Can Arsenal Win the Title Without a Star Striker?

Arsenal sit at the top of the English Premier League and are enjoying a good run in Europe thanks to the strength of their midfield.

But is that midfield enough to win the Gunners a title without the help of a truly dominant star striker?

That is not meant as a direct criticism of current centre-forward Olivier Giroud. Far from it in fact, as the towering Frenchman is proving an invaluable foil for Arsenal's legion of midfield schemers.

But as well as Giroud has performed, remember that Arsenal spent most of the summer transfer window trying to recruit a marquee striker.

Botched pursuits of Stevan Jovetic, Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez prove that adding a star name up front was originally viewed as a transfer priority.

And why not? After all, manager Arsene Wenger knows better than most the value of a prolific game-changer leading his attacking line.

Club legend Thierry Henry fired the goals that inspired a haul of two league titles and three FA Cups. Selling 37-goal striker Robin van Persie, even though Wenger was given no choice by the player's ruthless manipulation, provided Manchester United with the catalyst to regain the EPL title.

When you consider the game's elite teams, you will struggle to find one that wins largely on the strength of its midfield. The mighty Bayern Munich are perhaps the closest, although Thomas Muller has certainly been a prolific front man.

Bayern's Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, who have equally wowed fans and pundits, rely to a great extent on the goals of stellar striker Robert Lewandowski.

FC Barcelona's midfield boasts the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas. That is a midfield quartet that is the envy of the majority of Europe.

But where would the Catalans be without Lionel Messi's goals? Certainly not consistently at or near the summit of world football.

In most cases of winning teams, a prolific and dominating midfield plays a contributing role, rather than being the defining catalyst for success.

Midfield production complementing a prolific striker is the desired combination for trophies. And again, Wenger knows this better than most. In the unbeaten campaign of 2003/04, he got 18 league goals between Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg to complement the 30 scored by Henry.

Arsenal's most credible assault on the title since moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 came during the 2007/08 campaign. It was defined by a similar dynamic between a stylish midfield and a potent striker that had yielded glory in 2004.

The 2007/08 squad thrived thanks to the scoring feats and technical artistry of a midfield featuring Fabregas, Aleksandr Hleb and Tomas Rosicky. But it was 30 goals from central striker Emmanuel Adebayor that really propelled Arsenal to the forefront of that title race, alongside big spenders Chelsea and Manchester United.

The point is Arsenal's ability to seriously challenge for titles has not been built on midfield strength alone. The closest the team has come to achieving that feat was in 2009/10.

That season Fabregas was exceptional. He scored 19 goals, including 15 in the league. The Spaniard combined wonderfully with Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin to help Arsenal compensate for their lack of a star striker.

They had begun that campaign with van Persie. But yet another lengthy injury forced him to miss the majority of the season. That left Arsenal attempting to win the league with Nicklas Bendtner leading the line during the run in. It was a testament to the midfield that the Gunners actually led the table as late as mid-March.

But could the current midfield really take the present squad a step further?

It is a reasonable question considering the quality and possibilities of a midfield boasting Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey. The latter trio are currently Arsenal's match-winners. All three netted the Gunners' four goals in the recent 4-1 triumph over Norwich City.

The key to the way they are playing is that the goals are being shared. Ramsey, of course, leads the way with nine, as he matures into the player he was always talented enough to become.

But even Wilshere has got in on the act. He has now scored two in as many games, something this writer would have deemed near impossible at the start of the season.

Ozil has already tallied three goals, a decent initial return from a player not best known for finding the net. The efforts from midfield have compensated for Giroud scoring only once in his last six appearances following a fast start.

Again, this isn't intended as a direct criticism of Giroud. Certainly, much of the work he is doing acting as a foil for the maestro's running the midfield is proving vital.

Two assists against Norwich is ample proof of that. But as the season progresses, do Arsenal really believe Giroud will be prolific enough to decide games where the midfield is not firing?

The consistent links to a January move for Real Madrid's Karim Benzema indicate they probably don't.

Of course, it ultimately does not matter where the goals are coming from as long as they keep coming. That is where this midfield might be strong enough to carry Arsenal to a trophy.

Wenger has rarely had a midfield so well-stocked. Aside from the terrific trio currently finding the net, Arsenal can also rely on the solidity provided by Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.

Wenger so far feels comfortable fielding both players in front of the back four. It is not an entirely unreasonable notion, given the strength in the middle it can provide in big games.

The Gunners boss can also still add Rosicky to the mix. The veteran schemer is still as skilled and creative as ever, and there should certainly be no significant drop in quality whenever Rosicky has to take the field.

There is also the return from injury of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to consider. The youthful England international can pose a goal threat from anywhere in the midfield ranks.

As if that wasn't enough, precocious young pair Serge Gnabry and Gedion Zelalem are also available. Gnabry has already proved that he can make an impact in the EPL.

Wenger has assembled an embarrassment of riches in a midfield that will be the defining force for Arsenal's title push.

The desire to add a marquee striker is unlikely to go away. But it might be offset by the return from injury of Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, who are treated more as forwards, rather than midfielders in this discussion.

With those two back in the fold, the forward line can adopt the same share and share alike approach to scoring that is working in midfield.

Not many teams claim the game's top titles without a 30-goal striker, but if any squad can, it is this midfield-heavy version of Arsenal.