Arsenal: Yes, Champions League football is possible

Remarkably, Arsenal sit seven points behind the top four. Somehow, someway, gaining Champions League football via the Premier League is still possible.

It has been a difficult season for Arsenal football club. Hopes of a top-four or even a top-three finish at the start of the campaign quickly vanished. The Unai Emery era dragged on far too long as the club’s infamous hesitancy came back to bite once again. The EFL Cup offered little, while the Europa League group stages were more nervewracking than expected.

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But upon the turn of the calendar year, under a new manager in the effervescent Mikel Arteta, and with tangible improvement on and off the pitch, the club is now entering the final stretch of the season with genuine hope for what could be a successful year.

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They are still in the FA Cup, and face a kind draw against League One Portsmouth to reach the quarter-finals, start the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday, and, most staggeringly of all, are still not completely out of touch in the Premier League either.

After their victory against Newcastle United on Sunday, combined with Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester United on Monday, the Gunners now only sit seven points off the top four. They are only six points behind Spurs in fifth, and with Manchester City’s two-year ban from European competition, the fifth-place team will qualify for the Champions League.

In his post-match press conference following Sunday’s 4-0 thumping of Newcastle, Arteta conceded that his team could be in the race for Champions League come the final stretch of the season:

"“I don’t know. A week ago before we went to Dubai and we drew at Burnley everything looked like it was too far and it’s going to take an incredible run to do it, but today it feels a little bit closer. But it’s going to depend on us and we need to improve as a team and be more consistent over 90 minutes. If we’re able to do that, performances will lead to much better results and if that’s the case, we will be in the mix for the last few games of the season.”"

There is good reason to believe that Arsenal can at least challenge for Champions League qualification. Spurs are now without both Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min for the majority of the season, Chelsea are in a tailspin, while United are hardly the most convincing outfit, especially with Marcus Rashford on the sidelines, even after Monday’s win over the Blues.

In fact, the biggest rivals to a top-five finish at present seem to be Wolves, Sheffield United and Everton. Arsenal host Everton this weekend and still have to play Wolves. And after the Man. City match was postponed, only one of the Gunners’ next five opponents currently reside in the top half of the table, and that is Everton.

It is quite staggering to say, but Arsenal are not out of the running to secure Champions League qualification via the Premier League just yet. It is unlikely, admittedly, but given their improving under Arteta, they might just get close.