7 games into the new season, teams are starting to enter the form that will carry them through the year. Some are languishing near the bottom, others and trotting along within mediocrity and the upper echelon teams are powering through. One of the teams which have impressed me the most is Arsenal. 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss is a very nice record to have at this point in the season. 15 goals scored and 7 conceded is a solid start, and whilst some of the teams they have played aren't exactly the best teams in the league, the bigger sides that they have faced haven't been dominant. Let's look at the start, begin as you mean to go on some would say, Arsene Wenger would agree after a 4-3 loss at home to Liverpool. Even though you gain no points from a win, offensively they looked full of quality and scored 3 very nice goals. The defence was the issue in this case. Improvement defensively followed by the next game with a dominant 0-0 draw against the reigning champions Leicester. Whilst no goals were scored, Wenger could sleep well knowing that his side wasn't in any danger of losing that match after Leicester could only manage a single shot on target across the whole 90 minutes. Improvement to defence, now the goals needed to make a return. A dominant 3-1 over Watford, a narrow 2-1 against Soton, 4-1 against a Hull side in disarray and the icing on top of the cake, a crushing 3-0 defeat of Chelsea.
What do these results say about Arsenal, though? A loss is never good to have on the board, along with a goalless draw and only just being able to grab a 2-1 win over a mediocre Southampton you might be thinking "Well how does this make them out as dark horses for the title?". Arsenal started last season with a less than impressive start. Losing to West Ham at home, drawing 0-0 to Liverpool at Home, as well as a loss to Chelsea and very narrow victories over Palace and Stoke damaged Arsenal's season way before it had even begun. Now however Arsenal have dismantled one of their biggest rivals and have been scoring for fun. Whilst I have taken notice of the usual mid-season stumble that Arsenal always experiences, I feel the signings have been adequate and some of the mistakes they have been making over the past few years look to be fixed or swept under the carpet at the very least.
Arsenal look like potential champions, not because of the way they can destroy their opponents but how they can grind out results against the teams who put 11 behind the ball and believe a point is as good as 3. In previous years, Arsenal has always been undone by those sort of teams and have found it impossible to grind out results consistently. Already twice this season both Southampton and Burnley have looked to hold out for a singular point against the London side and on both occasions they have managed to steal all 3 points away from their opponents. Whilst I understand that the Burnley result may have been down to an incredibly large slice of luck seeing as the goal shouldn't have stood, I want to remind you how many times the big teams have stolen all 3 points with lucky goals and unfair advantages. Manchester United are the best example we can use. How many occasions were there when we would speak the day after a United game and all gasp at how unlucky their opponents were to lose the game because of an offside goal or a shot that was ushered in with the player's hand. Luck plays a huge part in the game and most of the time, the luck falls on the side of the bigger sides.
I am definitely not saying Arsenal will ease to the league title this season, however, I am saying that with the right slice of luck they can do it. Man City only have to lose a handful of games, a bump in the road is assured on any side, as we saw with their last match in London. Arsenal simply has to make sure they have less bumps than their rivals. Is that possible? Of course, but Arsenal have always been well known for their bottling ability.
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