Arsenal are still very much in the hunt for the Premier League title, despite Liverpool opening up a sizeable gap at the top, with the Anfield side also having a game in hand.
It is no secret that the Gunners haven’t been at their fluent best this term. Indeed, across 22 top-flight games, they have won just 12.
However, there is a long way to go, as nothing is won in January. Mikel Arteta needs to regroup his squad and get them fired up for the next few months. If the north Londoners can play to their potential, the title race might get exciting.
As such, we have taken a deeper look into various reasons why the Arsenal faithful should still be feeling positive heading into the conclusive stages of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
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The odds may be stacked against them, but these are the reasons why Arsenal can still win the league title this season.
1
Liverpool are due a blip in form
Arne Slot has taken to life at Liverpool with ease. Not only are the Reds top of the league, but they are also in the semi-finals of the League Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup, while also leading the way in the Champions League’s league phase.
All in all, the Merseyside outfit have lost just two games and Slot has a wonderful chance of lifting multiple trophies during his maiden campaign in charge.
However, such good form comes with its downfalls. Liverpool are due a blip amid a relentless run. The question is, when will it occur?
Arteta will hope this arrives sooner rather than later, especially with games running out. When it does, Arsenal must be ready to take advantage and claw back the gap at the top of the table.
2
Gunners are on the hunt for signings
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Arsenal have made just four January signings, with three of them coming in January 2023.
If Arteta wishes to end the club’s 21-year league title drought, bringing in a new signing or two could be a major boost to their cause.
With Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United recently, this leaves Kai Havertz as the only centre-forward option for Arteta (albeit a somewhat makeshift one), indicating the imperative nature of signing a new striker.
Benjamin Sesko is one player who has been linked with a move to London in recent weeks, while Brighton & Hove Albion forward Evan Ferguson and Igor Jesus, currently of Botafogo, are also options that Arteta is thought to be considering.
Havertz has scored 14 goals in 30 games across all competitions this season so far – hardly prolific by any stretch of the imagination. With Bukayo Saka also out injured for the foreseeable future, another centre-forward will be the main priority before the transfer window slams shut in a couple of weeks.
Much will depend on Arteta’s budget, too. He might need to sell a player or two to fund a new arrival, especially one that can spearhead the Gunners to the title.
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3
Arsenal could go on a crazy run of form
Arsenal prefer to be chasers when it comes to trying to win the Premier League title. During the 2022/23 campaign, the club were seven points clear of Manchester City after 16 games.
The club won 41 points in the next 22 matches, but City claimed 53 to steal the league crown away from the north Londoners’ grasp.
However, you only need to look back to 31st December, 2023 for some hope which could suggest a title revival is yet in sight.
Arsenal sat fourth and looked like they had bottled yet another title chase. The next 18 games saw them win 16, draw one and lose one to narrowly miss out on the league crown by just two points as City claimed a fourth title in a row.
This suggests that doing the chasing is something Arteta and Arsenal prefer, rather than being the club that everyone is aiming for at the top of the table.
Going on a similar run to last term over their final 16 games would certainly pile plenty of pressure on Liverpool. Would Slot’s team be able to stand up to that, or could the Gunners yet repeat history and overtake them?
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4
Winning the Carabao Cup can be a catalyst
A solitary FA Cup triumph is all that can be shown for Arteta’s five-year reign in north London – and even that was achieved within his first year at the club.
While the first couple of years were very much about building a team which could challenge the Liverpool/Man City duopoly, he has transformed a squad that is now fully capable of winning trophies.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup this season was certainly expected given the strength of the squad, but could 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 get the better of Eddie Howe’s side in a 2-0 home defeat.
The return leg takes place at St James Park – a ground where the North Londoners have won just twice under Arteta in five attempts.
Overturning the deficit to make the final will give the club a major boost, while winning the trophy for the first time since 1993 might just spur them on to claim another Premier League crown.
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5
Liverpool could go further in the cups
As mentioned previously, the Anfield side are still in with a chance of winning all four competitions they have entered this season.
The further the club progresses in each competition will place more strain on the squad, which could cause fixture congestion during the final few weeks of the season.
This could play right into Arsenal’s hands, especially if the Reds start losing a few matches and suffer a dip in form as the finishing line approaches.
Slot has some impressive squad depth at his disposal, but more games will also mean the club have a greater chance of suffering from more injuries, potentially losing key players just as Arsenal have this term.
6
Bukayo Saka’s return
Bukayo Saka scored 9 goals and grabbed 13 assists for the Gunners across 24 matches in all competitions before being struck down with a hamstring injury in December.
Following the injury, Arteta addressed the situation, delivering some bad news which came at the worst possible time, saying: “He had a procedure. Everything went well. But unfortunately, he will be out for many, many weeks. I think it will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer.”
If everything goes to plan, Saka could be back playing for the first team by the start of March, giving the club a major boost heading into 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, thus bolstering Arsenal’s title challenge in the process.
However, Arteta’s men will need to keep pace with Liverpool until Saka recovers, which is certainly easier said than done considering their recent form.
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7
More first-team players are set to return
While getting Saka back to full fitness is the immediate priority for the club, there are a few other first-team stars who are set for a return in the next few weeks.
Ben White has missed the previous 10 Premier League matches due to a knee injury, with his last appearance coming against Chelsea at the start of November.
The defender could be set to return at the start of February, which will give the manager a boost heading into the business end of the campaign, so White may become a secret weapon of sorts.
Elsewhere, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori have endured setbacks during the season, but they could also be back in contention by the start of February, giving Arteta more defensive options.
8
Arsenal have an easier run-in
In the club’s remaining eight away games in the top flight, Arsenal face six teams who currently occupy places in the bottom seven of the league table (at the time of writing).
They face Liverpool at Anfield in May, which is certainly being billed as a potential title decider, especially if Arsenal can remain within their sights.
The Reds, on the other hand, have to face seven of the current top 10. Across their final five matches, not only do they face Arsenal, but a clash with Tottenham Hotspur and trips to Chelsea and Brighton will also have to be negotiated.
Slot will be hoping the title is won by the time the Gunners tie rolls around, but if Arteta can spur his team on over the next few months, combined with a dip in Liverpool’s form, there is every chance the title race will still be open come May.
