to go in the season and when you’re talking about Man City can win so many games in a row, that’s what Arsenal have virtually done in the last sort of two or three months before the World Cup. I think they’ve only dropped points in three games, that is some going.
“I think a lot of it will come down to the two games against Manchester City. If Arsenal want to win the title, they have to take four points off Manchester City I’d expect, and that would put them in a great position.
He also noted that between the two, Arsenal is the team on form, saying: “But I think Arsenal have been absolutely fantastic; they don’t need to worry because they dropped two points. That’s going to happen.
“Man City’s last three home games, I think they drew with Everton, lost to Brentford and scored a last minute goal against Fulham, I think.
“You can drop points at home and Arsenal dropped points against the best defence in the league right now, so there’s no need to panic.”
So, Carragher obviously thinks that Man City are more likely to drop points rather than Arsenal, especially when they come face to tace.
Should we dare to carry on dreaming….
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If we could win all our games in January, I believe we’d have a big chance to finish in the top three position. But we failed to get three points from Newcastle
Arsenal have also failed to win EPL the last five times they were on top on Christmas Day, so we’d better curb our expectation
Are you joking? You’re doubting the top 3? We are 5 clear in 1st. 9 clear of the team we drew against in 3rd. 9 clear of the team in 4th we were unlucky to lose away too, for our only loss this season, who have to come to our place yet and as fate would have it happens this month.
If we won all our games in January very close to champions, not top 3. We just played the best defence who are in 3rd and drew, if we had won we’d be 9 clear of them in 4th and 7 clear of City.
We play 5th (Spurs) and arch-rivals away next at the same time 4th (United) play 2nd (City) at home. Before we play 4th (on GD United, 3rd if Newcastle had lost) after that. In the 1st fixture in Feb, we play Everton and 2nd (City) plays 5th (Spurs again.)
Speaking on City they play 4th (United) next, 5th (Spurs) in the rearranged game that we play against Everton at some point, and Wolves before the mentioned Spurs again when we play Everton. It’s United/Spurs/Wolves/Spurs for City vs Spurs/United/Everton/Everton (when rearranged) for us coming up.
They will have a game up on us until the Everton game gets finalised but that means little when it’s Everton at Home, we can lose or draw but it’s unlikely.
Arsenal have a very good chance of winning the epl.They shd not held to ransom by any regarding transfers.Pepe is a bad reminder.
I believe MA can get Arsenal to winning ways again .Nu hassled and harried the gunners.
Against certain teams the passing game can be nullified by massed defence and hit on the break .Mu did that and won.
Rushford and Kane must not be left alone
Coygz
The Emirates has been Arsenal’s fortress this season. Only Newcastle was lucky to get away with any points. Arsenal’s fate this season solely relies on their away games. They are best EPL team at that, at the moment. They actually played 2 away games more than City until now so well done and fingers crossed.
So many of the stories keep saying, teams in first on Boxing day usually win the title… Except by Boxing Day, the teams are usually playing their 19th game. Arsenal are not quite halfway home. So, while the team is doing great, and this is fun, there is definitely, a little further to go than usual at this point in the calendar in this World Cup disrupted season.
However pundits who point to one or two games, like the games against Manchester City, being what determines who will win, that is simply not true. It is true that Arsenal have not played their first six pointer againt City yet. They don’t play their first City game, at home, until February 15. The second is in April. What is not true is that these games have any added significance in who will win the title. The team with the most points wins, no matter where those points came from.
In recent seasons, it has taken an average of about 94 points to win the title. A win and a draw in the next two games – the halfway point, would have Arsenal on 47 points for 19 games, and solid title contenders. Fewer than 47 points in 19 games… the odds decrease.
Right now, it seems there are 4 teams within three games of the top; Arsenal, Man City, Man U, and Newcastle. It seems likely that one of those teams will stumble., but a title race with four teams within three games of the title going into April would be amazing.
For the Gunners, a title would be great, and the race will be fun, and a draw against the #3 team in the table is hardly a disaster. So, Arsenal should definitely not panic.
Good points!
Excellent analysis of the reality of the situation that brings a little calmness into any given game.
paul35mm, A win and a draw would add four points to the 44 we have now and that makes 48 , not 47.
BASIC maths, which rather lets down your piece.
Other than that mistake though, it made good sense.
Worth noting the two missing games from that equation this season so far are postponement due to the queen:
Arsenal V Everton
Spurs V City
and
Arsenal v City
The two postponed games that would indeed take you to the 19 games you seek. What chance would you have given City to gain the 6 points over us needed in those 2 games?
21 games to go…..If Arsenal wins 15 of those matches that will be another 45 points
I think 89 points will be enough to win the league
Next 5 games will determine our fate IMO. If we are still 1st after the City game then I’d give us a good chance of ending 1 or 2. If we aren’t ontop by the City game then I’ll say we’d be likely to end 4th.
Spurs
Man U
Everton
Brentford
Man City
Exactly. Equally important for City as well who play:
United A
Spurs A (Will be Everton at home for us once rearranged)
Wolves H
Spurs H
Villa A
Arsenal A
Our home/away is
Spurs A
(Missing Everton game H)
Man U H
Everton A
Brentford H
Man City H
I don’t know where Arsenal are favourites to win the PL (other than on fan sites) as the betting suggests that it’s City at 1/2, Arsenal at 7/4 and United a long way back at 28/1 (good bet for a seasoned gambler).
Like most fans I see the two games against City as crucial, but there are other possible banana skins (Spurs, United & Newcastle again).
Squad fitness is going to play a major part, so unless we lose any other key players and hopefully get some returning injured I think we’ll make it, probably at a scramble.
Beat Spurs and momentum in this critical period is clearly with us regardless if of the City result away at United.
Arsenal.we need to make new signing to compete with financial firepower team to be the EPL champion in the future
Great observation Mike R.
Our away games are important and so far the team has exceeded my expectations. I see no reason for our away form to curtail barring any injuries to key players.
Arteta’s rotation strategy will be critical.
I dislike factually wrong statements and refuse to let them go unchallenged. The article wrongly says we are Prem favourites but that is untrue! City are odds on favourites, with us second.
Just correcting the latest wrongly given fact to appear in a JA ARTICLE and which joins a very long line too, disappointingly!