It’s been 19 years since ‘The Invincibles’ side of 2003/04 last won a Premier League title for Arsenal Football Club. When captain Patrick Viera lifted that trophy, few imagined waiting almost two decades for a second title win.
That achievement is still talked about in 2023. They are described by many as the best Premier League team of all time. Going a whole league season unbeaten is no easy feat, and no team in English football did it before then or have done it since. It’s an achievement that cements them as a permanent fixture of football history. But finally, the club’s current squad is close to writing a chapter of their own history. With seven games left to play in this season’s Premier League, Arsenal find themselves in with a real chance of winning that title, but there is still a lot of hard work and drama to come.
The journey started way back in August when the summer transfer window opened. Arsenal used their transfer funds very efficiently. They addressed weak points in their squad by buying Manchester City duo Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. Both of these players have top class ability, but due to the competition in City’s squad had struggled for game time in recent seasons. The opportunity for them both to play a key role in this Gunners side has been one they have both thrived on.
Last season Arsenal were criticised heavily for missing out on Champions League qualification. This disappointment brought a lot of uncertainty. So, the players Mikel Arteta chose to sign in the summer made sense. A lot of them had won trophies before, and that winning mentality was something Arsenal needed in the dressing room. Not many predicted they would have the instant impact that they did, but from the first game of the season away at Crystal Palace back in August, it was clear to see something was different.
There’s been a slight expectation that eventually, they would drop off. That they wouldn’t have the consistency to show this kind of great form for an entire season. That might still be the case as we head into the home straight, but they have certainly surpassed everything expected of them for this season; especially as they have been battling with Pep Guardiola’s brilliant Manchester City side.
City are Premier League juggernauts. They have won four out of the last five titles, and have amassed record amounts of points in that time. And this season, when they signed star striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, everyone thought they were nailed on to win another one. Fortunately, Arsenal have given us some competition and are the ones that sit in pole position to win the league at the moment.
“It would be one of the biggest achievements in Arsenal history, I think,” discussed Alex Batt, Academy Manager at GiveMeSport.
“You know, we’ve proven that it can be done. If you have a little bit of trust in a young manager and you trust the process, which I know is a football cliché, it can reap the rewards eventually. It would just be one of the biggest achievements in Arsenal history and I think one of the biggest surprises in Premier League history as well, that we’ve managed to be this Manchester City side.”
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The fate of the trophy will likely come down to one game; when Arsenal face City at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday. The significance of this game cannot be overemphasised. Over the last few years, it has been Liverpool that City have been battling with for titles, and more often than not it was positive results for City in the critical games against Jurgen Klopp’s teams that have made the difference for them and swung the title their way.
City have already beaten Arsenal twice this season, home and away. In the league game at the Emirates, Arsenal really struggled to contain Erling Haaland, who has made headlines with his goals all season. Meanwhile, in the FA Cup, defender Nathan Ake made the difference in January in a slightly less dramatic affair in Manchester. So, City have had the upper hand this season, but all roads have led to this game, and if Arsenal can win, they will surely go on to lift the title.
So, can Arsenal hold their nerve and bring the title back to North-London, after almost two decades away? It’s time for them to prove whether they have got what it takes.
