With the Premier League season at the halfway point, the debate rages on as to whether Arsenal are capable of going all the way and clinching the title. The latest person to join the debate is George Graham, who suggests that his former club can indeed be crowned champions of England by taking advantage of the faltering form of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Speaking exclusively to TalkSport, the former Gunners boss said: “The others teams that are fancied are not up to the task. Manchester City defensively are poor, Manchester United are having a bad time and Chelsea won’t win it. Leicester are top just now, but I think Arsenal will definitely win it this year.”
So basically, what Graham is saying here is that Arsenal are only in the hunt for the title as a result of the poor form of the other ‘big clubs’. Now while it is indeed true that the big teams are all below par this season, I don’t really think that Arsenal are in a good position to win the title as a result of the poor form of the usual title contenders.
For me, there are a couple of aspects on which the team has improved this season, which has pushed Arsene Wenger’s side upwards in the race for the title. Firstly, barring the game against Southampton, our defence has been outstanding this season, having conceded just 18 goals so far. Second, the Gunners have shaken off the reputation of consistently losing to the big teams. In fact, Arsene Wenger’s side haven’t lost a single game against opponents from the Premier League’s current top six.
But perhaps the most crucial factor in Arsenal being a force to be reckoned with this season is a handful of players who have raised their game this campaign. While Mesut Ozil is understandably the first name that comes to mind, players like Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have all had big roles to play in Arsenal’s rise this season. Needless to mention, the signing of Petr Cech has also contributed significantly to the cause.
Anurag