Arsenal: 4 reasons Arteta’s side can clinch top four spot

3. Top Four Rivals Have Yet to Fully Convince

Manchester United blew a two goal lead at Aston Villa in their most recent outing to draw a game that was theirs for the taking. The opening half an hour of that game was possibly the best they’ve played under Ralf Rangnick so far, and they were still not overly convincing. In possession they’re rushed and the German is making peculiar selection decisions.

They lack any presence in holding midfield, the Cristiano Ronaldo situation is one that hangs over them, there is major dressing room unrest and players want out of the club. They’re a bit of a mess.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have their own disgruntled players to deal with and a squad that is not up to par for a manager of Antonio Conte’s calibre. They may not be losing too many matches under the Italian, but they are yet to fully convincing either.

Seeing how hopelessly out of their depth they were against Chelsea, as well as how dejected and resigned Conte was to that fact, shows that they’ve still got some way to go before they will be firing under their new manager.

Leicester continue to show inconsistency, Wolves are quietly plucking away and doing well but can’t keep up their form without finding more goals in their team, and Brighton don’t have the attacking quality to be in that bracket.

The side to be most concerned about is West Ham. Using fewer players than any other manager in the division, David Moyes must be feeling some concern about his players burning out. They had continued to impress, however, until the defeat to struggling Leeds on Sunday which is another huge result for Arsenal. West Ham’s next three away games are United, Leicester and Liverpool, which could be the beginning of the end for them.

Something else could help Arsenal, too.

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