Football is a fickle game. After the first month of the current Premier League season, there were many that were calling for Mikkel Arteta’s head. This came after Arsenal lost their opening three games of the new Premier League campaign, including an opening day defeat to newly-promoted Brentford, a two-nil home defeat to London rivals Chelsea, and a five-nil hammering by Manchester City.
Things weren’t looking too rosy at the Emirates.
Fast-forward five months to the start of 2022 and Arsenal currently find themselves in fourth place in the Premier League table, occupying that all-important final Champions League place having gone on a 10-match unbeaten run following their terrible start to the season.
They had a small wobble in early December, losing back to back games against Manchester United and Everton, however, the Gunners bounced back strongly, winning their next five games, closing out the year with a five-nil win away at Norwich. They were unfortunate to lose their opening match of 2022 against runaway leaders Manchester City but the signs are there that the future is looking much brighter for Arsenal fans as we head into the second half of the season.
So what’s changed?
Young guns starting to deliver
Arsenal finished in an underwhelming eighth position in the table last season, failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in 25 years. Following this disappointing end to the season, the opening three games of the new campaign hardly left Gunners fans feeling optimistic about the season ahead, however, Arteta and his team have really turned a corner and can now consider themselves as one of the favourites to claim the fourth and final Champions League spot at the end of the season.
That would represent a huge step forward for Arsenal although it is no foregone conclusion. The top three already looks to be decided with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all streets ahead of the rest this season. That leaves a number of clubs fighting it out for that fourth spot and Arsenal are right in the mix this season.
Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham and possibly even Wolves are the teams that are all in contention at this stage, although Leicester’s recent form suggests they could also make a late surge of results start to go their way. That’s a lot of teams in the mix for the final Champions League spot and the second half of the season promises to be a fascinating one for those teams all vying for that final spot.
One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround in Arsenal’s fortunes this season has been the form of a number of the younger players in the squad. Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Gabrielle Martinelli have all come to the fore in recent weeks and their performances have seen Arsenal playing some exciting and entertaining football. On top of this, Aaron Ramsdale has really settled into the squad, bringing a lot of confidence from the back, helping the side to keep nine clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season.
Another youngster who has settled quickly is Ben White. A £50m signing from Brighton, there were a few eyebrows raised by his signing, however, he has so far completed the most minutes of any player this season, helping to keep those nine clean sheets and providing some real leadership at the back.
Can Arsenal last the distance?
After the difficult start to the season, it really feels as though the team has turned a corner, however, difficult times could still lay ahead. A third-round defeat in the FA Cup to Championship side Nottingham Forest in which the team was outplayed and out-fought was not the start the team were looking for heading into the New Year. With a massive EFL Cup Semi-Final coming up against Liverpool, that will now be the last chance of silverware this season.
A silver lining could be that with no European football and no more cup football, Arsenal will be able to focus all their attention on the Premier League and securing that fourth-placed finish the fans are desperate for.
One of the biggest ongoing sagas is the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy in December after disciplinary issues and has not played for the Gunners since. He was allowed to leave earlier than other players for the African Cup of Nations as he was not going to be involved for Arsenal and it would appear his time at the club is nearing an end.
There have also been questions raised about the strength in depth of the squad, with fears over the fitness of players due to a lack of rotation. The fact that they have not progressed beyond the third round of the FA Cup means that any potential opportunities for rotating the squad in that competition are also now over.
That being said, after the opening three games of the season, most Arsenal fans would have snapped your hands off to be sitting in fourth place in the table in early January with an EFL Cup semi-final to come. Betway currently has Arsenal at 3.00 to finish in the top four along with Tottenham with Manchester United at 2.87 and West Ham at 7.00. One thing’s for sure, it is likely that the race for fourth place will come down to the wire and promises to be a grandstand end to the season for the neutrals.
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