This is a question that a lot of people associated to Arsenal would have been thinking about in the last few weeks. After the club suffered a wobble, it looked like things were starting to spiral. But after a couple of important away wins, the Gunners find themselves with a chance to establish a five-point lead.
As to what can stop the league leaders from winning their first title since 2014, there are a lot of factors that can play a part. It is important to look at two key aspects to understand what kind of challenge awaits this team.
Injuries
This is one factor that is not within the team’s control, and you can’t really plan for it. You could have a deep squad, but should a player get injured, there may not be a suitable replacement waiting in the wings. It is not everyday that a club can have Eddie Nketiah as a backup striker. But with Arsenal players, you also need to look at how the referees treat them.
The best example of this has to be the treatment of Bukayo Saka who keeps getting kicked in every game. The Englishman does not seem to be getting any kind of protection and if this continues, it could have a disastrous impact on the player’s future. When a team is playing as well as the Gunners have been doing, teams are bound to get physical.
But there is a difference between being physical and straight up attacking players. Too many opposition teams seem to be leaning towards the latter. The Premier League needs to take a good look at how referees are handling these situations. It is clear to see which players and teams are being favoured and which aren’t.
Referee Decisions
This is in a way tied to the fouls that are not being given for the north Londoners. But another way this can have an impact is in goals that are given or disallowed. We got to see another example of this at Leicester City. Leandro Trossard thought he had scored a wonder goal, but it was disallowed very harshly. Even after looking at the footage, it is tough to say that Ben White was impeding the movement of the Leicester keeper.
Perhaps the most notorious example of a referee and more specifically VAR decision this season is the goal that was awarded to Brentford a couple of weeks ago. When news emerged that the officials had not done their job properly, it understandably infuriated everyone. The problem is that this doesn’t seem to be related to isolated incidents.
From now till May, we are likely to see more such decisions being made and that could have a real impact on the title race. Even if the club decide to appeal a decision, it is not going to affect the result of that particular match. At the most, an apology would be made by the referees but that hardly is doing justice. So, the only way for the players to overcome this is to be mentally resilient and keep going even when things are against them.
Mistakes
So far we have talked about factors that are not in the players’ control, now it is time to look at something they can control. If you went back and saw the game at the Emirates against Manchester City, there was one factor that was clear as day. While Arsenal are an excellent team, they are technically still not at the level of City.
This was visible in all three of the goals that were conceded. The Gunners did not play badly but it was just a case of them making mistakes and paying the price for it. This is the level at which the top teams in the league play and you need to improve yourself to get there. And to be fair to Mikel Arteta, he has done a wonderful job since arriving. This team looks nothing like the one that he took over.
One encouraging factor about this team is that they seem to be willing to learn from any mistake they commit. Whether it was losing at Old Trafford or at Goodison Park, you can see that this group of players are going to respond. That is what makes them special and that is regardless of how this season ends up being. When you see the Emirates keep their voices up even if the team concedes, that shows how much trust they inspire. And if you are looking for tickets, make sure to choose the right option.
What Can Arsenal Do?
After looking at a few factors that can stop the north Londoners, it is necessary to look at the remedies they have in place. As we have spoken already, this team has an adaptability to it that is key in challenging for the title. And it is also about keeping the outside noise away as that can get deafening after a certain point.
You will see pundits, rival fans trying to discredit what this team has achieved so far. It is clear that they are waiting for the Gunners to slip up just so that they can claim to be right. Even though the squad is quite young, the Arsenal players have shown that they can tune out the noise and focus on the game. And this is where the likes of Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus and Alex Zinchenko come in handy.
Having players who know what it takes to win does add a lot to the overall outlook of a team. For a lot of the youngsters, this is the first time they have been anywhere near the title. So, having these older heads calming things down while not losing sight of the prize is a great facet. Just keep doing what has been done for the past few months and the players should be in a position where the league title becomes a reality.
Conclusion
Last season, many people didn’t think the Emirates side would be in contention for the Champions League spots, especially after a horrible start but things have picked up since then quite dramatically. When the north Londoners missed out on the top four in disappointing fashion, many were stating that this team had reached its peak. And so, that makes this season’s title challenge that much more thrilling.
When you look at the table and see Liverpool and Chelsea near mid-table, you will hear voices telling you that the quality of the league has gone down. This is simply not true and if anything, it is proof that the overall quality is so high that even these teams are in this position. So, the players need to look at the next game as that is the only thing that matters. Title talk is inevitable for a team in this position but trusting in your process is far more important. Thankfully, both the players and the manager seem to be in the right head space at least for now.
Arsenal will come up against many factors that can stop them but the one thing that can keep this squad ticking along is the belief they have in each other. When you see them defend a counterattack by bringing back everyone in a sea of red, it inspires confidence within you. That is the power of team spirit, talent and the right mentality. All of this combined can overcome any kind of obstacle.
