7 Reasons Why Arsenal Could Win The Premier League In 2023.

Heading into 2023, Arsenal are on course to achieve a feat no club except Liverpool and Manchester City have managed since 2017, to finish top of the table and become Premier

League champions.

During the first half of the 2022/23 season, the Gunners were the strongest side in England’s top tier, their performances well worthy of a top spot by Christmas - with wins against Spurs, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

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But why are Arsenal finally being talked of as potential title winners?

Most likely the notion is a result of numerous factors, ranging from improved squad quality to sound team management, all working in harmony to devastating effect so far.

Here are 7 Reasons Why Arsenal Could Win The Premier League 2023

• Stability In Goal

• Resolute Centre Back Partnership

• Powerhouse Midfield

• Intelligent Playmaking

• Dynamic Wide Forwards

• Game-Changing Number Nine

• Innovative Management

Stability In Goal

Historically, Arsenal have been troubled by a string of unreliable and inconsistent goalkeepers, from David Ospina to Lukas Fabianski or Wojciech Szczesny, all offering a mixed bag of successes and failures.

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Former stoppers Bernd Leno and Petr Cech have proved to be amongst the best. Leno managed to amass 37 clean sheets in 125 games at the Emirates with a ratio of one shutout per 3.8 games. Cech retired back in 2019 having conceded roughly once in every three matches.

Since moving from Sheffield United in 2021, Aaron Ramsdale has arguably been one of Arsenal’s finest keepers in recent memory, this season keeping on average one clean sheet every other match.

Ramsdale is undeniably a stabilising force between the posts. He is a confident stop-stopper, and as per the requirements of a modern keeper, is able to play out from the back. He has regularly saved his team crucial points throughout the campaign.

Resolute Centre Back Partnership

Gabriel and William Saliba are the centre-back pairing Arsenal have been longing for. In previous seasons there has been much criticism over the type of central defender the Gunners have typically chased.

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At the beginning of the 2020/21 season Arsenal announced the signing of Gabriel from Lille for £26 million. He has proven to be a physical yet technically sound addition, who often contributes offensively, having already scored nine goals for the club to date.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta also recalled William Saliba from Saint- Etienne, where he had been on loan, to Partner Gabriel in the centre of his defence.

Saliba quickly became somewhat of a cult hero at the Emirates, especially in the opening weeks of the season with both passionate and committed displays. The Frenchman is elegant, calm, and composed on the ball.

The centre-back partnership is resolute with Arsenal typically conceding less than a goal per game. With this duo on top form, the Gunners now have the ability to grind out results and are less prone to being bullied by the opposition's forwards.

Powerhouse Midfield

Whilst in the past Arsenal have tended to favour small and tricky playmakers, Arteta can finally claim to have a powerhouse midfield, capable of dominating games as a monstrous spine around which a title-challenging team is built around.

Granit Xhaka's resurrection at the Emirates has been nothing short of miraculous. Only a few seasons prior, the Swiss was cast aside and jeered off the field by his own fans following a string of shocking performances. But this campaign Xhaka has been consistent and reliable, controlling central areas and smoothly progressing play.

Midfield adversary Thomas Partey compliments the Switzerland international’s style and completes this effective combo. The Ghanaian has already recovered the ball over 100 times this season, is a significant goal threat, and capable of scoring from range.

Intelligent Playmaking

The Gunners have been associated with intricate playmaking for many years, from 'king of the assist' Cesc Fabregas to the genius that was Mesut Ozil. When youngster Martin Odegaard arrived at Arsenal midway through the 2020/21 season, there was both a simmering excitement and some raised eyebrows too.

Whilst the Norwegian had been touted as something of a wonderkid during his time at Real Madrid, his Spanish adventure was ultimately a failure, appearing eight times and providing few game-changing moments without a goal return.

But his slow and steady rise at the Emirates has been a noteworthy achievement. Because over the last eighteen months, he has racked up over 50 appearances, scoring nine times and registering six Premier League assists thus far.

As Odegaard pushes on further into 2023 his numbers become even more impressive. At the beginning of the season, Mikel Arteta named him club captain and since then he has shone in terms of displaying responsibility and a significant increase in performance levels.

Odegaard’s consistent impact looks likely to be crucial in the coming months. His ability to feed the ball through the lines and create chances for his teammates is exceptional. Perhaps his most surprising asset to date is goalscoring, the Norwegian currently producing statistics equivalent to that of a component-supporting striker.

Dynamic Wide Forwards

The trend of utilising two attacking forwards in wide positions has become standard in the modern era. Whereas once the expectations placed on a traditional winger were general midfield duties along with crossing the ball, today’s iterations require an ability to surge into the box and score plenty of goals.

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Arsenal are lucky enough to possess a dynamic pair of wide attackers in Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Both rising stars in the Premier League and on the international stage too, they perfectly encapsulate the idea of a 21st-century winger.

The Gunners have already benefited from their power and directness this season. Martinelli is on course for his best goal-scoring campaign. He has evolved from a raw talent and into a lethal force who can devastate most Premier League defences.

Bukayo Saka had an incredible tournament at the 2022 World Cup, scoring three goals and impressing with a 'coming of age' display against France in the Quarter Finals. For Arsenal he has been electric, creating at least three big chances per game, and providing a wealth of assists and goals.

The pair are likely to make a huge difference as the season progresses, and when pressure increases in the final weeks of the campaign, their quality in forward play will be vital.

Game-Changing Number Nine

Before his unfortunate mid-season injury, Gabriel Jesus was absolutely flying. The Brazilian had already scored 13 goals across all competitions and vying for the Premier League Golden Boot.

Yet with the World Cup in Qatar looming, he sustained an injury to his right knee which would ultimately rule him out of the tournament and football’s entire winter schedule.

A crucial factor in Arsenal’s title challenge will be Jesus’ return to action - estimated in late February. This undoubtedly revitalises the Gunners thinning central attack options, Eddie Nketiah doing a stellar job, but in truth Arsenal benefits greatly from the Brazilian's energy

and ‘X factor.’

With their number nine bolstering the club’s front line, Arsenal are likely to sustain a title

challenge and more importantly improve their chances of pursuing the Premier League

trophy for years to come.

Innovative Management

Arsenal fans should be in no doubt that one of the world’s best young managers is in their midst, having already experienced the troublesome rollercoaster reign of Unai Emery during the post-Wenger era.

Following Mikel Arteta’s retirement from the game in 2016, three separate opportunities awaited the eager Spaniard. He was presented the chance to coach Arsenal’s academy side, link up with former PSG teammate Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, or join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City coaching staff. Arteta went on to choose the Etihad and spent three and a half years learning his trade from arguably one of the greatest managers of all time.

Arteta achieved an incredible FA Cup win at the end of his debut season by defeating his former employers Manchester City 2-0 at Wembley. Yet the Spaniard’s Arsenal career soon began to falter, when in the final ten games of their 2021/22 campaign, his side lost five times and effectively threw away what seemed an almost certain top 4 finish.

But things have changed dramatically. Arteta’s latest team is constructed in his image, built from players he has either chosen or nurtured whilst casting aside those deemed not good enough. He has a balanced side that appears very reliable when compared to previous seasons.

Arteta has forged together a team that is rugged but also possesses flair and a competitive edge. The mixture that could see them continue to fight around the summit of this season’s table and perhaps even lift their first Premier League title for nearly twenty years!

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