Arsenal Vs West Brom: Must-win is an understatement

After the Premier League results on Saturday, Arsenal host West Bromwich Albion nine points off the top. It is an understatement to say Monday night’s fixture is must-win.

Although many, myself included, would protest otherwise, entering the year, Arsenal, through the form of Ivan Gazidis, Stan Kroenke and Arsene Wenger, were bullish about the upcoming season, stating that the Premier League title was the ambition and that a challenge was the expectation. Naïve is the word that initially springs to mind.

However, while such ambitions may be foolish and unfounded, the target of the title is nonetheless the goal that has been set and it is the measuring stick, a self-proclaimed measuring stick, it should be added, by which they will be graded. And after the results on Saturday, that is a target that is becoming increasingly more difficult.

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After six games of the season, both Manchester City and United six on 16 points, winning five and drawing just the once. City, especially, have looked ruthless, winning their last three Premier League games with an aggregate score of 16-0. No matter the opposition, that is an impressive feat from both clubs, setting a searing pace at the top of the table.

However, it is not just the Manchester clubs that are enjoying strong starts to the season. Tottenham Hotspur hung on to beat West Ham United in the day’s early kick-off, Chelsea dismantled Stoke City to the tune of four goals, with Alvaro Morata scoring a superb hat-trick, and Liverpool, who have perhaps been the most vulnerable of the other top six so far this season, overcame Leicester City in a thoroughly entertaining Saturday evening fixture.

Consequently, not only are Arsenal nine points behind City and United, but they also trail Chelsea by six points, and Spurs and Liverpool by four points. Now, they are far from insurmountable chasms, and as the old saying goes, it is impossible to win the league in September. But it does add to the weight of Monday night’s hosting of West Bromwich Albion.

A team that has often caused Arsenal trouble in the past, West Brom will come to the Emirates and look to frustrate the Gunners. In true Tony Pulis style, they will sit deep, suffocate the time and space in the defensive third, and play with the primary objective of restricting the attacking potency of Wenger’s side.

It is these games that Arsenal have struggled with. Breaking down teams who are disciplined and determined, when space is limited and pressure high, is far from an easy task. But given the prosperous form of those around them, it is vital that the North London outfit are able to keep pace.

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Win on Monday, and they haul themselves to within one point of Spurs and Liverpool, and six points behind the two Manchester clubs. Fail to win, and at best, they will eight points off the top of the table and almost out of the title race before it ever begun.