This has been one of the most unpredictable Premier League seasons in ages, sure we might only be eight games in but no one could have predicted all that has gone about this year. Manchester United looked brilliant while they topped the league, but they were brought back to earth by a brilliant Arsenal team. Manchester City looked to be running away with the title until they lost twice in a row, but they look brilliant once again after demolishing Newcastle United.
While Manchester City rightly got the plaudits for one of the performances of the season, Arsenal were not far behind, that 20 minute blitzkrieg of Manchester United was brilliant, for neutrals and Arsenal fans at least. There was nothing that Manchester United could have done to stop the Gunners and with Alexis Sanchez playing out of his socks, there are very few teams that could stop the Chilean.
It wasn’t just Sanchez who played amazingly that day, Walcott and Ozil also deserve special mention. Arsenal have often been accused of shying away when it comes to the big games and that criticism was justified once again when they lost to Chelsea a few weeks ago but this performance certainly has put them back in the race for the Premier League title.
Arsenal sit just two points behind Manchester City in the league and having played a couple of their tough opponents, the Gunners should be confident of a good showing this year. Arsenal have always had one of the most talented squads in the league but injuries and the lack of big game management has always hurt them.
The talent is there but can they handle the pressure?
We all remember their gradual decline a couple of seasons ago when they lost 5-1 to Liverpool and that started their slide down the league table. Arsenal have always ensured they make it into the Champions League but that really is not enough for a club the size of the Gunners. They have stopped the rot of not winning trophies thanks to their consecutive victories in the FA Cup but most Arsenal fans crave the Champions League or the Premier League title.
The Champions League seems to be a bridge too far this season as well since the Gunners have no points from two games and have to face the might of Bayern Munich in their next games, only a minor miracle can help them progress to the next round. It could be time to focus on the Premier League this time around. Not one club has looked unbeatable this season and with a lot of the smaller teams doing extremely well; there will be many twists and turns in the league season.
Arsenal need to manage their squad well, keeping their players fit for the campaign is the most important thing for the team. Jack Wilshere is just one example of a player not being able to contribute to the team due to injury, although Arsenal have enough cover in the midfield, the problem area is their central defence and strike force.
If either Koscielny or Sanchez get injured, Arsenal’s performance levels could go down. They do have players who can replace them on paper but certainly not in terms of quality. Sanchez has that fire in the belly that can take Arsenal to the next level and can help others get better also.
This could be, yet again the greatest chance that Arsenal have of winning the title but we have said something similar time and time again. This season has been crazy somewhat and no one can guarantee a team gets over another on the weekend. Arsenal do have a great chance of getting the Premier League title and the only ones stopping them would be themselves.