Arsenal’s title credentials have been questioned of late, with Mikel Arteta looking to bring Premier League glory to the club for the first time since 2004.
Spending 248 days on top of the table last season and not taking home the prize will have indicated to Arteta there is a long way to go before winning the race this season. Arsenal won just two of their last seven games in the run-in last season as they fell short to Manchester City.
Following the club’s 5-0 thrashing of Wolves on the final day, Arteta said the experience of pushing City all the way should galvanise his players for the following campaign.
Fast forward eight months and Arsenal are out of both the League and FA Cup but were just five points off leaders Liverpool after beating Crystal Palace 5-0 in their first match after a brief winter training camp in Dubai. They also have a Champions League quarter-final with Porto to look forward to.
Arsenal are still going steady, but like last season they have come under scrutiny regarding their title-winning credentials.
Back-to-back losses for the first time all season to West Ham and Fulham in December and a January FA Cup exit at home to Liverpool has come as a blow to Arteta’s men, but it was followed up by that resounding dismissal of a struggling Palace side.
Embed from Getty ImagesConcerns over Arsenal’s title charge have ultimately stemmed from winning games by finite margins and the lack of goals being supplied up top.
Arsenal were beaten by West Ham despite having 30 shots on goal and 77 touches in the opposition’s box – the most in a single Premier League match since the 2008/09 season for a team who failed to score.
A damning statistic, but comparing last season’s goalscoring metrics to this season does not offer any clear evidence that Arsenal are in a crisis. They scored just four more goals at the same stage last season. The perception is they are much less clinical because of the decreased output from their frontline.
The front three, including attacking midfielder Martin Ødegaard, scored 55 goals between them last season but have managed to score only 17 after 21 games this campaign. The display against Palace suggests Arteta might have found a fix, but there is no denying Arsenal have had to disperse goals throughout the team.
Embed from Getty ImagesArsenal create enough chances in games and fans have been crying out for someone to take on the goalscoring burden, hence the calls for a conventional number nine such as Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Over the last few weeks, Arteta has defended his forwards and has emphasised that the wastefulness in front of goal is not attributed to his players being fatigued.
It is not untoward to ask Arteta about his players being weary as they seem to play so often without rotation. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola and departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have become masters at utilising the entirety of their squads to challenge for titles, and it’s something Arteta has worked on in recent transfer windows. Arteta kept rotation to a minimum last season and when injuries mounted up during the run-in, the team caved in.
Leandro Trossard and Jorginho were shrewd signings a year ago and have added considerable quality and depth to Arsenal, but more expensive incoming transfers such as Kai Havertz and Fabio Vieira have so far been underwhelming.
Injuries have not helped Arsenal’s chances of succeeding either. Versatile defender Jurrien Timber looked to be a world-beater after his fine display against Manchester City in the Community Shield, but a devastating ACL injury picked up in the opening league game of the season has ruled him out since.
Embed from Getty ImagesMidfielder Thomas Partey’s exclusion is another lingering problem that has affected rotation. After impressing last season, Arsenal fans have been fantasising over the prospect of him alongside Ødegaard and Declan Rice in midfield, but the Ghanaian has also been hampered by injuries – having made just five appearances all season.
Injuries to new arrivals and key personnel coupled with the task of trying to re-ignite the attack has proved problematic for Arteta.
There is, however, a strong argument for Arsenal being more pragmatic this season, and that their narrow victories is a sign of efficiency in games rather than poor finishing in front of goal.
Nonetheless, the standard has been set by their second-place finish last season and the manner in which they blitzed their opposition. Fans naturally have higher expectations and now want Arsenal to be challenging on all fronts again.
Their FA Cup exit afforded Arsenal a ten-day break between the Palace match and their next fixture, away to Nottingham Forest, before a massive one at home to Liverpool. Perhaps the Dubai trip and subsequent mini-break came at the right time.
Success, in the form of a first title in 20 years, is within reach, but the overriding feeling is that if Arsenal can not regain their attacking prowess from last season and sustain a long run of unbroken victories, then they will come unstuck in the title chase again.
