Arsenal: Title Hopes Hang On Battle Of The Bridge

Thierry Henry has stated that Premier League title race, which is quickly becoming between Arsenal and Chelsea, is down to the battle of the bridge.

The Premier League’s fixtures were undoubtedly good for Arsenal and their slim title chances. Although Chelsea once again won, only enforcing the idea that they are the best in the league this year, no other club in the top six won.

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Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies were exposed in a dramatic 3-2 loss to Swansea during Saturday’s early kickoff. Soon after, if not for a late Wayne Rooney stunner that gave him the all-time scoring record for Manchester United, Jose Mourinho would have been staring down another loss and then, in the late game, Spurs and Manchester City played a wonderfully entertaining 2-2 draw.

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All in all, it was a very good for the Gunners, who have since moved up to second and have Chelsea in their sights. The question abounding now is whether Arsene Wenger’s men can catch the Blues. On Sky Sports, after Antonio Conte’s side saw past Hull City in relatively comfortable fashion, Thierry Henry was asked whether he believed the club at which he made a legend of himself can haul their way back to the top:

"“Can they? It’s going to be a difficult one. Because of what I’ve seen today (Chelsea winning 2-0 against Hull) and from what I see from Arsenal it’s going to be a difficult one. They’ve put themselves in the position where they can battle at the Bridge (when they play Chelsea on 4 February) and see what’s going to happen next.”"

That is a fair assessment from Arsenal’s record goal scorer. Certainly, an eight-point gap is not an insurmountable figure. League titles have been won from far further back in January than this. Nevertheless, the seemingly unstoppable force of Chelsea suggests that the North London challengers cannot afford to spurn any opportunity they get, starting with the trip to Stamford Bridge in ten days time.

If they were to lose that game, Chelsea would sit with an 11 point lead over Arsenal and potentially an even greater one over every other title hopeful. Suddenly, a gap that is daunting, but by no means final, becomes one that miracles are needed to bridge.

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Even a draw for Arsenal is not a sufficient result. They still give themselves a glimmer by sharing the points but, with Chelsea looking as though they could win every game between now and May, simply sharing the points will not drag the league leaders back to the pack. A win is needed.