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3 reasons why Arsenal will win the Premier League this season
By Kenneth Daly
Not that I need to convince anyone…
Arsenal started the 2023/24 campaign with sky-high expectations and have mostly delivered on that promise, sitting third in the Premier League table and just one point adrift of leaders Manchester City.
But their lofty position masks an insipid on-field effort as, unlike last term, the Gunners are repeatedly failing to blow teams away and seem far more disjointed in offensive situations – a surprise twist that has dampened fan expectations.
Yet, football is ultimately a results business and, in that regard, the club has not felt any significant drop off from last season, with our current tally of 27 points being just four worse off than after 12 matches in 2022/23.
3 reasons why Arsenal will win the Premier League this season
So, Arsenal remain well placed to end 20 long years of hurt, and here are three reasons why I believe we will win the Premier League title this year.
Best defences so far this season (least xG conceded):
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) November 14, 2023
🥇 Arsenal - 9.64(xG)
🥈 Man City - 11.84(xG)
🥉 Newcastle - 14.26(xG)
1. We have a great defensive record
Sir Alex Ferguson once said “defences win you titles”, and Mikel Arteta looks to have assembled one worthy of the prize.
While the 2022/23 team earned plaudits for their impressive attacking returns, they still leaked 43 goals at the other end (ten more than Man City) and were ultimately derailed by some key backline injuries.
But that problem is now rectified as Arsenal have conceded just ten goals this campaign (joint best with Liverpool) and rank first for expected goals against (9.64 – @xGPhilosophy) – a natural effect of our combined first-class personnel and ability to dominate possession.
Such strong numbers are backed up by the eye test too as William Saliba is still imperious at centre half and Takehiro Tomiyasu rarely puts a foot wrong, while Declan Rice has reduced their workload via his excellent recovery tackles in midfield.
These foundations have propelled us into third despite our bad offensive data, and it provides real hope that we can sustain a title challenge.
Continued on the next slide…