Arsenal: 4 areas of concern in the race for top four

Arsenal are in a fantastic position. In a top four race that was blanketed as who’d be the best of a bad bunch, that narrative has been dispelled by the superb consistency of Mikel Arteta’s team.

Beating Watford last time out took Arsenal into a position they hadn’t held for two months, although this time the context of their standing in the table makes for much finer viewing.

Boasting a one point advantage over Manchester United with three fewer matches played has the Gunners in a glorious position, one which would have been passed off as a wind-up if mooted just a few months ago.

It’s really on. There are 13 matches left to play in the Premier League and, in regards to Tottenham, Arsenal need only to match their results with an additional six-point cushion in their favour to seal the deal.

Arsenal: 4 areas of concern in the race for top four finish with the Gunners far from certain amid Spurs & Manchester United pursuit

Watching the quality of football on show and getting swept up in the magnificence of the young players in this squad, it’s hard not to get carried away. It’s hard not to believe. Ask yourself whether you want to see more of this and the answer is yes, without a second’s pause.

But it’s also not home and dry. Far from it. If anything it’s just jumped in the pool 1,000 miles away from London in southern Spain. Caution is advised.

Just as there are reasons to get excited for the sweet sound of Champions League music back on the carpet, there are reasons to keep feet on the ground.

13 games is a third of the season to go. Seeing Arsenal’s turnaround from the first third onwards should be a telling example that everything can change very quickly in this division. Despite Arsenal topping the probability scales to finish fourth, there are four reasons to remain vigilant.

1. Arsenal Are 1 or 2 Injuries Away From a Serious Issue

As was the case when the January transfer window closed, a scenario that has yet to truly test Arsenal, the size of the squad and lack of winter arrivals leaves no room for error in the injury department.

Is disaster a strong word? Take Alexandre Lacazette out of this team and it’s not far off it.

Very clear is not only that Gabriel Martinelli isn’t quite ready for the centre-forward position, but that he doesn’t have the tools to perform it in the role that Lacazette does. Nor does Eddie Nketiah.

Irrespective of his deficiencies, the Frenchman is making Arsenal tick. He has nine goal involvements in his last ten games. Remove him from the equation and this team, who are invested into this system and in tune with this striker, won’t operate as smoothly.

He’s not the only one, though, with Martin Odegaard on another planet at the minute and Benjamin White integral to how Arsenal build their play and organise their defence. Bukayo Saka would be a gigantic loss, of course, as no matter how sharp Nicolas Pepe is looking there is no replacement for the 20-year-old. How about Granit Xhaka? His return to the team has coincided with the fine form of late. It’s no coincidence.

Some positions can be managed slightly better than others, but all it takes is one hamstring to go and suddenly the situation isn’t quite as rosy.

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