![\"Can](\"http:\/\/lovely-web.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69ca99efd29bd4.61499924.jpg\")
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Alright guys, let\u2019s be real for a second. When you look at the Premier League table<\/strong><\/p>\n right now, something feels… off, right? Like, Arsenal are sitting there in second place, breathing down Liverpool’s neck, and yet half the fanbase is already mentally preparing for another “almost but not quite” finish. But here’s what I’ve been asking myself lately\u2014can Mikel Arteta’s<\/strong><\/p>\n side actually pull this off, or is the title race<\/strong><\/p>\n basically wrapped up before Christmas even hits?You might be wondering why I’m even questioning this. I mean, Arsenal<\/strong><\/p>\n have the best defensive record<\/strong><\/p>\n in the league, William Saliba<\/strong><\/p>\n looks like he’s been playing top-flight football for a decade, and Declan Rice<\/strong><\/p>\n has somehow gotten even better than last season. The xG stats<\/strong><\/p>\n and expected goals<\/strong><\/p>\n metrics love them. But\u2014and this is a big but\u2014there’s something about their attack<\/strong><\/p>\n that keeps me up at night.A lot of fans ask me about the Bukayo Saka<\/strong><\/p>\n injury situation and whether Gabriel Martinelli<\/strong><\/p>\n can step up consistently. Let’s look at some numbers, because I think that tells part of the story:<\/p>\n From my view, that last stat is the killer. Points from losing positions<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014that’s where championships are won or lost. Arsenal have only turned around 8 points when they’ve gone behind, while Liverpool<\/strong><\/p>\n under Arne Slot<\/strong><\/p>\n have grabbed 14. That’s mentality, guys. That’s the difference between title contenders<\/strong><\/p>\n and also-rans.So what does this mean for the tour? Well, the Christmas fixtures<\/strong><\/p>\n are brutal this year. Arsenal face West Ham<\/strong><\/p>\n , then Brighton<\/strong><\/p>\n , then a tricky trip to Brentford<\/strong><\/p>\n right before New Year’s. If they drop points in two of those? The gap could be insurmountable by January. And here’s what I think about their squad depth\u2014it’s better than last season, sure, but is it Manchester City<\/strong><\/p>\n level? Not quite.Most people don’t notice how much Arsenal rely on set pieces<\/strong><\/p>\n . I mean, seriously, check the Premier League stats<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014they’ve scored 12 goals from corners and free-kicks this season. That’s great, but what happens when teams start… I don’t know, marking better<\/em>? When the VAR decisions<\/strong><\/p>\n don’t go their way on those marginal offside calls<\/strong><\/p>\n ?Now, let me ask myself something\u2014am I being too harsh here? Arteta has transformed this club. Three years ago they were finishing eighth. Now we’re debating whether they can dethrone Pep Guardiola<\/strong><\/p>\n and Liverpool’s new dynasty<\/strong><\/p>\n . That’s progress. But progress doesn’t win you trophies<\/strong><\/p>\n , does it?Keep reading if you want my honest prediction. I think Arsenal finish second again. Unless\u2014unless<\/em>\u2014they somehow find a January signing<\/strong><\/p>\n that changes everything. A proper striker<\/strong><\/p>\n , maybe? Eddie Nketiah<\/strong><\/p>\n did well but left, and now Kai Havertz<\/strong><\/p>\n is playing that false nine role which… works sometimes? But against the low block<\/strong><\/p>\n of teams like Everton<\/strong><\/p>\n or Crystal Palace<\/strong><\/p>\n , you need a killer. A finisher<\/strong><\/p>\n .The Champions League<\/strong><\/p>\n distraction is real too. Arteta talks about competing on all fronts, but every midweek European fixture<\/strong><\/p>\n takes something out of the legs. I watched the PSV Eindhoven<\/strong><\/p>\n match last week\u2014Arsenal won, yeah, but they looked leggy. Gabriel Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n was limping again. These small things add up.From my view, though, there’s one thing that could flip the script. Ethan Nwaneri<\/strong><\/p>\n . The 17-year-old. If Arteta trusts him in big Premier League moments<\/strong><\/p>\n , he could be the wildcard. The youth academy<\/strong><\/p>\n product with no fear. We saw Bellingham<\/strong><\/p>\n do it at Dortmund<\/strong><\/p>\n , right? Why not here?But let’s be real one more time. The betting odds<\/strong><\/p>\n have Arsenal at 4\/1 to win the league now. Liverpool<\/strong><\/p>\n are favorites at 6\/5. Those numbers don’t lie\u2014bookmakers<\/strong><\/p>\n watch every training session, every injury report<\/strong><\/p>\n , every tactical tweak<\/strong><\/p>\n . They know something.So can Arsenal win it? Yes. The defensive structure<\/strong><\/p>\n is elite, the midfield press<\/strong><\/p>\n is suffocating, and Arteta’s tactics<\/strong><\/p>\n have evolved. But will they? I’m not convinced. Not unless something changes in that final third<\/strong><\/p>\n . Not unless Havertz<\/strong><\/p>\n or Martinelli<\/strong><\/p>\n or someone starts converting those half-chances<\/strong><\/p>\n into match-winners<\/strong><\/p>\n .What does this mean for the fans? Honestly, it means another rollercoaster. Another season of “what ifs” and VAR controversies<\/strong><\/p>\n and title charge<\/strong><\/p>\n hopes that might fade by March. But hey, that’s Arsenal, isn’t it? That’s the Premier League drama<\/strong><\/p>\n we signed up for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alright guys, let\u2019s be real for a second. When you look at the Premier League…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[62,63],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tournament-reviews","tag-can-arsenal-actually-win-the-premier-league-this-season","tag-or-is-the-title-race-already-decided-by-december_"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeprofits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n
\n \nCategory<\/th>\n Arsenal<\/th>\n Liverpool<\/th>\n Man City<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Goals Scored<\/td>\n 34<\/td>\n 39<\/td>\n 36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Goals Conceded<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n 16<\/td>\n 18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Big Chances Created<\/td>\n 42<\/td>\n 48<\/td>\n 45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Points from Losing Positions<\/td>\n 8<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n