With Arsenal firmly in the Premier League title race this season, we have come up with five questions they need to answer in the second half of the campaign to win the league in 2023.
Can Arsenal keep their consistency up?
For a side that practically threw away their shot at Champions League football last season after stumbling at hurdle after hurdle, Arsenal’s incredible consistency has come as a major surprise so far.
The central reason why the Gunners are 5 points clear of City at the top of the league table is because they have made one of the best starts in the division’s history after 14 matches.
And to get one over this Sky Blues side, one has to operate at record-breaking levels at all times to get over the line.
However, it would not be a surprise to see a drop-off in the Gunners’ consistency, considering they have been over-performing across the board up until this point.
The challenge for Arsenal is, a slight decline and Pep Guardiola’s side will win their third league title on the trot.
This is perhaps the biggest question mark about this young team currently.
Will Arsenal go big in January?
Often, the Gunners seem to penny-pinch and shoot themselves in their own foot, as was often the case during the Arsene Wenger era.
However, things have most certainly changed under Mikel Arteta, as the club are unafraid to splash the clash in the transfer market.
With the North Londoners in need for reinforcements in midfield and on the wing, the question remains whether the higher-ups will hand Arteta the transfer kitty to boost his side’s title chances?
While Arsenal look set to be title contenders in the coming years, this season is the best chance they have had to become domestic champions since they went toe-to-toe with Leicester in the 2015/2016 campaign.
As names such as Youri Tielemans and Danilo have been incessantly linked, this is a question to keep an eye out for.
Can Thomas Partey stay fit for the entire season?
In the 2022/2023 season, Thomas Partey has a case for being the most in-form defensive midfielder in the league.
While his ability has never been a doubt, the former Atletico Madrid anchor’s fitness remains one.
And as exemplified by how Arsenal’s form fell off a cliff during his time out injured at the backend of last season, the same could rain over the side’s title parade.
With Partey expected to play a key role for Ghana at the World Cup as well, a potential knock could be catastrophic news for the club.
Will Gabriel Jesus’s finishing cost Arsenal?
Up until this point, the former Manchester City striker has been a breath of fresh air in an Arsenal shirt.
The Brazilian international’s all-round game perhaps dwarfs most, if not all No.9’s in the Premier League.
The same cannot be said about his finishing, as the 25-year-old has been wasteful in front of goal for the most part so far.
While the Gunners bailed the four-time Premier League winner’s gilt-edged misses against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, the draw against Southampton was proof that this may not always be the case.
Despite Arteta recently defending the Copa America winner (as per Football.London) by highlighting the strength of his overall game, an out-and-out striker’s main task remains to put the ball in the back of the net, as simplistic as it may sound.
With the finest of margins often meaning City beat Liverpool to the title, the same could the case with Arsenal if Jesus’ finishing does not significantly improve.
Can Arsenal survive without Saka?
This is a complete hypothetical, but considering Bukayo Saka is one of the first names on the team sheet for England, it is not unrealistic to suggest the chances of an injury scare.
Especially after the 21-year-old’s brilliant brace against Iran, he is set to start in every game for the Three Lions at the World Cup.
In case the Hale End hero succumbs to an injury, will this Arsenal side fold or rise to the challenge like most title-winning sides?
Gabriel Martinelli has shown that he can run proceedings on his own, with or without Bukayo Saka.
But considering the Englishman is the heart and soul of that Gunners side, does the same principle apply to the rest of the players?
We will wait and watch how it unfolds, if Saka is struck with an unfortunate injury.
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