Arsenal are still looking for Premier League title, despite Liverpool opening a significant gap at the top, with the Anfield side also having a game in hand.
It’s no secret that the Gunners haven’t been at their best this season. Indeed, in 22 league games, they won only 12.
But there is a long way to go, because nothing is won in January. Mikel Arteta he needs to regroup his team and fire them up in the next few months. If the north Londoners can play until the end, the title race could become exciting.
As such, we’ve taken a deeper look at the various reasons why the Arsenal faithful should still be feeling positive heading into the closing stages of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
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The odds may be against them, but these are the reasons why Arsenal can still win the league title this season.
1
Liverpool need to drop in form
Arne Slott settled in Liverpool with ease. Not only are the Reds top of the table, they are also in the semi-finals of the League Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup, while also leading the League Stage of the Champions League.
In all, the Merseyside side have lost just two games and Slot has a wonderful chance of lifting more trophies during his first campaign in charge.
However, such good form comes with its downfalls. Liverpool need to miss in the middle of a relentless run. The question is when will it happen?
Arteta will be hoping this arrives sooner rather than later, especially with games running out. When that happens, Arsenal must be ready to take advantage and close the gap at the top of the table.
2
The Gunners are looking for signings
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Arsenal have made only four January signingsand three of them come in January 2023.
If Arteta are to end their 21-year title drought, bringing in a new signing or two could be a huge boost to their cause.
With Gabriel Jesus suspended until the end of the season having recently suffered an ACL injury against Manchester United, this leaves Kai Havertz as the only centre-forward option for Arteta (albeit a somewhat improvised one), suggesting the imperative nature of signing a new striker.
Benjamin Sesko is one player who has associated with moving to London in recent weeks, while Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson and Igor Jesus, currently of Botafogo, are also options which Arteta is thought to be considering.
Havertz has scored 14 goals in 30 games in all competitions this season so far – hardly prolific by any stretch of the imagination. With Bukayo Saka also injured for the foreseeable future, another centre-forward will be a top priority before the transfer window closes in a few weeks.
A lot will also depend on Arteta’s budget. He may have to sell a player or two to finance a new arrival, especially one who can lead the Gunners to the title.
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3
Arsenal could be on a crazy run of form
Arsenal prefer to be the hunter when it comes to trying to win the Premier League title. During the 2022/23 campaign, the club had a seven point lead Manchester City after 16 games.
The club took 41 points from the next 22 games, but City won 53 to steal the league crown from the north Londoners.
However, you only need to look back to December 31, 2023 for some hope that might suggest a title revival is just around the corner.
Arsenal finished fourth and looked like they had stopped another title chase. The the next 18 games saw them win 16, draw and lose one to narrowly miss out on the league crown by just two points as City claimed their fourth title in a row.
This suggests that the chase is something that Arteta and Arsenal prefer to being the club that everyone aspires to at the top of the table.
Going in a similar fashion to last 16 games would certainly put a lot of pressure on Liverpool. Will Sloto’s team be able to counter that or could the Gunners repeat history and overtake them?
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4
Winning the Carabao Cup can be a catalyst
Single Triumph in the FA Cup is all there is to show for Arteta’s five-year reign in north London – and even that was achieved within his first year at the club.
While the first few years were very much about building a team that could challenge the Liverpool/Man City duo, he has transformed a team that is now fully capable of winning trophies.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup this season is certainly expected given the strength of the team, but can winning the cup be a catalyst for more success?
Arteta’s side will have to do things the hard way after the Gunners lost the first leg of their semi-final against Newcastle United, failing to overcome Eddie Howe’s side in a 2-0 home defeat.
The second leg is played at St James Park – a playground where the residents of North London are they won only twice under Arteta in five attempts.
Overturning the deficit and reaching the final will give the club a huge boost, while winning the trophy for the first time since 1993 could only spur them on to claim another Premier League crown.
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5
Liverpool could go further in the cups
As mentioned earlier, the Anfield side still have a chance to win all four competitions they have participated in this season.
The further the club progresses in each competition, the more strain it will place on the squad, which could cause a crowded schedule during the final few weeks of the season.
This could work in Arsenal’s hands, especially if the Reds start to lose a few matches and suffer a dip in form as the end approaches.
Slot has impressive squad depth at his disposal, but more games will also mean the club have a greater chance of suffering more injuries, potentially losing key players just as Arsenal have this term.
6
The return of Bukaya Saka
Bukayo Saka scored 9 goals and 13 assists for the Gunners in 24 games in all competitions before being struck down by a hamstring injury in December.
After injury, Arteta dealt with the situationdelivering the bad news that came at the worst possible time, saying: “He had a procedure. Everything went well. But unfortunately, he’s going to be out for many, many weeks. I think it’s going to be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer.”
If all goes to plan, Saka could be back for the first team by early March, giving the club a big boost in the final months of the campaign.
If he can pick up where he left off at the end of the calendar year, he could add some much-needed quality in the final third, strengthening Arsenal’s title challenge in the process.
However, Arteta’s men will have to keep pace with Liverpool until Saka recovers, which is certainly easier said than done given their recent form.
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7
The first team members will still return
While getting Saka back to full fitness is the club’s immediate priority, there are several other first-team stars who should return in the next few weeks.
Ben White missed the previous 10 Premier League games due to a knee injury, and his last appearance was against Chelsea at the beginning of November.
The defender could return in early February, giving the manager a boost for the business end of the campaign, so White could become a sort of secret weapon.
Otherwise, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori suffered setbacks during the season, but they could also return to action by early February, giving Arteta more defensive options.
8
Arsenal have an easier run-in
In the remaining eight away games of the club in the first league, Arsenal to face the six teams currently occupying the places in the bottom seven of the league table (at the time of writing).
They face Liverpool at Anfield in May, which is certainly billed as a potential title decider, especially if Arsenal remain in their sights.
The Reds, on the other hand, have to face seven of the current top 10. In their final five games, they not only face Arsenal, but also have to negotiate a clash with Tottenham Hotspur and trips to Chelsea and Brighton.
Slott will be hoping the title is clinched by the Gunners’ tie, but if Arteta can boost his squad over the next few months, combined with Liverpool’s slump in form, there’s every chance the title race will still be wide open come May.
