Arsenal set to recapture their glory days with vintage win Tottenham
In previous seasons, the words “Arsenal” and “relegation” have been used unironically in the same sentence. During Unai Emery’s unfortunate spell as manager, Arsenal became synonymous with lengthy injury lists and disappointing results, and it became difficult to see the Gunners competing for a spot in the top four of the Premier League. Despite a rocky recent history, manager Mikel Arteta has led Arsenal two points clear of Premier League Champions Manchester City at the top of the table and are looking more like the 2003-04 Invincibles than they ever have.
Despite a disappointing draw against Southampton last Sunday that will leave Arsenal feeling like they could have done better, this is only the second time this season that Arsenal have dropped points. Striker Gabriel Jesus certainly could have done better finishing in front of goal and new signing William Saliba gave a shaky performance in the center of the defense, but the draw at St. Mary’s Stadium was more of an exception than the rule itself. After a week of contemplating their mistakes, Arsenal should be set to take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The Gunners took all three points from Tottenham in the North London Derby earlier this month and fans have been more hopeful than ever that Arsenal have what it takes to seriously challenge for the title. Arsenal won 3-1 against Tottenham, with Jesus, Granit Xhaka, and Thomas Partey contributing goals. Jesus has been an integral part of Arsenal’s attack this season, seemingly proving the fan theory that Manchester City and Pep Guardiola only let Jesus and Arteta go in order to provide themselves a challenge in the Premier League.
With other Premier League staples faltering, Arsenal have picked an excellent time to find their form: Liverpool’s drop to eighth place on the table isn’t inspiring much confidence in their title chances, Chelsea’s new manager Graham Potter hasn’t quite found his footing yet with a series of uninspiring draws, and Manchester City have yet to catch Arsenal despite Earling Haaland firing on all cylinders and scoring 17 goals in 11 games.
Despite topping the table, Guardiola doesn’t seem to think Arsenal have what it takes to win the Premier League. In a pre-match interview before Manchester City lost 1-0 against Liverpool last weekend, the manager said that, in his eyes, Liverpool was the most serious threat against City’s race for the title. The comment came without any mention of Arsenal’s two point lead at the top of the standings over last year’s champions.
Only time will tell whether the Gunners really have what it takes to continue their push for the title for the rest of the season, with City still very close behind. Should Arsenal win the league, it will be their first league title since the Invincibles squad won in 2003-04, and their first trophy since they won the Football Association Cup two years ago in 2020.
