Arsenal is flying high at the moment after their 1-0 statement win over Manchester City in their last. They are tied for first with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur with 20 points from eight matches, but the Spurs are ahead as they have scored more goals.
The Gunners were pipped at the post last season, as the Man. City caught up with them from behind and surpassed them in the end. Mikel Arteta’s side, however, has beaten them twice since then, including their win over Pep Guardiola’s side at Community Shield last August.
Arsenal has some of the best players in the league in their respective positions
The Gunners have a fantastic starting 11 that can hold its own against any opposition in the Premier League. William Saliba, Gabriel, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are among the finest players in their respective positions in Premier League.
The way Saliba and Gabriel handled the threat posed by Erling Haaland in their recent match against City was a treat to watch for the Arsenal supporters. Meanwhile, Saka and Martinelli are best pair of wingers in the league, Rice’s stature is growing with every game.
In addition to that, the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Ben White continue to be solid, with Zinchenko and Jesus having the experience of winning the league with Manchester City as well.
Squad depth very important for Arsenal
By qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in six years, Arsenal has a long season ahead of them. They will need to rotate the players to avoid injuries and hence, the quality of the players in reserve becomes very important.
Arsenal has a few exciting young forwards in their side, with the likes of Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith-Rowe and Kai Havertz all capable of breaching opposition defenses.
Havertz has not been performing at his best after having been signed from Chelsea, but the German has the potential to perform well at the highest level. Nelson has scored once this season after coming in as a substitute, but Smith-Rowe has not had much of a chance.
Fabio Vieira is yet another exciting midfielder, who has impressed whenever given a chance. With Thomas Partey recovering from an injury, Arsenal should gravitate towards playing a 4-2-3-1, with Martin Ødegaard as the No. 10.
It means that Vieira will continue to find it difficult to find a place in the starting 11. However, he will get chances to impress and contribute as a fringe player.
Concern lies with the defense
With Rob Holding having left the club at the start of the season, Arsenal does not have a third high-quality centre-back at the moment. The likes of Jurriën Timber and Takehiro Tomiyashu will give adequate cover to the full-backs, but Arteta will face some difficulties in replacing Saliba or Gabriel should either of them suffer an injury.
The same is true about Jesus, who is probably the most potent striker they have. Eddie Nketiah has not been very prolific and the Gunners might need to sign a genuine No. 9 in the January transfer window. It remains to be seen how well the Gunners are able to manage their resources.