Arsenal have established themselves as the early pacesetters in the Premier League, perhaps setting the tone for a long-awaited top-flight title.
It’s been over two decades since the Gunners last tasted Premier League glory, and it’s needless to emphasise the burning desire at the Emirates Stadium to finally bring the trophy back to North London.
Mikel Arteta’s men have been knocking on the door for quite some time now, as evidenced by four consecutive runner-up finishes, perhaps best illustrating the seriousness of their title challenge.
This season feels like Arsenal’s best chance to finally get over the line and reclaim their place at the summit of English football, with many leading bookmakers — including those promoted by non gamstop casinos uk sites — making them the clear favourites.
At 1.60, the Gunners are the shortest-priced favourites in the league, reflecting widespread confidence in their ability to secure the title this season.
To put Arsenal’s strong favouritism into context, the bookies price defending champions Liverpool at 11.00 to miraculously turn their underwhelming season around and retain the crown.
However, Arteta’s side would be naive to take anything for granted, especially with Manchester City picking up a head of steam following a mixed start to the season.
Indeed, the road is still long, and it’s time to evaluate Arsenal’s title rivals and assess which teams could realistically challenge the Gunners for Premier League supremacy this term.
Manchester City
Hailed as the ‘best manager of all time‘ by Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson, Pep Guardiola won his 1000th game in charge of the Cityzens in emphatic fashion.
Man City dismantled Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium last weekend to maintain a four-point deficit to Arsenal, further confirming their return to form.
Guardiola’s charges have won five of their last six league outings, except for a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in late October, with four of those victories yielding multi-goal margins.
Perhaps the most notable difference from last season is Erling Haaland, whose phenomenal goal-scoring form has elevated Man City’s attack to a whole new level.
With 14 goals, the Norwegian superstar is leading the scoring charts in the Premier League and has already become the focal point of the Cityzens’ title challenge.
Chelsea
Despite starting the season as outside contenders, Chelsea have fought their way into the title conversation on the back of a notable form resurgence since the start of October.
After picking up just two wins in the opening six rounds, Enzo Maresca’s charges have won four of their last five league outings, keeping a clean sheet on three occasions.
A lack of defensive solidity was Chelsea’s undoing last season, with a string of woeful performances midway through the campaign ruling the Blues out of the title race shortly after the festive period.
However, if they maintain their current form and tighten at the back, Chelsea could emerge as genuine candidates to test Arsenal’s title credentials.
Maresca has recently issued his verdict on his side’s progress this season (via the Evening Standard), praising the squad’s newfound resilience, which could prove crucial to their rising title hopes.
Manchester United
Although Manchester United lag behind Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and Villa in the standings, the Red Devils’ sudden renaissance has reignited hopes of an unlikely title push.
Level on points with Liverpool and eight adrift of Arsenal, Ruben Amorim’s side will need to maintain a near-perfect run of form to bolster their unexpected title challenge.
United must eradicate their notorious problems with inconsistent performances if they’re to consolidate their pursuit of a top-four finish, let alone stay within touching distance of the Gunners.
However, as bizarre as it sounds, Man Utd seem like a more realistic threat to Arsenal’s title hopes than Liverpool.
