Ahead of their trip to Burnley, Arsenal sit in a position of rare luxury. Top of the Premier League and unbeaten in Europe, they have not conceded a single goal for over a month.
This early dominance has largely been credited to their ironclad defence – Arsenal’s three goals against is only one off the record at this stage of a season. For a long time now too they have boasted a formidable backline anchored by the trio of centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba as well as goalkeeper David Raya.
Such has been their form, pundits are already questioning whether the title race is, in effect, over. Liverpool’s catastrophic implosion continued this week, and with Manchester City looking a shadow of their former selves (the incomparable Erling Haaland aside), Arsenal have been left with no challenger of any real pedigree in sight.
As many critics would have it, manager Mikel Arteta has finally hewn a title winner out of endless colossal centre-backs and laser-guided set-piece mastery, and their path to the most boring Premier League championship in history is assured.
Arsenal do indeed look set, at last, for the title. But the difference lies not simply in their defence – after all, they ran by far the tightest ship in each of the past two seasons as well. Crucially, they seem to have finally shed their propensity for emotionally charged self-sabotage which has plagued them throughout Arteta’s reign.
Eradicating ill-discipline
A comparison with last season is telling. Arsenal began the campaign with huge expectations yet, despite finishing second, never came close to challenging Liverpool for the league title.
They received red cards in three of their opening eight fixtures (two of them second yellows for kicking the ball away), dropping points in all three games. This left Arsenal with not only far too much ground to make up for in the title race, but also seemingly left the club with a victim complex which reared its head repeatedly when the team faced adversity.
Over the campaign, Arsenal dropped 21 points from winning positions, the most of any club which finished in the top six. Even in their dominant 2023-24 season when Arsenal racked up 89 points, they dropped nine from winning positions in the first half of the season which ultimately doomed their title challenge, falling short of Manchester City by two points.
This term has proved a different story. Arsenal are yet to receive a red card and have not dropped a point from a winning position – it seems clear that Arteta and his team have at last hardened their mentality to accompany their obvious strength at both ends of the pitch.
Their previous two league fixtures have been indicative of this with 1-0 victories over Fulham and Crystal Palace sides who threatened for long periods. Unlike last season, however, when crucial points were dropped in each respective fixture, Arsenal managed to remain resolute and secure the victory.
Mikel Arteta’s change of mindset
Accompanying this, crucially, has been a shift in Arteta’s mindset as well. Ironically, given the discourse around Arsenal’s reliance on set plays this campaign, he seems to have at last shed the stubbornness that doomed the team last season and led to Arsenal playing the final months of the campaign without a recognised striker.
This summer Arteta splashed out on attacking players in Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke – and this boldness has been reflected in performance. Early this season he at last released the handbrake in huge fixtures against Manchester City and away at Newcastle and was rewarded both times.
What seems clear is that Arsenal have finally shed their propensity for self-harm. They have been a wonderful football team for the past three-and-a-half years: far too often, however, when the chips have gone down they seem to have malfunctioned and been unsure of what to do, often leading to implosions in dominant positions which have scuppered their past two title challenges.
At last, they seem to have shed this weakness and have begun the new season with a focus worthy of champions. The title, surely, is theirs.
