Predicting who will lift the 26/27 Premier League trophy is literally predicting the future. As such, it seems just as pointless. Regardless, the start of every season heralds an influx of amateur and professional season previews. We may as well be looking to the stars for their opinion, but for whatever reason you have looked to me and so I will attempt to serve as your telescope to the footballing future.
To continue the metaphor, let’s look at Arsenal’s stars. I’ve compiled a very contestable list: Arteta, Saliba, and Ødegaard. Let’s begin with the manager, Mikel Arteta. As the league’s longest serving and most successful manager, Arteta has afforded the club a stability which is not available to Arsenal’s rivals. For example, Chelsea have gone through seven managers in the last eight years – not exactly ideal for building a stable squad with a cohesive winning mentality.
Saliba, the pillar of Arsenal’s defence, is currently out with a back injury. Last season Arsenal in total conceded 27 goals. A month or so in and four have already slipped past Raya’s gloves. If this continues, they will exceed last season’s record by almost ten goals. However, it cannot be ignored that 3 of these goals came against Brighton (currently 3rd in the league). In fact, looking at the open-play expected goals conceded by Arsenal of 0.20, 0.33, 0.32 and 0.26, the Brighton game is a stain that will easily be washed out. With Raya’s acrobatics, Gabriel’s staunch experience, and the newly signed Ezri Konsa, the trophy will not be lost from any notable defensive weakness whilst their main man is recovering.
But what about their attack? With no singular outlet equal to Manchester City’s goal scoring machine Erling Haaland, Arsenal have to be content sharing goals between players. Martin Ødegaard has certainly taken a page out of his national teammate’s book. Already doubling his record for last season – where he went 24 matches with only a singular goal to his name – the captain’s return to form sets a bright precedent for the future. With a defensive mainstay absent, and a greater policing on their beloved set pieces, a creative outlet in attack is important.
Looking at the current Premier League standings, Arsenal’s place in second would seem an unhappy return to an undesirable past. But City’s strong start in the transitional period of a new manager may be the lingerings of a bygone era. In Guardiola’s final season, the student surpassed his teacher, and a new order seems to be rising from his departure.
Will the stars once again align for Arsenal this season? I’m no closer to seeing the future, but a second title is certainly not out of the bounds of possibility.
“Mikel Arteta 2021 (cropped)” by Prime Video AU & NZ is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
