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

It feels like Arsenal vs the world. Having successfully had the North London Derby postponed on account of being unable to field enough senior players, suddenly everyone has gone mad.

Mad with rage. Mad with frustration. Mad with….madness.

The pile on is bizarre. The Premier League put in place a highly flawed system that had seen 19 matches postponed, yet now that Arsenal have operated within the confines of those regulations they’ve now framed as the ‘bad guys’.

Nobody necessarily agrees with the rules in place, they are plain ridiculous, it just makes no sense using up this much energy on a team who’ve done the same as numerous teams before them and not even so much as lifted a finger in response when it’s happened to them.

Arsenal: 4 reasons Mikel Arteta’s side can clinch top four spot in the Premier League as their hopes of securing Champions League football are alive

Perhaps the outrage hints towards something else. After all, it’s the teams in and around Arsenal that have been voicing their ill-informed opinions loudest.

Is it because this postponement does the Gunners a favour in their bid to secure a top four place in the Premier League season? It might be, you know. Maybe all this anger is built on the idea of fear; genuine concern that this is a team that can pip the others to the top four post.

That fear might be justified.

Make no bones about it, Arsenal are in the top four hunt. Well and truly so, with the January window possibly aiding their cause. A feat that seemed far beyond achievable three matches into the season is now up for grabs with less than half of the campaign to go. It’s absolutely not certain and there is a long way still to go, but there are plenty of reasons why Arsenal can get back into the top four.

1. Arsenal’s Current Trajectory

Three games into 2022 and Arsenal are yet to taste victory, but the trajectory of this team has been a steadily climbing one ever since that summer window slammed shut and the first victory was secured.

Mikel Arteta’s ideas have never been more evidenced in this team than they have now. Chances are no longer at a premium, build-up play isn’t sluggish, and the back of the net bulges with far more regularity.

Fans can see the improvements every week. Ignoring the age of the players and many of their careers being in their infancy, as an actual squad many of these individuals are building partnerships that are still only 15 or so matches old. A team has near enough been assembled from matchday three of the season.

Even with the aforementioned young players, who will develop in unison and have their best moments in a few years’ time, already this campaign fans can see them improving individually and collectively. Watching Gabriel Martinelli live up to his potential, Emile Smith Rowe adding end product to his game and Bukayo Saka dominating matches with mature technical play is every reason to believe this team can continue winning this term.

Arsenal are better in every which way. All of the ‘best’ performances of the season are being surpassed with new, more complete displays. This group is only going in one direction and there is nothing to say that might not lead them to the top four come May.

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2. Arsenal Have the Defensive Foundation

Sir Alex Ferguson famously said that attack wins you games and defence wins you titles. Arsenal aren’t competing for a league title anytime soon but they are forging a backline that is providing them with the stability they’ve been desperately craving.

The fluidity and youthfulness of the attack is garnering all the praise at the moment but they’ve got a set back five in place which is providing them with the foundation to be greater threat in the final third.

Arteta has centred much of his work around making the team more defensively sound. He’s invested heavily in defensive recruits since coming into the job and, at last, has found the right formula that gets the best out of his attacking players.

With two midfielders at centre-back, the perfect right-back to act as a stabaliser, a consistent left-back to contribute at both ends and a goalkeeper who aids progressively and allows Arsenal to be varied in their build up, there is a platform there unlike any seen in north London for years.

An effective team starts from the back. Without a solid defence you won’t achieve anything in the long run.

Arsenal have just that.

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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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4. Arsenal’s Rivals Have European Football Coming Up

Late February going into March is when the European fixtures come around, and among those challenging for a top four spot this season, only Tottenham join Arsenal in not being involved.

Arsenal are also the only team in this group not in the next round of the FA Cup.

Manchester United have Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and West Ham will find out who they’re taking on in the Europa League next month. It may only be two additional fixtures for the Red Devils and the Hammers to deal with, but it will put additional strain on their schedules at a time where Arsenal can bask in the week-long glory.

United, for example, have a run in March where they play Man City, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Leicester in succession.

It was always a blessing in disguise for Arsenal that there was no Europe to deal with, and it has to be grasped with both hands. It is an undeniable bonus to Arteta and his side and even if it just gives them a 5% extra edge, that can be all they need to clinch top four.

More time on the training ground, more recovery, less travel. It could be the difference maker.