Arsenal’s top four rivals analysed: Man Utd, Tottenham, West Ham, Wolves

It is all about the top four. That is all anyone can speak about now, because it’s all Arsenal have left to play for in the Premier League this season.

Not investing whatsoever in the January transfer window constituted a huge opportunity missed for Arsenal, specifically because they’ve bridged the gap in the division to place themselves in the hunt to return to the fabled Champions League.

They absolutely can achieve that.

What is standing in their way? The other teams who feel they’re as much in the race as anyone else: Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves.

Arsenal’s top four rivals analysed: Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, Wolves and all their biggest strengths in the Premier League

No Brighton? No Leicester? No Chelsea? Based on what we’ve seen so far and how the table looks, no. The Blues could be dragged back in with their form dipping and Thomas Tuchel persisting with using Romelu Lukaku as the lone striker he most definitely is not, but they probably have too much quality across their team to be considered.

Securing top four is the not the be-all and end-all for Arsenal. After all, when the backlash came in for the club’s summer business and they fell to three consecutive defeats to start the season, a Europa League place would have been considered progress.

It still would, in the context of the rebuild being undertaken, but while the top four is achievable it has to be gunned for. It would have a transformative impact on the club.

What it won’t be is easy. Each of the sides challenging for that elusive fourth place all have their own ‘superpower’: a USP that this Arsenal side arguably don’t have.

So, what are their respective superpowers exactly?

Wolves – Defensive Foundation

How can a team who have only scored 19 goals in their 21 matches this season ever be considered as genuine challengers for a top four place? Only Norwich and Burnley have scored fewer goals and both are entrenched in a relegation dogfight.

It stems from the strength of their defence. Their tally of just 16 conceded all term is bettered only by Manchester City.

Losing seven matches this season, only two of those have been by more than a single goal, and on only three occasions all campaign have they conceded two goals in a single match.

While they remain outsiders to sneak into the top four, considering they are only two points off Arsenal with the same number of matches played and face them twice over the course of February, they have every single chance of being thrust into the conversation like everyone else.

Silently going about their business with a back three of Romain Saiss (Toti while Saiss has been at AFCON), Conor Coady and Max Kilman, Bruno Lage has forged a defensive foundation built on tight and aggressive marking and utter aerial dominance brought upon by a drilled midfield congesting central spaces. It’s working superbly, and when it doesn’t they call upon the outstanding Jose Sa to bail them out.

Of course, the drawback is that they don’t score anywhere near enough goals. Hwang Hee-chan has signed permanently but has only four goals in the league this season, which is matched only by Raul Jimenez. That could be their undoing.

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West Ham – Unity of Tight-Knit Squad

A thoroughly enjoyable blip in West Ham’s season took place just prior to the short Premier League break, with back-to-back defeats to Leeds United and Manchester United (a draw would’ve been nice) seeing them lose key ground in the top four hunt.

This sit above Arsenal by a single point, but have played two more matches than their London counterparts.

All throughout the season we’ve been waiting for the moment. David Moyes’ side have been outstanding at times this term, not reinventing the wheel in any way but implementing a system to suit the players at his disposal, bound together by a clear unity within the squad and a fanbase fully invested in the project.

All of that, tied together with the best set-piece record in the division and someone on course to be a Premier League great in Declan Rice, has put them well within reach of the Champions League.

But they won’t get it. Sticking a neck out on this one, their failure to invest in the squad over January saw them make three club record bids for players, none of which succeeded. Their paper thin squad has just one striker (not so bad in north London, eh?) and will be contesting in the Europa League knockout stages.

They will gradually fall away even if they have a solid core of 13/14 players who can give anyone in the league a game.

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Manchester United – An Embarrassment of Talent

In an interesting sort of way, Manchester United are the antithesis of Arsenal: boasting exceptional quality across the pitch but without the style and structure in place to best utilise it.

Here Arsenal are with a defined way of playing and a squad fully absorbed into those ideas, whereas United have flip-flopped between styles and managers all with entirely differing philosophies. However, they’ve been held together by the strength of their squad. And it’s frighteningly strong.

What they lack in central midfield they make up for in attacking positions. While Cristiano Ronaldo is a luxury item that burdens the long-term development of the team, he is still annoyingly effective at finding the back of the net. He is a ‘moment’ player, and with a game tied 0-0, he’s one of two standout names in United’s squad that can secure them points whether undeserved or not.

He and Bruno Fernandes can conjure something out of nothing. When a game it tightly contested and set to tilt on fine margins, having players to take advantage of those moments can be the difference between fifth and fourth.

Then you’ve got someone like Jadon Sancho who as soon as he clicks into gear will remind everyone why he was the best player in the Bundesliga outside of Bayern Munich for all those seasons.

United will win matches they don’t deserve on account of this. Recently, Brentford were in utter control of the Red Devils and spurned multiple opportunities, only to go on to lose 3-0. De Gea, who has been outstanding, provided his ‘moment’ in goal and then Bruno and Ronaldo did the rest.

Their superpower is the strength of their bank. It’s bought them quality.

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Tottenham – Harry Kane, Heung-min Son & Antonio Conte

If the top four race were to be decided on coaches alone then Tottenham would be winning it. Antonio Conte is the best tactician of all five in the hunt and his ability to instill diligent structure into his teams has already seen Spurs improve.

Their squad is still horribly poor in certain areas, though. They signed Rodrigo Bentancur to add progression to the midfield but he’s no better than what they have, while all-but on of their wing-backs is anywhere near the standard the Italian desires to maximise his system.

There is a reason he sought to replace Emerson Royal already and ship Matt Doherty out.

But he has improved them as a collective already – the actually run now – and he has two cards up his sleeve that most managers in the country are jealous of: Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Arsenal know this all too well, losing matches of late not to Spurs, but to those two. They are the ideal accompaniment for one another. Son’s direct style and intelligent football brain coincide with Kane’s connective role and exceptional finishing. Tottenham have, and will, win matches off the back of those two alone.

That is their unique selling point and all Conte needs to do is get a tune out of the rest of his squad with those two pieces lifting the level of the group and then top four is theirs. As horrible as it is to admit, Tottenham are the team to be most wary of. They too have no European football and the way the season has panned out they’ve had weeks upon weeks of time to absorb Conte’s methods.

They are the ones to beat, so to speak.