- Arsenal are well placed to win their first Premier League title since 2004 after a successful season so far
- Manchester City are six points behind, with Pep Guardiola insisting that 13 games is too many to change the position
- For a team that has been in a similar situation before, we look at the reasons that could prevent Mikel Arteta’s side from winning the league again
There is a growing consensus that Arsenal are Premier League champions-elect, and given the way they are playing at the moment, it is hard to argue.
Source: Getty Images
The Gunners are six points ahead Manchester Cityhave only lost three times, and have a good defensive record, allowing just 17 goals in 25 games.
Why Arsenal Won’t Win The Premier League
However, despite the growing confidence, there is still little hope among Arsenal’s opponents that Mikel Arteta’s side can still fail to achieve it.
Arteta significantly strengthened his squad in the summer transfer window and looks set to go the extra mile this time, but what could stop him from ending Arsenal’s drought?
1. A tougher fixture list than Manchester City
On paper, the Gunners have a tougher set of fixtures in their remaining 13 games than their arch-rivals, Manchester City.
On Wednesday, they face Brentford away, who have the sixth-worst home record this season, while City host Fulham, who have the seventh-worst away record.
Arsenal have not played yet Tottenham (A), Chelsea (H), and most importantly, they have not yet played City away. Except for Chelsea (A) and the aforementioned Arsenal game, City have finished with all the top six teams.
“A lot of things will happen, I think. We have to (Arsenal) at home, and of course, we have to beat them. And I said, 13 games in the Premier League, from my point of view, from my little experience, is a long, long time,” said Guardiola.
2. Mikel Arteta’s tactics
It’s a no-brainer, as it’s the same approach that has made Arsenal serious contenders again. However, much has been said about Arteta’s failure in key stages of the championship push.
His defense-first approach works, but when you plan your teams to only get a draw when you’re facing a big team, you’re missing out on a chance to score.
Arteta has often been thought to favor a draw in big games despite being capable of scoring high points. How he fares against City in April will be interesting.
3. Experiences/thoughts
Arsenal have been in the same position for the last three seasons but have somehow finished second.
Of the current squad, only Gabriel Jesus has won the Premier League, while Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kai Havertz have major titles on their CVs as well.
Winner of Ballon d’Or 2024 Rodri publicly questioned Arsenal’s mentality two seasons ago.
Some quarters have said that Martin Odegaard is not a captain, while his authority and performance on the field make it easy to spread this.
When the pressure comes in the title race, it will be interesting to see how this Arsenal side will cope with a loss or even a draw.
Compared to Manchester City, Guardiola’s side have been there before and have great dressing room leaders who can fuel a title race.
4. Overreliance on key players
The purpose of most uses was to have a long squad to last long distances, but there is still some dependency for some players.
Declan RiceWilliam Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are usually, and for good reason, the first names on Arteta’s team list.
Source: Twitter
The defense was bolstered by several players ready to stand up if anything happened, but not like Rice.
The England international has no comparable player in the squad, and Mikel Merino’s season-ending injury only makes things worse. He’ll need extra fuel when the matches start to get tough and fast.
Supercomputer will name the winner of the Premier League
After all is said and done, these are just minor issues that could prevent Arsenal from winning the league.
Opta’s supercomputer has heavily backed them to win the league with a chance of over 90%.
Manchester City, as expected, are their closest rivals, with Aston Villa further behind.
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