Where Will Arsenal Finish the Premier League Season?

With the transfer window grades pouring in (here’s mine), the only thing now on Arsenal fan’s minds (other than Edinson Cavani) is where this current squad will finish in the table. Will it be another fourth place finish or can Arsenal actually make the improbable climb to the top? Will we repeat as FA Cup champions? Is the Champions League a competition we can compete in?

Let’s start with the Premier League. Here’s how it currently stands:

[table id=15 /]

Thanks to the Manchester City-Chelsea draw, every team barring Southampton made up ground on the two seemingly untouchable teams at the top. Arsenal now sit just six points out of second place and just one goal behind fourth place.

I understand that we shouldn’t be gunning for fourth place again. But in my personal opinion, this team can do better than fourth.

Manchester United will slip up again, and being only one point behind, that’s all we’ll need to swap with them. This current Arsenal squad has been as close to perfect as we can get. Since David Ospina took over, no goals have been surrendered. We handed Manchester City a loss in dominating fashion and we disposed of Aston Villa 5-0 with no Alexis Sanchez.

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It’s safe to say that Arsenal are the hottest team in the league right now, although you could make an argument for Manchester United. The Gunners are looking unbeatable and with three months left in the season, it’s far too early to start crowning Chelsea and scoffing at Arsenal’s to-be fourth place finish.

Tottenham is next on the docket, and Alexis will be back. A win will give us some space from our North London rivals. With them just two points behind, we could use that breathing room.

Arsenal are starting there late season push much sooner this year than they did last year. It’s not even late in the season. 11 points to Chelsea is a steep mountain but not an impossible one. The Blues have had their mortality proven, most recently in a draw to a Manchester City team that Arsenal stomped 2-0.

The only thing going against Arsenal is time. Chelsea have to drop points, and it’s risky business to rely on that. But again, it’s not impossible. We still have to face them again and if Arsenal can keep this form for the rest of the season, I’ll be more confident in Arsenal to secure a win then ever before.

Predicted EPL Finish: 2nd

Six points is nothing. Arsenal have a fairly easy schedule over the next couple of weeks after the North London Derby and our current form should see us past any foes who dare to oppose us.

As far as other competitions go, Arsene Wenger said it himself, we are the favorites in the FA Cup following a Middlesbrough draw for the fifth round. Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton are all eliminated, leaving Manchester United, Liverpool and West Ham as the only real competition, at least on paper.

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Predicted FA Cup Finish: Champions

Arsenal are hot. And they have the trophy already in their hands. When they went 2-0 down against Hull City last year, they showed tremendous grit to come back and take the trophy.

The current team is even better than that team. We can and we will retain the FA Cup.

And then there’s that all-important and ever-illusive Champions Cup. Arsenal face AS Monaco and we should find it to be a relatively easy Round of 16. After that, it’s nothing short of a crapshoot. Depending on the draw, Arsenal could face anything from Bayern Munich to FC Porto.

As such, it’s too early to predict anything past a Quarter-Final appearance, but that should be all but set.

Arsenal are in much better shape than we could have ever imagined around November/December. Our defense has been spot on and we’ve proven that even without Alexis, this is a team that produces. Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott are coming into form and Olivier Giroud continues to be the unsung hero of London. Francis Coquelin has provided the holding midfielder we’ve been lacking for so long and Gabriel is the defensive reinforcement we’ve been crying out for.

Right now, Arsenal have no weaknesses, and it’s going to be exciting to see how far they can ride this momentum.

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Next: Grading Arsenal's Transfer Window