After ending as runners-up to Manchester Metropolis for a second successive season, expectations are excessive that Arsenal can finish a 21-year drought for a Premier League title.
Solely as soon as in Premier League historical past have a staff completed as runners-up in three consecutive seasons – Arsenal doing so themselves between 1999 and 2001, with Manchester Utd profitable the title on all three events.
Mikel Arteta’s males have run Metropolis shut within the final two campaigns; their 89-point tally in 2023/24 would have been sufficient to safe the title in 18 of the earlier 32 Premier League seasons.
Bettering final season’s membership file 29 league wins might be no simple feat, nevertheless they’ve made a noticeable enchancment season-on-season below Arteta.
Arsenal have been overtaken within the last phases by Manchester Metropolis in every of the final two seasons – they relinquished an eight-point lead over the champions in 2022/23, and had been high heading into the ultimate week final season earlier than Metropolis gained their recreation in hand at Tottenham.
Saturday twenty fourth August 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
A scarcity of depth has been cited as the important thing ingredient as Arsenal stuttered on the house stretch; no staff used fewer gamers than Arsenal’s 25 final season – however that was the identical as each Fulham and Manchester Metropolis. The stark distinction between the highest two was Metropolis’s capacity to rotate and stay recent; they made the third most modifications to their beginning XI within the Premier League in 2023/24, and solely Crystal Palace made fewer than the Gunners.
It is conceivable that 5 gamers may depart Emirates Stadium earlier than the tip of the switch window, with Mikel Merino the one seemingly imminent arrival.
Arteta has made a behavior of signing versatile gamers in the previous few home windows; regardless of at the moment being perceived as gentle on numbers, nearly all of positions have wholesome competitors for locations. Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu are succesful deputies throughout the backline, and nearly all of attackers are snug in numerous roles.
Two gamers who Arsenal have relied on – and haven’t got critical competitors or cowl – are Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. They’ve a mixed 90 Premier League aim involvements over the previous two seasons, and have began 73 of a potential 78 league video games in that interval.
By comparability, Manchester Metropolis have the luxurious of rotating their key gamers – Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne have been essential within the latter phases of the season, having performed considerably much less soccer than Arsenal’s aforementioned duo.
An injection of high quality within the last third might be essential as Arsenal look to go one step additional this season. A run of two wins from eight video games proved expensive in 2022/23, nevertheless they misplaced solely one in all their last 18 Premier League video games final day trip – a 2-0 dwelling defeat in opposition to Aston Villa ended up being the decisive outcome as Arsenal completed two factors behind Metropolis.
The truth is, Unai Emery’s facet had been the one staff to take most factors from Arsenal final season; Villa have confirmed to be a thorn in Arsenal’s facet below Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal will should be near-perfect if they’re to forestall a fifth successive title heading to the Etihad Stadium. The Gunners will wish to exorcise one of many few demons from final season this Saturday; a win at Villa Park might be the catalyst for Mikel Arteta as he seems to lastly emulate his mentor Guardiola.
Watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal stay on Sky Sports activities Premier League on Saturday from 5pm; kick off 5.30pm
