Solid defense and sharp offense, will Arsenal become champions?

06/10/2025 07:41:00 ScoreStream

Beating West Ham 2-0, along with the reigning champions Liverpool losing to Chelsea, helped Arsenal seize the top position from their opponents by one point.

After many years of building and growth, plus a strategically invested summer, the London-based team appears to have reached a stage where they can genuinely contend for the title. Under coach Mikel Arteta, the squad has more than 18 players to rotate without any noticeable decline in quality, style, or pace.

Balanced in both defense and attack

The gradual decline of Liverpool, alongside the stabilization of other contenders like Man City, Chelsea, and the rise of Tottenham or Crystal Palace (based on their league standings), further highlights the strength Arsenal has achieved. The London club is nearly unbeatable; apart from the loss to Liverpool due to Dominik Szoboszlai’s moment of brilliance, they have the ability to manage any challenging situation.

After 7 rounds, together with Palace, they have conceded only 3 goals, whereas the champions Liverpool have been "melting" by allowing 9 goals. Goalkeeper David Raya, along with Newcastle’s Nick Pope, has kept 4 clean sheets.

While maintaining defensive solidity each season—a major difference compared to other title contenders so far—Arsenal has simultaneously improved their attacking quality and strengthened their competitive mentality.

They are one of two teams with the highest number of goals scored at 14, alongside Man City. However, their expected goals (xG) figure is higher than other title rivals at 12.21. Liverpool’s is 11.06; Man City’s is 11.37; Tottenham’s is only 7.53.

Arteta’s team has 9 different players who have scored in the Premier League, the most in the league. Tottenham and Brighton have 8 each, Liverpool and Chelsea have 6, and Man City only 5 players have scored so far.

Arteta’s stars have created 69 big chances, fewer than Arne Slot’s team (77). Half of the London club’s shots are on target, equal to Liverpool and much higher than Man City.

One highlight emphasizing The Gunners’ attacking quality is that 70% of their shots inside the box are on target, compared to only 40% for Liverpool and even lower for Man City at 28.57%.

Seventy-one percent of Arsenal’s goals come in the second half, with 35% scored after the 80th minute. This shows the team’s concentration, attacking quality, and resilience.

Arsenal’s strength lies not only in statistics but also in squad depth

Squad depth

While the stats reinforce Arsenal’s superior football quality, their core squad issues have been almost completely resolved. In recent seasons, with a full roster of key players, The Gunners could challenge any team. However, they quickly declined when hit by injury crises due to a lack of high-quality replacements for stars.

Previous wins without Odegaard, Saka, or Saliba demonstrated the excellence of their replacements and Mikel Arteta’s remarkable rotation ability. This was confirmed again in the win over West Ham, where despite the Norwegian playmaker leaving at the 29th minute, Arsenal did not lose performance or tempo but improved it with Martin Zubimendi’s entry.

Their attack became even more impressive as the Spanish midfielder played deeper to free Declan Rice, while maintaining flexibility and creativity in the opponent’s final third. After the match, Mikel Arteta described the ability to "mobilize such depth as very important," considering the potential to play 60 matches and maintain stability in the final stages.

In recent seasons, Arsenal’s failures were marked by lacking personnel to compete on all fronts at critical moments. The match against West Ham showed they can manage injury issues and don’t struggle when key players are absent.

A notable detail is that a total of 16 players were used for tactical substitutions and injury solutions, achieving maximum effectiveness. Among them, Martinelli and Merino made the biggest impact.

This Arsenal squad has an ideal balance between promising newcomers, established stars, and a range of talented players ready to step in. Whether this combination can deliver the titles they desire remains uncertain. However, this is their best chance to take a significant step toward winning the Premier League.

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