So today will complete the first half of the season, and it is amazing that Arsenal are still in the race for the Top Four despite the massive shake up to the management structure after Arsene Wenger left the club in the summer. Unai Emery has come in and has achieved more than we expected after our first two matches and right now the Gunners are in the breakaway group of five that has pulled away and are currently 8 points ahead of Man United, who lead the chasing pack.
Chelsea and Arsenal are the two teams vying for Fourth place and are only separated by goal difference, but with both of us 5 points below Spurs in Third it looks like it is the Blues that we have to overcome to regain our Champions League status. But can we do it with our ongoing defensive problems? The Gunners legend Martin Keown is not convinced we are ready yet, as he told the Mail: “Arsenal need to add to their group and I can see them doing a lot of business in the summer. They are thin on the ground defensively and have had to rush back Laurent Koscielny. I did not blame him for those mistakes against Southampton. That was the second time he had started in the space of just four days, having been out for seven months.
“I feel Chelsea will be a big obstacle in the Gunners’ battle to qualify for the Champions League — both in the league and in the Europa League.”
But should Keown write us off so quickly when we still have a whole half a season in front of us? Let’s be honest not even many Arsenal fans thought we would be challenging for a Top Four place this season, but now we have got this far, should we now believe we can finish above Chelsea and finish in the Top Four?
ADMIN