LONDON: Mikel Arteta had simply seen his Arsenal crew come up painfully brief of their Premier League title race with Manchester Metropolis and he couldn’t disguise his anguish.
“I do know we’re not at that stage,” a crestfallen Arteta mentioned final Could, “however we’ve got to discover a manner.”
Effectively, Arsenal’s upgraded class of 2024 are discovering a manner.
They’re there once more, main the Premier League with seven video games left — similar to final season. And as soon as once more, Metropolis are on Arsenal’s shoulder, ready to pounce.
Will this 12 months be totally different?
The mathematics is easy: Save for an unlikely enormous swing in purpose distinction, Arsenal can seize the league for the primary time since 2004 by successful their final seven video games.
In a remarkably tight title race, Arsenal are tied for factors with Liverpool however have a superior purpose distinction of 9 over Jurgen Klopp’s crew. Metropolis are a degree again in third.
All three golf equipment have seven matches remaining, with every of their run-ins sprinkled with what seems to be house bankers and difficult highway journeys.
Arsenal are within the driving seat, although, and are mounting an more and more convincing case.
In contrast to final season, when Arteta’s gamers stumbled — some say froze — late within the marketing campaign with simply two wins in its final 9 video games as accidents took their toll, they appear to be rising in power this time.
Right here’s a deeper have a look at the information and figures round Arsenal’s newest title problem and what is likely to be the defining options of the subsequent six weeks.
Statistics
The numbers recommend Arsenal are able to take this ultimate step. Unbeaten within the league in 11 matches in 2024, the crew have scored 38 objectives and conceded simply 4 objectives in that spell — higher than anybody else in each facets. Within the season as an entire, Arsenal have scored a league-high 75 objectives and let in a league-low 24 objectives. Arsenal have essentially the most dependable protection within the league, as proven by shutting out Metropolis house and away this season.
Squad power
Declan Rice is the plain improve in Arsenal’s squad, with the England midfielder’s $138 million price proving to be worth for cash. A lot of Arsenal’s defensive power is right down to the safety the again line will get from Rice in entrance of it and likewise from Jorginho, who has established himself as a daily within the second half of the season. Kai Havertz was a extra contentious offseason signing however is confounding his critics, having scored in 5 in Arsenal’s final seven league video games. Most notable have been the late winners house and away towards Brentford. Arsenal have additionally coped superb with out its different large summer season signing, Jurrien Tumber, who has missed just about the entire season due to damage. Jakob Kiwior, an unheralded January 2023 recruit, has stuffed in nicely at left again in current months.
Classes discovered
Arteta was accused by many pundits of being too emotional on the sidelines final season and letting that seep into his crew in these pressure-filled previous couple of months. He’s nonetheless lively on the touchline, for certain, however he’s proving to be a calmer determine because the depth builds. The identical may be mentioned of
his crew.
Arteta seems to have adopted the playbook of Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola in pacing the marketing campaign far more successfully. Arsenal controls video games higher, making them much less frenetic. Arteta has not been afraid to relaxation gamers, when final season he might need overplayed the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and noticed their late-season shows tail off. By enjoying Kiwior, Arteta has additionally began to deploy a again 4 completely composed of heart backs — like Guardiola did at instances final season to nice impact.
EUROPE
The most important concern for Arsenal is likely to be its continued involvement within the Champions League, with a two-legged quarterfinal assembly with Bayern Munich developing over the subsequent two weeks. If Arsenal advances, it might play both Metropolis or Actual Madrid within the semifinals. In that case, the Gunners wouldn’t have a free midweek till the final week of the season — they usually aren’t used to such a fixture pileup. That will be the last word check of Arteta’s credentials and his squad depth.
SAKA’S FITNESS
The health of Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s key attacker, is a priority. The suitable winger pulled out of the current England squad due to a muscle damage, didn’t play in any respect towards Luton final midweek and didn’t final the complete recreation towards both Metropolis (78 minutes) or Brighton (64 minutes). Arteta has mentioned Saka is affected by “niggles” and “kicks” and is clearly treating his prized asset with warning. He’ll want him over the subsequent few weeks, although.
FIXTURES
Away from its extraordinarily troublesome Champions League schedule, Arsenal may also have the hardest run-in of the three Premier League title challengers. Away video games towards Manchester United — away to whom Liverpool has simply stumbled twice — and north London rival Tottenham stand out, as does subsequent weekend’s match towards fifth-place Aston Villa, which comes between the double-header towards Bayern. Negotiating a visit to Wolverhampton, which beat Metropolis at house this season, after which a house match towards a mercurial Chelsea crew within the house of 4 days after the second leg towards Bayern is also a check for Arteta.
