After a 4-1 victory in the North London Derby, Arsenal's lead in the standings expanded to 6 points. The Gunners seemed to have few opponents in the Premier League. "The Daily Telegraph" lists four reasons why Arsenal are within sight...
After a 4-1 victory in the North London Derby, Arsenal's lead in the standings expanded to 6 points. The Gunners seemed to have few opponents in the Premier League. "The Daily Telegraph" lists four reasons why Arsenal are within sight of winning the championship.
The overall strength and depth of the lineup are the best in the Premier League.
Arsenal's lineup is astonishingly deep, even Manchester City can't match it. In the game against Tottenham, despite missing many main players, Arteta's team still showed strong strength and easily defeated the opponent's defense.
New aid Inkapier performed well in his Premier League debut, replacing the injured Gabriel. Merino once again played a role as a center forward, filling the vacancies of Jokeres, Havertz and Jesus, while Eze scored 3 goals in captain Odegaard's usual position, which was one of the best performances of his career.
In other words, Arsenal lacked their defensive leader, main organizer and three centers, but they still showed endless energy and creativity against their biggest opponent, which is undoubtedly the best demonstration of their strength.
Mutual familiarity and tacit cooperation are the key
Arteta has been the head coach of Arsenal since December 2019, and the team's core lineup has stabilized in the past two or three years. This is not a team in transition, but a group of players who have been trained repeatedly into Arteta's style over many years. They've been slowly building up and now look ready to reap the rewards.
The combination of excellent coaching and extensive training time has produced an exciting result for Arsenal: a team that is fully in line with the principles and style of play required by Arteta. For players who have been around for a long time, these principles are ingrained in their minds. For new players, the power of this system makes it easier for them to learn and master.
The team's defense remains solid without Gabriel
Arsenal's collective tactical understanding allows them to defend as a team, starting with a high-pressure press in the opponent's half. This provides constant protection for defenders and has been the foundation of their stellar defense this season.
Some Arsenal fans are worried that Gabriel's absence due to injury may affect the stability of the team's defense against Tottenham, but in fact there is no need to worry. Incapie came on for Gabriel and showed the same aggressiveness and physicality as the Brazilian.
This is the difference between Arsenal now and the past few seasons. In the past, the absence of key players like Gabriel, Saliba, Odegaard or Saka has seriously disrupted the team's rhythm. Now, Arsenal can deal with this situation. Arteta's side have allowed just 0.07 expected goals against Spurs (Rissaarson's long-range strike was a remarkable try) and have conceded just two goals in their previous nine games. Not only do they have the deepest lineup in the Premier League, they also have the strongest defense.
Who can stop Arsenal
Perhaps the most exciting thing for Arsenal is that the competition for the top spot in the Premier League is not as fierce as in previous years. While City put in some formidable performances, they were also more vulnerable than the teams that beat Arsenal to the title in previous years. Guardiola's side have already lost to Tottenham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Newcastle this season.
Defending champion Liverpool is currently only ranked 11th in the Premier League, with a gap of 11 points between Arsenal and Arsenal. Perhaps the biggest threat comes from second-placed Chelsea, who are currently six points behind Arsenal. However, Chelsea are still a very young squad and have shown a level of immaturity, inconsistency and disciplinary issues that have not been seen with Arsenal this season. Next weekend's clash between Arsenal and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will provide the true test of whether Maresca's side are genuine title contenders.
