Comment: Arsenal’s return to the pitch has fuelled fans’ title hopes

The Premier League has returned to life after an enforced hiatus due to the World Cup in Qatar. On the very first game day on December 26, we were introduced to one of the hot favourites to win the title. The Canaries lost none of their quality and desire to reach the top rungs of the Premier League and finally return to the Champions League.

On 26 December, Arsenal faced West Ham at home, who have not shown very convincing performances on the pitch this season. Although the Canaries were trailing after the first half after a penalty goal, they showed character in the second half and managed to turn the game around with a great performance to win 3-1.

But why, in my opinion, did this win fuel the fans’ hopes and a great result in the final Premier League showdown? I can see several reasons both in and out of the match.

First of all, the Arsenal players didn’t get down after conceding the goal and showed their hunger for victory. Often in previous seasons, players have put in a sleepy performance and not shown a desire to do something about an unfavourable scoreline.

I think coach Arteta and his choice of players definitely deserve a lot of credit for this. Arteta has been given a relatively free hand by the owners to rebuild the team and so far the investment has paid off handsomely in improved performances.

The club’s overall transfer policy is related to this. Mainly mediocre players are leaving, who were only taking up space on the bench, and Arteta and Edu are doing well to select young and talented players who are giving back the chance they have been given.

However, Arteta is equally capable of working with players he already had at his disposal who are Arsenal offspring, such as Saka. What remains debatable, however, is the width of the squad, which I would welcome a few more players.

Arsenal players have also improved their shooting success rate significantly. Arsenal fans are surely still haunted by memories of a time not so distant when players could produce a high number of shots that shone in the stats, but at most one scruffy goal was scored from them.

Related to this is the much improved work of the defense, which was also evident in this game. After all, the Gunners have only conceded 12 goals in 15 rounds played this season and only Newcastle are better defensively with 11 goals conceded. The great stopper duo of Saliba and Gabriel has a lot to do with that.

During the World Cup in Qatar, Arsenal lost their top goalscorer Jesus due to injury and will have to be adequately replaced by other players as he faces surgery and a long recovery. In this match, it was confirmed that the goal contribution does not rest on the shoulders of just one player, as Saka, Martinelli and Nketiah were able to assert themselves.

Arsenal managers now face the daunting task of filling out the squad appropriately during the winter transfer window. Names like Tielemans, Mudryk, Ndicka and Rabiot have been linked with Arsenal.

However, we have to wait and see which transfers will actually be implemented and whether the squad can be suitably completed. A defensive-minded midfielder would be useful to watch Partey’s back, who is prone to injuries.

The winter months for Arsenal in recent seasons have been marked by buried hopes of greatness. This year, therefore, the fans have nothing to do but hope that the players will keep up their desire and vigour, lest the hopes of a good placing in a well played season should take their toll.

I think Arsenal have the potential to win the title too. How much chance of that happening I dare not say, as we are before the halfway point of the season and anything can happen. So let’s be surprised and pleasantly entertained by the next games.

Source: Premier League, Twitter, Transfermarkt