It has turned into another very good week for Arsenal fans, and after a pretty decent first half of the season for manager Mikel Arteta, once we ticked into January and the year of 2024, it seemed like we managed to find an extra gear in our Premier League form levels.
Seven games into the New Year fixture list, we have secured seven wins, and with the recent 6-0 victory over Sheffield United in our last game, we have also clocked up 26 goals and even though we need Liverpool and Manchester City to slip up, we continue to remain only two points from top spot (and ultimately the dream of going one step further compared to our achievements last season) and you can read all about our odds of doing just that at punters uk.
Critics would point to the fixture list and the sides we have faced, but football is about taking points regardless of the order you come up against the opposition, and we have done that far more consistently in recent months than the two sides above us and we have won as many games as they have, and with a far better goal difference.
That alone should have them looking over their shoulders, but we all know the end of this month could well be decisive in shaping our season as a whole. In the next few weeks we face Porto in European competition, and also make a Premier League away trip to Manchester City themselves.
Those are battles for another week though, for now we should simply enjoy our progress so far, and in particular, the extremely comprehensive way that we put Sheffield United to the sword. We were favourites to win given their form, but to be professional enough to hit six past them suggests a hardening winning mentality within the group of players, and a greater determination to get ourselves fully across the line this year.
This was a point addressed by Arteta in his post game press conference as, as well as addressing the goals scored and the focus to not lazily lose the clean sheet when the game was totally in our control, he also made a big point of stating what a ‘positive’ it was that ‘the team shows signs of wanting more’.
That result gave us more in fact. Being five goals ahead by the 39th minute, was the quickest an away side has built up that margin in Premier League history. We also became only the second side in history to score five or more goals in three successive away games (we follow Burnley back in September 1961).
We could go one better this weekend when we face Brentford in Saturday’s late game, as we have the opportunity to add mental pressure to our rivals and put ourselves into top spot. Liverpool and City face each other on Sunday, so it is the perfect opportunity to truly shake the top three up from our point of view.
Again, this is something Arteta is well aware of, but he is also very conscious of the fact that this involves a ‘lot of ifs’ and unless we turn up, are in form and do ourselves justice the ‘ifs’ will count for absolutely nothing.
The goalkeeping legend that is David Seaman, was recently on record as saying that he felt our chances of success were far higher this season compared to 12 months ago for two, very simple and basic, reasons.
We have last years experience to guide us, and fire us up even further because of the disappointment we felt, so we will be better prepared mentality, but also last season he could fully appreciate that being in the driving seat for so long added a pressure that we were not used to – especially the games in hand we ended up wasting as City had the experience of dealing with that pressure.
This year, as chasers who have made up ground, the experience of last season will come to the fore if we can get ourselves back in front again. Our element of being ‘nervous’ will be far reduced at this time of asking, and with us looking so confident right now, that could be the one variable that makes all the difference for 2023/24.
One thing is for sure, it is going to be a nervy and fascinating end to the year.
