14 games into the season and Arsenal are in front of Manchester City.
If Gunner fans were to hear this before the season, they would surely think that their squad is sitting in first place. However, that is far from the case.
Sitting in third place and being six points behind Liverpool as they have a game in hand is not the start to a title charge you want, but how have Arsenal already dug themselves into a hole, and is it too late for them to make their way out?
Early Issues for Arsenal
There have been a multitude of problems to strike Arsenal so early in the season, including injuries. Their campaign took a giant skid when they lost Martin Ødegaard during his time in Norway for the international break. With Ødegaard out of the lineup, Arsenal looked lethargic and uncreative and seemed to be trying to fight until his return, rather than thriving and working out a new style without him.
Arsenal have since lost Ben White for roughly three to four months, Riccardo Calafiori for multiple weeks, Takehiro Tomiyasu for an unforeseen timetable, and have had to go through five games already without Jurien Timber. Now, they also are also without the leading goalscorer among defenders, Gabriel Magalhães.
🚨🔴⚪️ Arteta: “Gabriel Magalhães has trained with the team and he could be available vs Everton”.
“Unfortunately Calafiori is not ready yet”. pic.twitter.com/7G31e0ZiXW
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 13, 2024
Rather than using young and exciting players in the starting lineup such as Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis Skelly, Mikel Arteta has opted for his more experienced players, such as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jorghino, who rely on dominating possession but lack the spark that their offense needs.
Creating goals from open play was the largest issue during Arsenal’s time without Odeegard. Having 33.7 percent of their expected goals coming from set pieces, Arsenal fans were becoming concerned with the overall offense and have seen an almost “Haram” style of play from the Gunners. They had gone four games without a win during this time (scoring only three goals), but it has since turned around with his return. Scoring 15 goals over their next four games and coming away with twelve points, this had looked to be the end of their struggling. However, this was followed by a poor draw to Fulham, where Arsenal dropped from second to third in the standings and lost the ground they had gained on title favorites Liverpool.
Arsenal Fans’ Reasons for Optimism
Going forward, Arsenal fans should be optimistic.
As mentioned earlier, they have dropped into third place behind London rivals Chelsea and Liverpool. However, Arsenal have had the strongest strength of schedule through 14 games and are above their biggest and most experienced threat, Manchester City.
Chelsea and Liverpool have been in great form and have seen star players Cole Palmer and Mo Salah shine, but they are in unfamiliar territory. Both appointed new head coaches before the season, and growing pains are bound to set in soon. Both clubs have also remained healthy, but given the history of the Premier League, this is not sustainable.
Don’t forget that Arsenal have Bukayo Saka. Over the past five seasons, when things have looked poor, Saka was there to bail the team out.
Bukayo Saka has his own signature celebration now 🤫✨ pic.twitter.com/vu3D0aOPQJ
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 12, 2024
Saka has 21 goals or assists in 21 games this season, including 14 goals or assists in 14 Premier League matches. He is a player whose consistency will always be his largest attribute, but he has elevated his game this season. The connections between Odegaard and Saka are rare — something that most fanbases can only dream of experiencing once in a lifetime. The 23-year-old is the front-runner for PFA Player of the Season and has spectators seeing why comparisons to the current best wingers on the planet such as Vinicius Jr., Salah, Phil Foden, and many more are not only warranted but earned. He is beginning to excel past his competition and has no plans of turning back.
The other reason why supporters have so much optimism is because of the rock-solid defense they have constructed. With the likes of Magalhães and William Saliba being possibly the best center-back duo on the planet and players such as Calafiori and Jurrien Timber returning from injury, the squad can only go forward.
While third place is not where the club envisioned themselves in December, it is clear to see that Arsenal’s season is far from over.
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