Arsenal’s Premier League Title Challenge Under Scrutiny After Recent Loss

Following their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United, questions are emerging about Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations, despite many having tipped them to finally win the league this season. After their 1-0 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s team, who finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the last two seasons, now sits seven points behind current leaders Liverpool after 10 matches. Historically, only Blackburn in 1994 has overcome a larger deficit after 10 games to win the title, having been eight points behind Newcastle but with a game in hand. Other instances of teams recovering a comparable points gap after 10 games include Manchester United in 2002-03 and Manchester City in 2013-14 and 2020-21, all of whom were six points adrift at that stage. Currently, Arsenal is on a three-game winless streak in the league and has dropped nearly half the points accumulated in the entirety of the previous season, resulting in their drop to fourth place, below Nottingham Forest. Former Gunners captain Martin Keown, speaking on BBC’s Final Score, commented, “There is still a long way to go in the season but it is a long way back for Arsenal now.” He added, “They only have themselves to blame for that. They have kept pace with City for the last two seasons but they just were not at the races. It is going to be a difficult dressing room.” Keown concluded, “Arsenal didn’t turn up, didn’t play like champions and they are now nursing their wounds.” Last season, Arsenal concluded the campaign two points adrift of champions Manchester City, having been five points behind their title rivals in the 2022-23 season. The team has conceded the opening goal, going 1-0 down, in four of their last six Premier League fixtures, a frequency equal to that seen in their preceding 31 matches. This marks the first time since December 2019, before manager Arteta’s tenure began, that The Gunners have conceded the initial goal in three consecutive Premier League away games. After losing only one of their first 25 Premier League matches in 2024 (21 wins, 3 draws), Arsenal has subsequently lost two of their last three games (1 draw). This is the first occasion since May 2022 that The Gunners have experienced consecutive away defeats in the league. Across their five Premier League away fixtures this season, Arsenal has recorded only 37 shots, averaging 7.4 per game; only Brentford, with 30 shots (7.5 per game), has registered fewer away shots in the competition during this period. Over the last seven seasons, the average points dropped by top-flight champions during their title-winning campaigns stands at 20. Arsenal has already dropped 12 points this season, having previously surrendered 25 points when they finished two points behind City in May. Manager Arteta, whose team was unbeaten and dropped only six points in their initial 10 games last season, stated: “After eight, nine or 10 games last year we didn’t [talk about points] and we won’t talk about it now.” He continued, “It’s about how you react to that. We’re not going to find the right words or answers to describe how we feel. We have to put it on that field on Wednesday night against Inter [Milan in the Champions League].” Arteta concluded, “It’s not about the hope of winning the title, it’s about being our best selves every single week. Today we weren’t our best version.” Arsenal currently trails leaders Liverpool by seven points and faces the possibility of dropping to sixth place by the end of the weekend, should Chelsea and Aston Villa secure victories on Sunday. A silver lining for The Gunners is that Manchester City, who have been champions in six of the last seven seasons, also experienced a defeat on Saturday, with Pep Guardiola’s team losing 2-1 at Bournemouth. On TNT Sports, former England midfielder Joe Cole remarked: “I think this league title will be won by less points than for a long time because there are too many good teams.” He added, “A lot of people tipped them for the league but I am second guessing that now.” Prior to the season’s commencement, 11 out of 30 BBC TV and radio pundits had predicted Arsenal to secure their first title since the 2003-04 season. However, without their captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard, who sustained an ankle ligament injury during international duty in September, their start to the season has not met the expectations of many who foresaw them challenging Manchester City’s dominance. Keown stated: “They didn’t show any of their personality and Odegaard was missed more [on Saturday] than I have ever seen.” He further noted, “It was a seventh different back four in the past 10 games for Arsenal but the Newcastle goal was basics. They have been so good at that before.” Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock commented: “Odegaard is the key player for Arsenal. He is not afraid to give the ball away by hitting that killer pass. He is the one missing.” He continued, “They had overtaken one of the best teams in the world and people were tipping them to win the league because they thought you were ready for that next step. “It shows what pressure does.””