Like Romeo and Juliet, Alexander and greatness, Arsenal football club shares the same relationship with a top 4 berth in the Premier League. Before their FA Cup triumph last season, there were many dark days for the club, however, like a bond that keeps things together, a berth in the top 4 was the only reason which kept the belief of Arsenal fans in Arsene Wenger intact.
Although this season’s race for the top 4 is hotter than ever, Arsenal fans have every reason to believe that it will be their team that will be in the Champions League next season.
However, going 1 further, here we provide 4 reasons that will support the cause of Arsenal finishing in the top 3 this season: –
3rd place up for grabs
For the better part of last 5 years when Arsenal were inclined to finish 4th every May, the teams that were 1 place ahead them in the table were miles apart, both in terms of points and class. While last season it was Chelsea, before which there were the likes of Manchester City sharing the same spot, the downfall of Manchester United has suddenly opened up last 2 Champions League places this time around.
And looking at their form this season which has been more consistent than any of the Champions League aspirants, the Gunners have every reason to believe that they will break the jinx of 4th place this season.
Players coming back from injury
Till the end of December of 2013 Arsenal were comfortably challenging for the title. Sitting on the 1st spot last season in mid-December, many Gunners thought that this would be their season.
However, with injuries to key players like Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s chances of winning their 1st League trophy in more than a decade was thrown to turmoil.
However, looking at their position at exactly the same spot this season, the Gunners have welcomed players like Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott in the time period which had proved to be crucial for Arsenal in the recent seasons.
While the Englishman Walcott has taken some time to gain his form back, it is Rosicky who has hit the ground running since taking excuse from the injury that kept him out for a major part of last season.
Thus, even though they have key players like Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey out of action, Arsenal have enough depth in their squad to cope with the multiple injuries this time around.
Form of Olivier Giroud
If you take a look at the players that performed in recent years for Arsenal, a majority of them epitomized their game in the first 6 months of the season.
Mesut Ozil is a recent example as the German, after reaching the epitome of his career in the first 6 months of his career, subsided to mediocrity in the later stages.
But like a bolt from the blue, Olivier Giroud has been the most unlikely of match winners for Arsenal of late. With 3 goals in his last 5 matches for the North London side, Giroud has eased pressure from Alexis Sanchez who was carrying Arsenal for the 1st part of this season.
Thus, if Olivier Giroud can continue with same form till next month, top 3 is the least Arsenal can achieve this season.
Late Season Surge of Form
As they say that football is a game of two halves, same can be said about the Premier League. While the Premier League, like any other league, consists of two halves, the 2nd half is known as the ‘’business end’’ of the Premier League. Liverpool is the recent example as the Reds, after performing poorly till the end of December, have taken the Premier League by storm by their form in the business end.
Taking a look at Arsenal and considering their form in both halves of this season, the Gunners have performed much better in the 2nd half of this season.
In the first 19 matches of this season, the Gunners managed 33 points, which when put into perspective, amounts to 1.74 points per match. While that figure can be good for any mid-table team, it wasn’t impressive for a team that boasted for a run towards the top 4.
However, since the dawn of 2015, the Gunners have gone nowhere but up. In the subsequent 7 matches that Arsenal have played till date, the Gunners have claimed 15 points, which points to a little more than 2 points per game.
In terms of goals scored, Arsenal managed 1.74 goals per season before the turn of Year.
However, like their fortunes, the tally of number of goals scored have roared impressively for the North London side as they currently manage 2.14 goals per match. A huge improvement from their mid-season form.
Thus looking at their form now, Arsenal, barring any catastrophe, have every chance to be ranked amongst the top 3 of England come the end of May.
English Premier League: 4 reasons why Arsenal will finish in the top 3 this season
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