Last year’s challenge came as an enormous surprise to most as the Gunners were practically nailed on for a fourth place finish at best, but the beginning of this campaign feels like a very different story. An incredible run in 2022/23 saw the North London side match Man City blow for blow only to fall devastatingly short of clinching the club’s first Premier League crown for 19 years. Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens were virtually unbeatable, putting together the best season in the Manchester club’s history, sealing a famous treble and their third consecutive top flight title in the process. However, City’s incredible achievement just further highlights the immense turnaround Mikel Arteta has overseen at the Emirates. When the Spaniard arrived in North London in 2019 it would’ve been unthinkable for the Gunners to have a legitimate chance of challenging the might of City, and yet here we are. A total of 84 points last season stands as the club’s best tally since the invincibles of 2003/04 and one that saw the club secure their return to the Champions League with six games to spare. This squad exceeded everyone’s expectations and while Arsenal’s challenge last term came out of the blue, there will be no such surprise this time. Here’s our look at the reasons why Arsenal are genuine title contenders this season.
Invaluable title race experience
The Gunners sat atop the Premier League table for a record-breaking 248 days last campaign and were in full control of their destiny, looking more like champions with every week that passed. But the wheels began to fall off in April when Arteta’s side dropped six points from winning positions with three consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton. The drop in form was less than ideal preparation ahead of a do-or-die encounter with City at the Etihad. The home side outclassed the Gunners on the night to wrestle control of the title race away from Arteta and firmly into their own grasp. Looking back now, Arsenal might well have been suffering from injuries in key positions that exacerbated the situation, but City ultimately looked more comfortable with their predicament; hardened by the knowledge that they had been there and done it before. By contrast, the Arsenal squad had never experienced the pressure cooker of a title run-in and it was ultimately too much of a burden to bear. The same cannot be said for this season. The club is off to another lightning quick start, even notching a win over City in the league for the first time since 2015. You can almost guarantee the Cityzens will be in the hunt come the run-in with new UK betting sites having City at 4/5 to win a fourth straight title, but Arsenal, bolstered by the experience of last season, will be in a much better position to contend with the ensuing pressures of that fight.
Strong summer window
Injuries took their toll towards the backend of last season, exposing a lack of depth and deficiencies in key areas of the pitch. Thankfully, Arteta has not rested on his laurels and has gone about addressing those issues. Declan Rice’s arrival to the Emirates was the most high-profile transfer this past window and with good reason. The midfielder is the perfect fit for Arteta’s system and his acquisition has already started to bear fruit. His off the ball workrate is second to none and his uncanny ability to snuff out danger, intercept the ball and pick the perfect pass for a counterattack will allow the fullbacks the freedom to move up the pitch, safe in the knowledge they will be no more exposed at the back with Rice covering for all eventualities. His defensive capabilities were on full display last year when he led West Ham to European glory, ending the East End club’s 43-year wait for a major trophy and he has continued in the same vein at Arsenal with the club currently holding the strongest defensive record in the league alongside title rivals City. But the England international is just as good going forward and while many have criticised the 24-year-old for his lack of goal scoring contributions at former club West Ham, he was often stifled by the way David Moyes’ side set up. When given the chance to roam freely he is a potent threat in and around the box, as demonstrated by his expertly taken winner against United in September. His transfer adds some much-needed depth to the engine room but he is not the only acquisition made this summer. Jurrien Timber arrives from Ajax to offer some relief to Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba and Gabriel at the back while David Raya and Kai Havertz also come in to provide healthy competition for places in front of goal and in between the sticks. Recruitment has been one of Arsenal’s strong points of the last few seasons and this summer window suggests that trend is set to continue.
The best squad for two decades
Arsenal’s young talent came to the fore in a big way last season. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and captain Martin Odegaard all enjoyed their best season to date and the stats back it up. Between them they scored 55 goals and clocked 30 assists over the course of the Premier League season in 2022/23 and have already tallied 13 goals and eight assists so far this season. An incredible figure in most circumstances, but especially impressive when considering that Arsenal’s marquee summer signing of 2022 Jesus was out through injury for much of that spell. The Brazilian’s time out on the sidelines could have so easily derailed the club’s momentum but the maturity shown in his absence helped the team pass that litmus test with flying colours. Each one stepped up to be counted in the striker’s absence and their strength of character set the tone for much of the Premier League season. It’s not only the goalscorers who have been firing on all cylinders though, it’s the fringe players as well. Eddie Nketiah scored three of the most significant goals in Arsenal’s title charge last season; Jorginho bagged an incredible winner against Villa away; Oleksandr Zinchenko slotted in perfectly at left-back; Leandro Trossard has been a revelation since arriving from Brighton, the list goes on. Arsenal’s strength in depth is as good as it has ever been, setting them up perfectly not only for a title challenge, but to compete across Europe as well. The season is still young but the early signs are promising and Arsenal fans are rightfully daring to dream.
A PROPER article with detailed reasons for the writers sensible optimism. I like articles that SAY something of note as this piece does!
It deserves the title of “an article”, though many pieces on JA fall well short of that description being true.