For the first time in 19 years, Arsenal fans are starting to really think about the Premier League trophy.
The 3-2 victory over Man United helped Arsenal increase the gap with the second team Man City to 5 points. In the past 19 years, the Gunners have never achieved such impressive and consistent form. British media have pointed out 6 important factors that can help Arsenal continue to be confident on the road to the championship.
Solid defense
Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles”. During the last years of Wenger’s reign as well as under coach Unai Emery, Arsenal defended very badly. Right from the moment he took over, coach Arteta was determined to improve this issue.
Currently, the Gunners have a solid defense system. They have only conceded 16 goals in 19 games and are the second best defense in the tournament. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is a great signing. Saliba and Gabriel are good partners at the heart of defence. While the Ben White, Zinchenko or Tomiyasu all showed high reliability.
Any team that wants to win the championship needs a quality defense. And the Arsenal defenders and goalkeepers are doing a great job.
Home yard fulcrum
Since leaving Highbury to switch to Emirates Stadium, Arsenal fans have not had many opportunities to celebrate the home team’s titles. People still talk about a certain “snap” around the new stadium. And the atmosphere at Emirates used to be very quiet.
But the arrival of Arteta changed everything. The Spanish military leader turned Emirates into a real “fortress” and inspired the fans.
Emirates Stadium is the fulcrum of Arsenal.
9 home games have passed this season, Arsenal won 8, drew 1 and earned the maximum 25/27 points. They have “blown away” the most ominous opponents like Man United, Liverpool or Tottenham.
Midfielder Saka excitedly said about Emirates: “Every time we play at home, we always have the feeling that we will definitely win the game. There was a time when the team was 1 goal behind, the fans still sang to cheer us on. We ended up coming back.” .
The power of spirit
One of Arsenal’s biggest weaknesses in the past was mental. Entering the decisive moment, the Gunners often lose themselves and have to receive poor results. This season, Arsenal no longer carries the image of such a fragile team.
Coach Arteta analyzed: “In previous years, we were not mature enough for long races. It is very important to control our mentality and emotions before important games. We are trying to build a balanced team. between physical strength and mental strength”.
In addition to the maturity of the players under Arteta’s guidance over the past few years, Arsenal’s arrival of two more Premier League champions, Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko, also has a very good psychological effect.
Odegaard and Saka
The defense is the foundation for the title, but to win the race for points, the team needs excellent attacking players. With current arsenal, Odegaard and Saka are the main inspirations.
Saka has scored 7 goals and has 7 assists in 19 appearances. The English midfielder has grown tremendously this season. From a young talent, he is ready to step into the ranks of the top stars of the foggy country.
Saka is having an excellent season.
And Odegaard – with the captain’s armband in hand – acts as the director in nearly every attack. Former player Rio Ferdinand believes that if Arsenal win the Premier League, Odegaard deserves the Player of the Season award, no matter how many goals Man City’s Haaland scores.
No Champions League
Absent from Europe’s most prestigious arena for club level, Arsenal can fully devote themselves to the Premier League. The Gunners still feature in the Europa League, but coach Arteta sees this playground as a place to test players rather than compete seriously.
In November last year, an Arsenal with many substitutes in the squad lost 1-3 to Brighton at home. The loss sent the Gunners out of the League Cup. But that seems to be a calculated move by coach Arteta when withdrawing from an arena that can take a lot of effort.
It will not be surprising if Arsenal will again lose to Man City in the FA Cup in the next few days and keep the pillars for the Premier League arena.
Decisive addition
Since coach Arteta took charge, Arsenal often do not invest heavily in the winter transfer window. But in January this year, the Gunners closed two contracts with Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior. The total value of these two deals is 43 million pounds.
Normally, the option of recruiting a 28-year-old striker like Leandro Trossard will be difficult for Arsenal to consider. But this time, the Gunners need someone to replace the position in attack when Gabriel Jesus is injured. Leandro Trossard is both in high form, used to the English football environment, and very eager to advance in his career. Negotiations were swift and Leandro Trossard soon became a Gunner.
Leandro Trossard is a rare expensive contract made by Arsenal in January in recent years.
The contract with Jakub Kiwior is also a decisive move. The pair of central defenders Saliba and Gabriel are still playing very well. However, Arsenal is still determined to spend heavily to bring back a quality backup plan.
The transfer window is not over yet and coach Arteta is still targeting some other names. Similar to his mentor Pep Guardiola, Arteta wants to create a squad with depth with each position having replacements available when needed.