Can Arsenal end the two-decade long wait?

The Premier League has just crossed the halfway mark, and following a hectic festive period of fixtures, eternal bridesmaids Arsenal have managed to stay ahead in a three-horse race with a six-point lead over perennial winners Manchester City and surprise package Aston Villa. Having finished runners-up over the last three seasons under manager Mikel Arteta, the question on every Arsenal fans’ lips is whether the Gunners can finally scale the top of the mountain and end an agonising 22-year wait. 

The simple answer is there’s a lot of climbing still left, and history suggests the second half is generally more arduous, especially the final stretch where City — the most dominant force of this era with eight Premier League titles since breaking a 44-year drought in 2012 — find that extra gear when rivals start running out of breath. Arsenal, who have failed to win the title on the five occasions they’ve led the table on New Year’s Day over the last 23 years, are well aware of the weight of history weighing against them, but this time there’s plenty of optimism in North London.

That renewed positivity comes from the lessons the Gunners have learnt from slip-ups in the previous years and how well they’ve gone about correcting them. Right from bolstering the squad pre-season to give it depth in times of injuries to key players, to back-ups putting their hands up when summoned to on-field organisation and the mentality to clinch the clutch affairs, Arsenal have slowly ticked the boxes this season to remain in contention in all four competitions they are engaged in.

The Premier League is by far one of the most demanding leagues in the world, and considering top teams play an average of 50-60 games over 10 months, injuries are one of the major concerns for every manager. Arteta, who has just one FA Cup and two FA Community Shield titles to show for all the wonderful rebuilding he has engineered at Arsenal since taking charge in December 2019, has not been immune to it. So the Spaniard, a former Arsenal player who learnt the managerial craft under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola at City, first fixed that, recruiting a bunch of players who have played a significant role in the Gunners exhibiting better consistency this season. 

Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have strengthened the wings and strike-force option, Viktor Gyokeres, despite blowing hot and cold, has shown what a poacher he is, Martin Zubimendi has been a revelation at the heart of the pitch, creating and scoring goals to be an ideal partner for captain Martin Odegaard, while Cristhian Mosquera and Christian Norgaard have put their hands up decently in defence and midfield respectively. Arsenal have had to deal with injuries to key players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba at various stages, but strong performances from fresh arrivals and substitutes have given Arsenal a more rounded look.

While football is all about scoring goals as that’s what wins you matches, an equally important facet is defence. Like last season, they’ve been the stingiest at the back, conceding just 14 goals in 21 Premier League games so far — five goals less than second-best City. William Saliba and Gabriel have been at the heart of it, hardly letting anything past them, while others like Ben White, Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly too have been extremely disciplined. What has given Arsenal extra teeth is the ability of their defenders to attack when needed and score goals from set-pieces. In fact, the Gunners have been easily the best at set-pieces, bamboozling opposition defences with their ability to find the back of the net with various permutations and combinations.

The mentality of Arsenal under Arteta has also changed considerably. During the final years of the great Arsene Wenger and the ensuing turbulent period under Unai Emery, Arsenal struggled to cope with the big teams. This isn’t the case anymore. Now they appear a lot more confident, be it against City, Liverpool, Chelsea, or even Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. They are tactically sound and believe they can go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights. 

Having said that, it would be foolish to count City out despite their indifferent form this season. When City won the Premier League for a fourth consecutive time in 2023-24, they were trailing Arsenal by six points on Christmas Day but turned up the engine in remarkable fashion to pip the Gunners by two points in the end. Although City’s core squad is quite aged and Guardiola has been forced to make several tactical changes owing to a litany of injuries, the fact that they are masters at making comebacks gives them an added edge. All it takes is a couple of falls from Arsenal and City will be waiting for that moment to pounce on the Gunners and usurp them. 

Hoping to spring the biggest surprise will be Villa, one of the two teams to beat Arsenal this season’s Premier League. They actually were off to a torrid start, failing to score in their opening four games, losing twice and drawing thrice in the first five matches. But under Emery, who has been wanting to prove a point after being unceremoniously sacked by Arsenal, Villa have turned it around astoundingly since then to emerge as a genuine contender. Although they aren’t the favourites despite playing with a lot of heart and spunk, they have the wherewithal to win the first league title since 1980-81.

Villa, nicknamed the ‘The Villains’ by their fans, have turned Villa Park into a fortress, winning eight out of the 10 games. Every time their credentials have been questioned by the critics, Villa have responded in kind. The wins against fellow rivals Arsenal and City have shown they won’t be backing down one bit. With Emery, they have one of the sound minds in Europe and a squad buzzing with confidence. 

Arsenal are ahead at the moment, but City have history behind them, while Villa will be looking to create their very own story. Engrossing few months await.