Arsenal: 10 Reasons Why the Gunners Can Beat Chelsea to the EPL Title
Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League and are in good form after notching four consecutive wins in all competitions. They have been accused of being "big match flops" in the past, but they proved their mettle against Manchester City at the Eastlands to earn a well deserved three points, which takes them above Manchester United and Manchester City on the basis of goal difference.
The Gunners have endured a five-year, frustrating title drought, which has made Arsene Wenger and his men desperate for success in all competitions. Wenger has even decided that the Carling Cup is important for the North London club and has fielded relatively strong teams in the cup so far.
Chelsea are ahead of the pack on 22 points from nine games and have a lead of five points over Arsenal and the Manchester clubs, United and City. However, there are still 29 more games to go, and Chelsea will face stronger opposition over the season than they did in their first five matches. Chelsea are currently favourites, according to many experts, but the Gunners will believe—with good reason—that they can beat Chelsea to the title.
In this article, I have highlighted some aspects why Arsenal will feel confident about their title challenge. Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have quality squads at their disposal, but Arsenal can defeat any team on the planet on their day, and here are reasons why they can be the new Premier League Champions.
Arsene Wenger's Hunger For Success In This Season
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Arsene Wenger is the Gunners' most successful manager and has won numerous trophies with the Gunners. But after five trophy-less years, it is extremely frustrating for supporters and players alike. Wenger has not spent much on the transfer market, but the team possesses the quality to beat any team if they play to their potential.
Wenger's desperation for a trophy can be inferred from his ditching of the youth policy for the Carling Cup. He has fielded a strong squad in both the Carling Cup ties and has shown that he does want to win the trophy. But, Wenger has always maintained that the Champions League and the Premier League remain his main priorities, and he will try to inspire his team to win the Premier League in this season.
Stronger Defence Compared To Last Year
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In this season, Arsenal have lost their best central defender, Thomas Vermaelen, due to an Achilles injury for more than six weeks, and it looks like they can adapt to life without him for a few weeks. William Gallas, Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre moved on from Arsenal in this season, and Wenger brought in the inexperienced Laurent Koscielny and experienced Sebastien Squillaci.
Koscielny and Squillaci have been good additions to the squad and can provide stability to the Arsenal defence. Johan Djourou is also back to full fitness, and though he is still not at his best, he has shown that he can be integral to Arsenal in this season, when injuries do occur.
In the last season, if Gallas and Vermaelen were injured, it would be Silvestre and Campbell/Senderos, who would have played in central defense! This time, it is Squillaci and Djourou who have played together when Koscielny and Vermaelen have been injured, and they have not done too badly.
Arsene Wenger identified at the end of the last season that they lost because of their poor defending, and he has tried to address some of the worries. However, there is still a long way to go in this season, and if Vermaelen can return to full fitness soon, Arsenal fans can believe that they have a good chance in this season.
Cesc Fabregas: The Captain Of Arsenal In His Last Year?
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Arsenal's talisman, Cesc Fabregas, has committed his services to Arsenal for this season, but has publicly admitted his love for his hometown club, FC Barcelona. The talented midfielder is the key to Arsenal's fortunes this season, and Arsenal have not lost any match that he has played so far.
Cesc Fabregas is the heart of the team and symbolises the youthful exuberance and maturity that the Gunners possess. Though he has been linked with a move away from the Emirates, he has also admitted that he does love this club and has huge respect for Arsene Wenger and, more importantly, supporters.
This might be his last season in London, and he will not want to sign off without a major trophy. The Arsenal captain will give his full effort, and try to inspire the Gunners to win the Premier League.
Marouane Chamakh: The Striker That Arsenal Craved For In The Past
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Marouane Chamakh joined Arsenal this season on a free transfer from Bordeaux, and he has settled rather quickly at the Emirates. The lean Moroccan International possesses great strength and aerial ability and has given Arsenal a new dimension. Chamakh is an extremely fit striker who has had a career with very few injuries and has coped extremely well with the physicality of the English Premier League.
Robin van Persie is Arsenal's first choice striker, but his injury woes have spelt doom for Arsenal in the past. With the arrival of Chamakh, they have a quality striker who can prove to be the difference for the Gunners. Chamakh is not a prolific goal scorer, but he brings his teammates into play and creates a number of chances. Chamakh is the sort of strong striker that Arsenal were lacking in the past, and with him, they look a much stronger unit.
Younsters Realising Their Potential and Growing Up To Be Strong Men
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Arsenal have boasted of having word-class young talents with immense potential in their arsenal, but they have often been criticised as a team not having the experience and maturity to win the Premier League. Wenger has shown a lot of trust in the youngsters, and the Gunners have a lot of experienced players in their team, even though many of them are under the age of 25.
Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri have shown great improvement from the last season, and are ready to lead Arsenal to glory. The youngsters have shown a willingness to fight for the team and have been inspirational for the team so far. They showed a lot of character to bounce back from the successive defeats to Chelsea and West Brom by posting five consecutive wins following the losses. This team looks mature, and youngsters are finally realising their potential.
The Rise of Goal Scoring Wingers Who Can Emulate Robert Pires
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Arsenal's top goal scorer in the last season was Cesc Fabregas, and Andrei Arshavin was amongst the top goal-scorers for Arsenal, but he scored half of what Fabregas scored. Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott had poor returns in the last season. Robin van Persie was exceptional in the first half of the season, but after his injury, Arsenal had to rely too much on Fabregas to score the goals.
It was no surprise that Arsenal struggled in his absence after March and lost matches because of their inability in the final third. However, things have changed this season, and Arsenal currently have three wingers as the top goal-scorers of the season. It is a far cry from the last season.
The Invincibles team of 2003-04 had the superb Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp upfront, but Robert Pires was one of the most important members of the team and scored vital goals, which proved to be extremely important in the context of the title race.
Similarly, Nasri, who had earlier stated that he would like to emulate Pires, and Walcott have certainly improved and have a lot of composure in front of goal. These two have scored 14 goals between them, which is already five goals more than the duo scored in the previous season.
The Home Advantage In The Latter Half Of The Season Against Big Teams
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Arsenal have a tough fixture list in the first half of the season and face Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United away before December, so it will be tough in the first half of the season. However, Arsenal are in a good position after playing Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City away from home so far and are confident ahead of the important derby against Tottenham in two weeks' time.
If Arsenal can maintain their form till December, then they have a great chance to become the table toppers towards the end of the season, because they play their title rivals with the home advantage, which could be a deciding factor in the title race.
Fabianski's Brilliance Means Almunia Will Not Be The First Choice Goalkeeper
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At the end of last season, many Arsenal supporters, including myself, hoped Arsene Wenger would spend money to acquire a quality goalkeeper. But the Schwarzer deal did not materialise and Manuel Almunia, much to the dismay of supporters, was installed as the No. 1 goalkeeper. Initially, he was good, but his horrendous mistakes against West Brom cost Arsenal the three points, and he has been injured ever since.
Lukasz Fabianski has been given the first choice role due to the injury to Almunia and has been excellent so far. He has made many important saves and was nothing short of brilliant against Manchester City, which earned them a vital three points.
He has been widely criticized in the past, but finally, he is showing us why Wenger trusts in him. The Polish shot stopper could be the consistent keeper that Arsenal were looking for in the summer. Also, Wojciech Szczesny impressed in the Carling Cup, when he was given the chance, and will push Fabianski for the first choice keeper slot. Arsenal have found two excellent keepers in these two, who could be integral to Arsenal's victories in the future.
Arsenal Have The Strongest Squad In The Premier League With Quality Depth
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Arsenal may not have a star-studded team, and Wenger is not going to make transfers worth 300 million, but what Wenger has done is develop a lot of quality, which has provided Arsenal with a lot of bench strength.
I do not think any team in England could cope with as many injury worries as Arsenal have. But, the Gunners have good replacements, who will add depth to the team, and even though it is difficult to replace someone of the quality of Cesc Fabregas or Robin van Persie, Arsenal have managed to cope with their injury problems.
I will list out Arsenal's depth in each position to highlight the depth of the side. Before anyone points me out, Manchester City have the strongest bench strength individually, but as a team, they are too reliant on Carlos Tevez and have struggled in his absence.
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny, Manuel Almunia
Right Back: Emmanuel Eboue, Bacary Sagna, Havard Nordtveit
Centre Back: Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Sebastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou
Left Back: Gael Clichy, Kieran Gibbs
Central Midfield: Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere, Denilson, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Craig Eastmond
Wingers: Andrei Arshavin, Carlos Vela, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie
Strikers: Robin van Persie, Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela
Robin Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen Will Be Fit In December
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Arsenal's title challenges have been greatly hampered by the loss of key players due to injuries. This season has been no different so far, and Arsenal had Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Vermaelen and Robin van Persie missing for the important clash against Chelsea. However, Fabregas and Walcott are back to full fitness, and Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen are close to a return.
The month of December will be crucial to Arsenal's title hopes, as they will play the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. The results against these two quality teams could have a huge impact in deciding the outcome of the title race. But, Arsenal will be bolstered by the return of Robin van Persie and the expected return of Thomas Vermaelen. Assuming they do not have any further setbacks, they will be in line to face these two teams.
Arsenal have not had a full strength team for the entire season so far, and they might have all their important players fit and raring to go against Manchester United and Chelsea. Though Arsenal struggled against these two in the previous season, it will be different this time with Arsenal having already broken their "big match jinx" against Manchester City.
On their day, a full strength Arsenal team boasting the likes of Fabregas, Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen have the quality to defeat any team in the world.
